Are you sitting at home with a serious case of buck fever? Well, these are the best hunting games to help scratch that itch until you can hit the woods when hunting season opens again.
We'll be the first to admit that even the best hunting games don't come anywhere near matching the actual experience of hunting. However, we also realize that you can't always go hunting when you want to... in which case, a good hunting video game is one of the best substitutes for the real thing until you can make it back out hunting again.
The good news is that there are tons of great hunting games out there for you to choose from. Regardless of the gaming console you use or your price range, there is probably a hunting video game that will suit your desires.
So without further ado, here are our picks for the best hunting games for your gaming console, computer, or phone to help you get through the offseason.
5. Deer Hunter (2014)
Available on Android and iOS, Deer Hunter is one of the best free hunting games out there and it's also one of the best hunting games you can play on a phone. Especially considering the price tag, graphics are pretty good and it's an easy game to play. There are also dozens of species you can hunt while you test out tons of upgrades for your hunting rifle. Although it's far from the most realistic hunting video game, that doesn't mean it's not fun to play, especially if you've got some time to kill.
4. Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt
Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt is a cool hunting video game for Wii that comes with a gun-shaped controller, which adds a whole other element of fun to playing the game. With a wide variety of species to hunt, this game is pretty darn entertaining and is a gigantic step up in realism from Deer Hunter.
3. Duck Hunt
Speaking of hunting video games with gun-shaped controllers, Duck Hunt from the original Nintendo Entertainment System is a classic hunting game if there ever was one. Released in 1985, the graphics are over 30 years old and it shows. However, it makes the list because it was one of the very first hunting games ever to hit the mainstream. Especially considering how old the game is, it's also pretty darn realistic, and those ducks can be pretty frustrating and humbling to shoot at, as anyone who has spent time hunting waterfowl could tell you. The Duck Hunt Dog may be one of the most reviled characters in video game history, but also adds some character to an otherwise pretty simple game.
2. The Hunter
The Hunter (also known as theHunter) is one of the most realistic hunting games in the world. Featuring incredibly detailed hunting environments that are teeming with wildlife and dealing with real life environmental concerns like wind direction and weather, playing The Hunter can be an incredibly addicting experience. While The Hunter is a great free hunting video game, the fact that you have to pay a subscription to enjoy all aspects of the game by unlocking all maps and animals takes it down a notch and keeps it out of the #1 spot on this list of the best hunting games.
1. Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts
Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts is perhaps the best designed and most realistic hunting game currently available on the market. Featuring (among other things) extremely detailed information on terminal ballistics, realistic tracking, and believable animal behavior, this game offers an incredible, all-encompassing hunting video game experience that few other games can match. Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo, Jim Shockey, and Wade Middleton all make appearances and offer actual big game hunting advice during the game as well. Add it all up and you've got a hunting video game experience that is as close to the real thing as you're going to get without actually being in the woods.
What do you think of these choices for the best hunting games? Did we miss any?
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by John McAdams on his hunting blog. Follow him on Facebook The Big Game Hunting Blog or Twitter @TheBigGameHunt.
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