Red Dead Redemption 2 American Black Bear and Grizzly Bear Guide

Bears are one of the most important animals to hunt in Red Dead Redemption 2. Their prized pelts can be sold to trappers to craft various upgrades, so they’re essential if you want to unlock everything possible. It can often be tricky to find bears in Red Dead Redemption 2, but fear not. We’ve done the hard work for you and scouted out some confirmed locations of both American Black Bears and Grizzly Bears in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Where to Find American Black Bears in Red Dead Redemption 2

Watson’s Cabin is located just west of Wallace Station on the north side of Big Valley, West Elizabeth. If you look at your map, you can find American Black Bears right above the W in “Watson’s”. It’s a forested area with a lot of rocky terrain, where we found a few American Black Bears.

A great way to approach this area is from the west, by Hanging Dog Ranch. We found it to be slightly more open, and we got sight of both bears before they saw us by carefully approaching on horseback. They both fled from us at first, so you may have to track them down to get a clean shot. Once you do what must be done, head over to The Trapper to get your rewards. 

Where to Find Grizzly Bears in Red Dead Redemption 2

You can also find Grizzly Bears near Watson's Cabin, but they will be located to the east of the cabin while the American Black Bears are to the west; you want to be looking almost directly north-west of Wallace Station. We know the grizzly bear spawns here - it killed us pretty handily. 

Tall Trees

When you head down to the Blackwater part of West Elizabeth, there’s an area called Tall Trees to the west, across the Great Plains and past Manzanita Post. This is a large area that may seem like it has nothing going on, but Grizzly Bears can spawn here. There's no exact pinpoint area where they spawn, but they're around here somewhere. Look around and you'll be sure to find one, for better or for worse. 

O’Creagh’s Run

If you’ve already been hunting with Hosea during one of the very early companion quests, you’ll remember the area around O’Creagh’s Run as where you hunted down the legendary Bharati Grizzly Bear, but plain old grizzlies spawn here too. Take your time here as they often come down to the lakeside to hunt fish and other local animals. You'll also find the final treasure for the Jack Hall Gang Treasure quest here, so you might as well knock it out while you're here. 

Hope you get what you need from those bear pelts, partners! If you're not sure exactly where to find The Trapper and get your rewards, then check out how to locate this hard-to-find vendor!