Valheim Deer Hunting for Trophy and Hide

Deer are one of the most popular animals in any survival game and Valheim is no exception! Deer hunting can challenge even the most powerful Viking warrior.

Deer are some of the most common wild life animals you will find in Valheim, but that doesn’t mean they are easy pickings, without some knowledge and practice!

There is an abundance of uses for these creatures.

Deer aren’t there just for show, since Valheim is a survival game, everything in the game’s world serves a purpose including the Deer.

Valheim Deer Hunting

Deer are probably the hardest creatures to actually hunt in Valheim.

They are quite fast, and are susceptible to running away at the slightest sensory movement.

If deer spot you tromping through their pristine forests, they will run away and it will be even harder to track them down again, unless you have experience with them and know their behavior.

Deer Facts:

• Deer can’t be tamed
• Deer are immune to Spirit damage

Valheim Deer Approach: Sneak & Crouch

When you approach a Deer, make sure that you are sneaking. If they spot you first, you won’t be finding them anytime soon.

Moving while crouching takes a ton of stamina, so move quietly and take breaks as you move so you don’t run out of stamina.

If you run out of stamina, your character will stand up and the deer will spot you.

Crouching and moving between bushes, shrubs and tall grass will keep you hidden and improve your stealth effectiveness.

To crouch, press Left Control key.

Crouching increases your damage by a large amount, and you will be able to one-shot a Deer, even with a Club or Flint Axe.

Deer Senses & Wind Direction

Can Deer more easily sense you, if you are downwind from them?

This is a hotly debated topic in the forums, with players pledging their Viking horns that Deer are and aren’t sensitive to our scent!

Next time you attack a Deer, take notice of the direction of the wind at the bottom left corner of your mini map.

This shows you the wind direction. It’s also clearly seen by floating specks of dust in the air.

Valheim Deer Locations

Deer Locations:

• Meadows Biome (lighter green locations on the map)
• Black Forest Biome (darker green locations on the map)

Deer can usually be found congregating in groups of two to four in open fields and inside of forests.

It is most difficult to see them deep in the forests, because trees and bushes hide them well.

Deer Calls:

Often, if you are in the middle of dense woods, you will hear them before you see them. They have a distinctive call. Keep your sound up!

Best Weapon for Deer Hunting

Valheim Deer can be hunted with almost any weapon. But which weapon is best?

Personally, I had the best success slowly sneaking up behind the deer and stabbing them once, instead of throwing something at them.

Even the most basic weapon will one-shot Deer, while crouching and sneaking up behind them.

Stone Axe has a Backstab bonus of 3x. Sneak causes you to take advantage of that.

The spear and bow seemed to take more than one shot for me. Probably because they are more complicated and challenging to learn and master. You have to take careful aim.

When you’re using a bow, aim slightly above the deer, and your arrow will arch to its target. This is called bullet drop, in FPS games. The same physics will be applied if you’re using a spear, which you can throw, at a distance like the bow.

Deer Hunting Tip

Deer will often be seen in packs, as they travel together. If you attack a deer that is close to the others, all of them will scatter and flee.

To avoid this outcome and farm more kills, try to target the deer that are wandering a bit away from the group. This will make it much easier in hunting the whole pack.

If a deer is spooked, it will come back to the same area within 2-4 minutes of being scared away.

So the next time a deer gets spooked by you, instead of chasing a deer that is running away, just move away from the spot you first spotted them. Stay in a sneak position.

Wait until they return to the same area, which they will 100% guaranteed.

Deer Levels

The deer which have more stars below their name and health bar will drop way more meat and hide in comparison to the 0-star ones.

If you see deer with stars below their names, then make sure killing them is your priority over regular deer, if you are limited on time.

Valheim Deer Levels:

	Item	0 Star	1 Star	2 Star
	Deer hide	1-2 (100%)	2-4 (100%)	4-8 (100%)
	Deer trophy	1 (50%)	1 (50%)	1 (50%)
	Raw meat	2 (100%)	4 (100%)	8 (100%)

Deer Hide for Building

Deer Hide is effectively one of the most important materials in all of Valheim. It has a PLETHORA of uses, and each use becomes important the more you play the game. As such, hunting Deer is a huge part and an actual focus in Valheim. So, what can you use Deer Hide for? Well, here’s a list of all of the building you can do with it:

• Forge Bellows: “The Forge bellows is used as an upgrade for the Forge. Must be placed near a Workbench. The Forge Bellows must be facing the embers of the forge.”
• Karve: “The Karve is a boat and the successor to the Raft. It is faster and more maneuverable than the raft, which allows for better tacking, or sailing into the wind.”
• Longship: “The longship is the successor to the Karve and the largest boat in the game. The Ancient bark required for construction is collected from ancient trees in the swamp biome. With 18 storage slots, the longship is the best ship for cargo.”
• Tanning Rack: “The Tanning rack serves as an upgrade for the Workbench when placed within 2 meters of it.”
• Home Decor:  increase the Comfort level of your home.
  • Deer rug
  • Dragon bed

• Bronze Armor Set:
  • Bronze helmet
  • Bronze plate cuirass
  • Bronze plate leggings

Deer Hide Weapons

Deer Hide is required for even the most advanced bows.

Deer Hide Bows & Weapon List:

• Crude Bow upgrade
• Bronze spear
• Draugr fang
• Finewood bow
• Huntsman bow

You’ll need lots of Deer Hide for beginner gear. One of the first things you’ll want to do is upgrade your Crude Bow.