Hunter

Hunter
Released	21 November 2006 (Update)
Members	Yes
Type	Gathering
Statistics
Players with; 99	144,896; as of 1 April 2026 - update
Players with; 200M XP	379; as of 2 April 2026 - update

This article has a calculator here.

Calculators determine experience and costs based on real-time prices from the Grand Exchange Market Watch.

This article has skill training guides: Members / Ironman / UIM

Skill training guides document optimal XP/hour methods to train a skill, as well as alternate passive or less expensive methods.

Hunter is a members-only skill in which players catch different animals and creatures in RuneScape. Although Hunter is a non-combat skill, players can still be damaged while hunting. Using hunting equipment bought from Hunter stores, players can hunt specific creatures obtaining rewards such as spotted kebbit fur for spotted cape, chinchompas, black salamanders, and dragon implings.

Hunter can be trained in a variety of locations throughout the game, with most players beginning their training in the Feldip Hills. Bird house trapping are often utilised at later levels, and at level 46 players can access the Hunter Guild, located in the Avium Savannah, along with its associated rumours.

Released in November 2006, Hunter was the most recent skill added in the backup Old School RuneScape is based upon and thus the second-most recent skill in the game after Sailing.

	Hunter level up - even-numbered levels
The music that plays when achieving even-numbered levels.

	Hunter level up - odd-numbered levels
The music that plays when achieving odd-numbered levels.

Hunting techniques

Aerial fishing

Aerial fishing is a Hunter activity requiring 35 Hunter and 43 Fishing. Aerial fishing is used to catch several fish species at Lake Molch. With the required Hunter and Fishing level, suitable bait, and a cormorant's glove equipped, clicking on a fishing spot will send the cormorant towards the spot to catch a fish. The cormorant will always return to the player with a fish.

Bird house trapping

Bird house trapping is used to catch birds on Fossil Island. The required Hunter level varies depending on the type of bird house trap used. After being set up on one of four dedicated spots, a bird house trap can be filled with seeds to attract birds. After approximately 50 minutes, the seed will be depleted, and the trap can be dismantled for Hunter experience and loot including feathers, raw bird meat, and bird nests containing seeds. Bird houses are lost in the process, but the clockwork used to make a trap is returned.

Bird snaring

Bird snaring is used to catch several types of birds. Bird snares can be used starting at 1 Hunter, with higher level birds requiring higher levels. Bird snares can be set up anywhere in a hunting area where birds are present, and have a chance to attract and catch birds as they fly by.

Box trapping

Box trapping is used to catch ferrets, embertailed jerboas, and chinchompas. The Eagles' Peak quest must be completed before box traps can be used. Box traps can be set up anywhere in a hunting area where the desired prey is present, and have a chance to attract and capture creatures as they pass by. If the player's Hunter level is too low, the trap will always fail.

Butterfly netting

A butterfly net is used to catch flying creatures such as butterflies, implings, and bats (in the Chambers of Xeric). With the appropriate Hunter level and a butterfly net (or magic butterfly net), the player may left-click on a flying creature to capture it. Butterflies and implings can be trapped in butterfly and impling jars respectively for later use. Bats do not require any container, but cannot be brought out of the Chambers of Xeric.

Butterflies and implings can also be caught barehanded, which requires 10 Hunter levels over their base requirement.

Implings spawn rarely on Gielinor's surface, but very commonly within Puro-Puro, which can be accessed through crop circles in many wheat fields or through traveling to Zanaris.

Crab trapping

Crab trapping is used to catch red crabs, blue crabs and rainbow crabs. Permanent traps can be built at dedicated crab trapping spots. Unlike other types of Hunter traps, crab traps catch crabs at a consistent rate and cannot fail.

Deadfall trapping

Deadfall trapping is used to catch kebbits, maniacal monkeys, and pyre foxes. Boulders for deadfall traps are located in specific Hunter areas. With the appropriate Hunter level for the desired prey, a knife, and logs in the inventory (or a banana when hunting maniacal monkeys), clicking on a boulder will set the trap. When the kebbit or monkey paths towards the trap, it may be caught.

Drift net fishing

The drift net fishing technique is used to catch fish shoals in the Underwater area of Fossil Island. It requires 44 Hunter and 47 Fishing, with higher Fishing levels rewarding better fish. A drift net is used on drift net anchors to set the trap. Fish shoals are caught when they swim into the net. This occurs passively, but the player can also chase shoals into the trap for faster collection. Several items such as a merfolk trident will increase the chance of successfully scaring shoals into the net. Drift nets are consumed when collected.

Falconry

The falconry technique is used to catch spotted, dark, and dashing kebbits in the Piscatoris falconry area. After renting a gyr falcon from Matthias, clicking a kebbit will direct the falcon to attempt to catch the kebbit. If successful, the player can collect the falcon to retrieve the drops. Attempting to catch one of these kebbits without a falcon or without the required Hunter level will always fail.

Net trapping

Net trapping is used to catch salamanders. In dedicated net trapping areas, a rope and small fishing net can be used on a young tree to set a trap. When a salamander passes the trap, there is a chance for it to be caught.

Magic box trapping

Magic boxes can be used to trap imps. With 71 Hunter, in any area where imps spawn, the player can set up a magic box. When an imp passes the trap, it may be caught to produce an imp-in-a-box, which can be used to bank items.

Pitfall trapping

Pitfall trapping is used to catch spined larupias, horned graahks, sabre-toothed kyatts, sunlight antelopes, and moonlight antelopes. In dedicated Hunter areas, pits are located that can be used to create pitfall traps. Each type of prey requires a different Hunter level, but all pitfall traps require a knife and logs to create the trap, as well as a teasing stick or hunter's spear to tease a creature, causing it to chase the player. When a player jumps over the pitfall trap, the creature will follow and has a chance to be caught in the trap.

Rabbit snaring

Rabbit snaring is used to catch white rabbits. Completion of the Eagles' Peak quest and 27 Hunter is required. To trap a rabbit, the player sets up a rabbit snare outside of a rabbit hole. They then use a ferret on the rabbit hole to flush out the rabbit into the snare.

Tracking

Tracking is used to catch several kinds of kebbit, as well as herbiboars. With this technique, the player inspects scenery objects in the creature's habitat to uncover a creature's tracks. These tracks will eventually lead the player towards the hiding creature. For kebbits, a ring of pursuit can be used to reveal the entire track at once, and a noose wand is used on the kebbit's hiding location to receive loot and Hunter experience. For herbiboars, rings of pursuit do not function and noose wands are not required. Finding and harvesting a herbiboar rewards grimy herbs; magic secateurs can be used to increase the number received.

Hunter areas

There are several designated Hunter areas that form a habitat housing multiple Hunter creatures, though these are not the only areas where Hunter creatures can be found.

After completion of the Eagles' Peak quest, a player can use the eagle transport system to fly an eagle from Eagles' Peak in the woodland area to three of these Hunter areas: snow, jungle, and desert.

Hunter guide's name	Area			Map
Aerial	Lake Molch	35	Bluegill
		51	Common tench
		68	Mottled eel
		87	Greater siren
Ape Atoll	Kruk's Dungeon	60	Maniacal monkey	N/A
Desert	Uzer Hunter area	5	Golden warbler
		13	Desert devil
		47	Orange salamander
	Necropolis Hunter area	47	Orange salamander	N/A
Jungle	Feldip Hunter area	1	Crimson swift
		7	Feldip Weasel
		19	Tropical wagtail
		31	Spined larupia
		33	Barb-tailed kebbit
		45	Black warlock
		63	Carnivorous chinchompa
Karamja	Karamja Hunter area	41	Horned graahk	N/A
Lava	Ourania Hunter area	59	Red salamander	N/A
Lava	Boneyard Hunter area	67	Black salamander	N/A
Savannah	Avium Savannah	39	Embertailed jerboa
		57	Pyre fox
		65	Sunlight Moth
		72	Sunlight antelope
		75	Moonlight moth
		79	Tecu salamander
		91	Moonlight antelope
Snow	Rellekka Hunter area	1	Polar kebbit
		11	Cerulean twitch
		25	Sapphire glacialis
		35	Snowy knight
		51	Sabre-toothed kebbit
		55	Sabre-toothed kyatt
Swamp	Canifis Hunter area	29	Swamp lizard	N/A
Woodland	Piscatoris Hunter area	3	Common kebbit
		9	Copper longtail
		15	Ruby harvest
		23	Wild kebbit
		27	Ferret
		27	White rabbit
		37	Prickly kebbit
		49	Razor-backed kebbit
		53	Chinchompa
	Falconry	43	Spotted kebbit
		57	Dark kebbit
		69	Dashing kebbit
	Kourend Woodland	9	Copper longtail
		15	Ruby harvest
		53	Chinchompa
Other	Gwenith Hunter area	63	Carnivorous chinchompa	N/A
	Fossil Island underwater	44	Fish shoal	N/A
	Mushroom Forest and Fossil Island Volcano	5	Bird houses	N/A
	Mushroom Forest	80	Herbiboar	N/A
	Wilderness	73	Black chinchompa	N/A
	Gielinor	71	Imp	N/A

Miscellaneous

Bait and smoking traps

There are three ways for player to increase the catch rate of creatures: a higher skill level, using bait, and smoking the trap. Many Hunter creatures have a preferred bait that players can use on a trap to increase the catch rate. To find out what the preferred bait of a creature is, visit the creature's page or the in-game Hunter guide. By smoking a trap, the player's scent will vanish, and thus make the creature less suspicious of the trap. A trap can be smoked by using a lit torch or bruma torch on the trap. Anti-odour salt present in the player's inventory will also smoke a trap.

Adding a creature's corresponding bait to a trap will increase the catch rate by +3%, while smoking a trap with a torch will increase the catch rate by +2%.^[1] Due to the low increase of the catch rate, manually smoking or adding bait to traps is often inefficient, but it may be useful at lower levels.

Multiple traps

Box trapping, net trapping, bird snaring and rabbit snaring can be done with multiple traps at once, with the maximum amount of traps depending on the player's Hunter level.

An extra trap may be set while hunting black salamanders or black chinchompas in the Wilderness.

Temporary boosts make it possible to use more traps at lower levels.

	Traps
1	1
20	2
40	3
60	4
80	5

Hunter shops

There are three Hunter stores in which players can buy Hunter tools. These shops are Aleck's Hunter Emporium in Yanille, Imia's Supplies in the Hunter Guild, and Nardah Hunter Shop in Nardah. All three shops have the same items in stock.

Sells at: 120.0% • Buys at: 70.0% • Change per: 2.0%
	Number in stock	Restock time	Price sold at	Price bought at	GE price
Butterfly net	5	6s (10t)	24	14	7
Butterfly jar	100	6s (10t)	1	0	19
Magic box	30	30s (50t)	720	420	397
Noose wand	50	3s (5t)	4	2	5
Bird snare	50	3s (5t)	6	3	14
Box trap	25	6s (10t)	38	22	53
Teasing stick	5	6s (10t)	60	35	12
Unlit torch	20	6s (10t)	4	2	11
Rabbit snare	10	6s (10t)	18	10	2
Bird snare pack	3	6s (10t)	606	353	Not sold
Box trap pack	3	6s (10t)	3,840	2,240	Not sold
Magic imp box pack	3	6s (10t)	72,000	42,000	Not sold

Hunter Guild & Hunters' Rumours

At 46 Hunter, the Hunter Guild becomes available. The guild has a variety of hunter related amenities available, including Hunters' Rumours. The Rumours are an activity where a Guild Hunter assigns a specific animal to hunt for a rare drop. Completing rumors offers unique rewards like the quetzal whistle, the guild hunter outfit, and quetzal feed.

Hunter spell

Casting the Hunter Kit spell on the Lunar spellbook, requiring level 71 Magic and Dream Mentor, players will obtain a Hunter kit which contains various useful Hunter tools: a bird snare, box trap, butterfly net, impling jar, noose wand, rabbit snare, teasing stick and unlit torch.

Hunter crossbow

Leon, who is located inside the Hunter shop in Yanille, sells a Hunter's crossbow for 1,300 coins. This crossbow possesses a firing speed of 4, which is equivalent to that of a shortbow, requires 50 Ranged to wield and can only use kebbit bolts and long kebbit bolts as ammunition. At level 74 Fletching, this crossbow can be upgraded with a Sunlight antelope antler to create the Hunters' sunlight crossbow.

Players can make their own bolts using the Fletching skill by using a chisel on a kebbit spike, or they can pay Leon a small fee to makes the bolts for them.

6 Kebbit bolts costs a kebbit spike (Prickly kebbit) and 20 coins
6 long kebbit bolts cost a long kebbit spike (Razor-backed kebbit) and 40 coins

Additionally, players can make bolts for their upgraded Hunters' sunlight crossbow by fletching antelope antlers.

12 Sunlight bolts from one Sunlight antelope antler (requires level 62 Fletching)
12 Moonlight bolts from one Moonlight antelope antler (requires level 72 Fletching)

Hunter and camouflage clothing

Some Hunter creatures will reward the player with the creature's fur when caught. These furs may be traded in at the Fancy Clothes Store in south-east Varrock for different types of hunter gear. In addition to the furs, the costume maker will also charge a small fee to create this gear.

Wearing camouflage gear does not improve the chance of successfully capturing creatures ^[2], although the tops and legs reduce the player's weight when worn by 3kg and 2kg, respectively.

The Larupia, Graahk, and Kyatt Hunter gear sets reduce damage from Hunter creatures by 20%, 40%, and 60%, respectively.

The costume maker can also make a few other items. Spotted and spottier capes reduce the player's weight when worn, and the gloves of silence made from dark kebbit furs make pickpocketing easier.

When the player wears the full Guild Hunter set, this increases the catch rate of Hunter creatures by 2.5% as well as the chance of receiving rare creature parts from Hunters' Rumours by 5%.

Storage items

The following items can be used to store or create Hunter equipment or animal products:

Item	What is stored	Source
Small meat pouch	14 pieces of meat	Sewn from 4 Fox furs
Large meat pouch	28 pieces of meat	Sewn from a small pouch and 3 sunlight antelope furs
Small fur pouch	14 furs	Sewn from a 4 larupia furs
Medium fur pouch	21 furs	Sewn from a small pouch and 3 graahk furs
Large fur pouch	28 furs	Sewn from a medium pouch and 3 kyatt furs
Huntsman's kit	Various pieces of Hunter gear	Hunters' loot sacks from rumours
Tackle box	Small nets for net traps, diving equipment for drift net fishing and Molch pearls from aerial fishing	Tempoross, via the reward pool
Herb sack	Grimy herbs from Herbiboar	Slayer Rewards or Farmer Gricoller's Rewards from Tithe Farm
Log basket	Logs for deadfall trapping and pitfall trapping	Forestry Shop
Jar generator	Produces butterfly and impling jars	Elnock's Exchange in Puro-Puro
Hunter kit	Produces various hunting tools	Hunter kit spell

In addition, the following NPCs offer storage services for Hunter-related items:

NPC	What is stored	Activity
Annette	Drift nets	Drift net fishing
Elnock Inquisitor	Butterfly nets, imp repellent and impling jars	Impetuous impulses

Hunter pets

There is no universal pet obtained from training Hunter, however there is three different pets that can be obtained from different Hunter activities. In addition, the Heron (the Fishing skilling pet) can be obtained from the hybrid Hunter/Fishing method, aerial fishing.

Baby chinchompa

The baby chinchompa is a skilling pet that can be obtained while catching any kind of chinchompa. The chances of getting it are dependent on the player's Hunter level and the type of chinchompa being hunted.

Herbi

Herbi is a pet obtained from hunting herbiboars found in Fossil Island's Mushroom Forest. There is a 1/6,500 chance to receive the pet after the player harvests the herbs from the herbiboar.

Quetzin

Quetzin is a pet that can be obtained as a potential reward from completing Hunters' Rumours in the Hunter Guild. The pet can only be obtained from expert or master rumours.

Temporary boosts

	Level increase	Visibility	Other info
Hunter cape	1	Visible	The cape provides five teleports per day which can be used to travel to the carnivorous chinchompas in the Feldip Hunter area or the black chinchompas in the Wilderness. Additionally, players with access to the Hunter Guild can unlock an unlimited third teleport to the guild.
Blackbird red	1	Visible	Hitpoints 16 Attack -5 Slayer -1
Sailor's mirage	1	Visible	Sailing - 1 Attack - 3 Strength - 3 Defence - 3
Trapper's tipple	2	Visible	Found in the Hunter guild, requires a minimum Hunter level of 46 (not boostable) to access. Attack -2 Strength -1
Horn of plenty (empty)	2	Invisible	N/A
Hunter potion	3	Visible	N/A
Hunting mix	3	Visible	Hitpoints 6 per dose. Requires Barbarian training.
Horn of plenty (charged)	4	Invisible	N/A
Spicy stew (yellow spice)	±0-5	Visible	Hitpoints 11 Depending on type of stew, any skill except Hitpoints can be boosted or reduced by 0 to 5 levels randomly.
Super hunter potion	6	Visible	N/A

Quests

Quests requiring Hunter

Quest	Hunter requirement	Other skill requirements
Cold War	10	34 , 30 , 30 , 15
The Ascent of Arceuus	12	-
Perilous Moons	20	10 , 20 , 20 , 48
Eagles' Peak	27	-
Troubled Tortugans	45	51 , 48 , 45 , 40 , 34
At First Light	46	27 , 30
Defender of Varrock	52	55
Secrets of the North	56	69 , 64
Monkey Madness II	60	69 , 70 , 55 , 55
While Guthix Sleeps	62	180 , 67 , 66 , 65 , 65 , 40 , 72
Song of the Elves	70	70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70

Quests rewarding Hunter experience

Quest	Experience reward	Hunter requirement	Other requirements
Natural history quiz (miniquest)	1,000	-	-
The Ascent of Arceuus	1,500	12	-
Eagles' Peak	2,500	27	-
Shadows of Custodia	4,000	36	41 , 45 , 54
At First Light	4,500	46	27 , 30
Perilous Moons	5,000	20	10 , 20 , 20 , 48
Defender of Varrock	15,000	52	55
Secrets of the North	40,000	56	69 , 64
Song of the Elves	40,000	70	70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70
Monkey Madness II	50,000	60	69 , 70 , 55 , 55
While Guthix Sleeps	50,000	62	180 , 67 , 66 , 65 , 65 , 40 , 72
Total	209,500

Skill choice

Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Hunter. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.

Quest	Experience reward	Skills available	Skill requirements
X Marks the Spot	300	Any	None
Client of Kourend	500 twice	Any	None
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen	2,500	Any skill above 30	49 , 57
A Tail of Two Cats	2,500 twice	Any skill above 30	None
The Great Brain Robbery	5,000	Any skill above 30	16 , 30 , 50
King's Ransom	5,000	Any skill above 50	65
Darkness of Hallowvale	2,000 three times	Any skill above 30	5 , 20 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 40
A Taste of Hope	2,500 three times	Any skill above 35	48 , 40 , 40 , 45 , 38
A Kingdom Divided	10,000 twice	Any skill above 40	54 , 52 , 52 , 50 , 42 , 38 , 35
In Search of Knowledge (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 40	None
Curse of the Empty Lord (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 50	Some players will need 31
One Small Favour	10,000 twice	Any skill above 30	36 , 25 , 18 , 30
Recipe for Disaster (The final battle)	20,000	Any skill above 50	175 , 70 , 48 , 50 , 53 , 53 , 25 , 59 , 40 , 50 , 40 , 40 , 10 , 10 , 36
Sins of the Father	15,000 six times	Any skill above 60	62 , 60 , 56 , 52 , 50 , 50 , 49
Total	202,300

Level up messages

This article on a skill has an associated transcript page for level up messages.
Click here for the transcript.

Changes

Date	Changes
14 January 2026 (Update)	Reverted an efficiency improvement from the previous week's update that caused most hunter creatures to behave incorrectly in certain scenarios.
22 November 2018 (Update)	The message received when smoking a trap can now be filtered.
21 April 2016 (Update \| poll)	Implings can now be caught barehanded and do not require a jar. Clue scrolls have been added to impling drop tables.
14 April 2016 (Update)	Levelling up to 22 hunter now states you can catch young implings rather than adolescent implings.

Trivia

	Scape Hunter
The login screen music for the release of Hunter.

The falconer mentions that some noblemen consider falconry a suitably refined sport for them. Hunting and falconry in particular was indeed an extremely popular sport among European nobility during the Middle Ages.
The Hunter skill was developed by Ian Gower.

On the day of the skill's release, the two rock pillars on each side of the RuneScape main page were replaced with totem poles, on which were drawings of imps, lizards, and razorbacked kebbits. A few pawprints were also scattered around the tiled background.

The login screen was changed as well. A piece of graahk fur was hung on each side of the screen, and a pair of orange salamanders clung onto the pillars. A box trap appeared below the login box, while a butterfly was placed on the top-left corner of the login box. A patch of grass grew on the bottom of the screen, parting at the middle. The burning rune symbols were replaced with paw prints, lizards, kebbits, and butterflies.

References

^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Mod Ash: "+2% for the smoke, +3% for the bait."
^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Mod Ash: "[Does any hunter gear work?] Nope."

[1] Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Mod Ash: "+2% for the smoke, +3% for the bait."

[2] Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Mod Ash: "[Does any hunter gear work?] Nope."

[1]

[2]

v t e Skills
Combat	Attack Strength Defence Ranged Prayer Magic Hitpoints
Gathering	Farming Fishing Hunter Mining Woodcutting
Production	Cooking Crafting Fletching Herblore Runecraft Smithing
Utility	Agility Construction Firemaking Sailing Slayer Thieving
Proposed skills	Artisan Warding Taming Sailing (2015 proposal) Shamanism
Related	Experience Skill mastery 200 million experience Summoning