Track an Animal by Sound and Tracks

Wilderness near forest cover, beginning when you hear an animal call in the area.

Before you go

Pause when you hear an animal call and move toward its likely source without diverting into a long loot search.
At the area where the sound leads, hold right-click to enter Focus mode and scan the ground for a track clue.
Interact with a clue to continue the trail and listen for the next animal sound it reveals.
Repeat the Focus search and clue interaction as the trail progresses.
When the animal appears, kill it with your weapon and approach the body.
Use the skinning interaction, then collect the meat and skin that are produced.
Return with the materials and process or store them according to your food and crafting needs.

Keep your attention on the trail after the first call; hunting clues are easy to miss while sprinting or looting.
Carry enough space for both meat and skin so a successful hunt does not force you to abandon useful materials.

Repeat when another call and trail are available. Animal appearances and resulting materials are not guaranteed at a fixed place or rate.

Leaving to loot during an active trail risks losing it; finish the clue sequence before detouring.
Searching without Focus mode makes clues harder to find; enter Focus and scan the ground deliberately.
Forgetting space for the carcass materials wastes the hunt; clear inventory before following a call.

Stop the search if the trail no longer produces clues or the animal does not appear; resume only when a new call gives you a fresh lead.

Sources & fact checks

Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.

Hunting and gathering

Following a sound-and-track trail can lead to meat and animal skin without relying on a fixed spawn route.