The Hunt
It starts with a clue: hawks circling over the hills. Press R (Hunt) and Jed goes out on foot. Bison graze on the far rise, deer in the mid-grass, rabbits close in. Every shot costs a bullet, the wind carries your scent (the same wind as the weather system), and, as in the original, you can only carry so much meat back to the wagon.
Choose Hunt yourself, then click on an animal to shoot.
Rules
Carry limit (faithful)
100 lb per trip, whatever you shoot. The Hunter's rifle skill makes it 150. A 1,200 lb bison is mostly left behind. That sting is part of the game's soul, so we keep it and add options: bring the wagon back (half a day), or share the carcass with a nearby party (reputation, Phase 2).
Wind and scent
Downwind of the herd, you're invisible. Upwind, your scent drifts to them (you can see it), and animals it reaches bolt after a beat. Read the wind arrow in the status bar before you go.
Distance and skill
Far animals are harder to hit. The Hunter wastes fewer bullets. A miss spooks everything nearby.
Over-hunting
Every kill thins the local game: plentiful, then fair, then scarce. It recovers over trail days. Hawks stop circling where the land is hunted out.
Clue to hunt
Hawks overhead mean game is near, so a better yield. Hunting without a clue works, but the area is random.
Phase 2 hooks
on:kill, hunt.carry. Almanac "Plains Tracker" reveals herd movements. Heirloom "Grandfather's Powder Horn": the first shot of a hunt never misses.