RDR2: Every Type of Meat (& How To Get Them) (2025)

The vast and immersive world of Red Dead Redemption 2 spares no detail, and the process of hunting or fishing for different types of meat is no exception. Due to the variety of wildlife, it only makes sense that the meat they provide is extremely diverse from one another. With practice and patience, you can easily obtain every kind of meat available in the game.

Proper tools are needed to hunt and fish, study the type of animals you're tracking, and lure creatures to different areas. For example, the right Bait items can attract unique types of fish as you cast a fishing line into bodies of water. Hunting and fishing provide meat used to restore Arthur's Health Core, Stamina Core, or Dead Eye Core to keep his energy up when he's away from camp.

Studying various animals with binoculars or through your rifle scope updates their entries in your creature compendium, giving you hunting tips in RDR2 that help you track certain wildlife and figure out which weapons are best used against them.

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How To Get Common Types Of Meat

Hunt Animals That Appear Often

RDR2: Every Type of Meat (& How To Get Them) (2)

There are 15 types of meat in Red Dead Redemption 2. Given that cooking all 11 types of seasonable meat is required to complete the final task in the Herbalist Challenge of RDR2, it's worth noting what types of meat come from which animals. Some kinds of meat are easier to procure than others, especially when the animal it comes from only resides in a specific area of the map.

The most common types of meat to find are Stringy Meat and Gamey Bird, two kinds of food harvested from common animals you might spot along your travels. Stringy meat is arguably the easiest to obtain in the game since you get it from hunting small animals. Gamey Bird, as its name suggests, can be found by hunting common types of birds that fly around in different areas of the expansive open world.

Neither Stringy Meat nor Gamey Bird can be seasoned, preventing it from being sold for a lot of money in RDR2 . However, both items can still serve as good consumable resources in a pinch.

Animal	Common Meat Provided
Armadillo	Stringy Meat
Badger	Stringy Meat
Bat	Stringy Meat
Beaver	Stringy Meat
Blue Jay	Gamey Bird
Booby	Gamey Bird
Cardinal	Gamey Bird
Chipmunk	Stringy Meat
Condor	Gamey Bird

Animal	Common Meat Provided
Cormorant	Gamey Bird
Coyote	Stringy Meat
Crane	Gamey Bird
Crow	Gamey Bird
Eagle	Gamey Bird
Egret	Gamey Bird
Fox	Stringy Meat
Gull	Gamey Bird
Hawk	Gamey Bird

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Animal	Common Meat Provided
Rat	Stringy Meat
Raven	Gamey Bird
Robin	Gamey Bird
Skunk	Stringy Meat
Snake	Stringy Meat
Songbird	Gamey Bird
Sparrow	Gamey Bird
Spoonbill	Gamey Bird
Squirrel	Stringy Meat
Vulture	Gamey Bird
Waxwing	Gamey Bird
Woodpecker	Gamey Bird

How To Get Rare Types Of Meat

Track Down Specific Animals While Hunting

Bigger game can be harder to hunt in RDR2's incredibly large world map, as some rarer types of meats are only tied to specific animals in the wild. The amount of detail in an area's natural environment makes it difficult to spot some creatures that provide elusive meat types. Having the patience to spot certain species where they spawn the most will help you find the most elusive meats in the game.

Meat Type	Associated Animals	Where To Find
Game Meat	Duck, Pheasant, Rabbit	Rabbits tend to be everywhere on the map, but ducks are closer to bodies of water. Pheasants can typically be found only in the Heartlands of New Hanover.
Big Game	Alligator, Bear, Cougar, Panther, Wolves	Bears and Alligators are found commonly in Bayou Nwa and various forests respectfully. Cougars can be found around New Austin, while Panthers almost reside exclusively in Bayou Nwa.
Gristly Mutton	Goat, Ram, Sheep	Goats and Sheep are domesticated animals mostly found on farms and ranches. Rams can be found in the mountainous forests of Ambarino, the northwest sections of West Elizabeth, and the western areas of New Austin.
Mature Venison	Buck, Deer, Elk, Moose, Pronghorn	Deer and Buck are common anywhere on the map, but tend to show up more in Lemoyne and Roanoke Ridge. Elk are everywhere in Ambarino, the north and west parts of West Elizabeth, and northern sections of New Hanover's Cumberland Forest. Moose are in the southwest corner of New Elizabeth and in the north edge of the map. Pronghorn are found in the west parts of New Hanover, north of West Elizabeth, and everywhere in New Austin.

Meat Type	Associated Animals	Where To Find
Herptile Meat	Bullfrog, Gila Monster, Iguana, Toad, Turtle	Near bodies of water like Bayou Nwa, which is a place where bullfrogs and turtles are in abundance. Flat Iron Lake and Stillwater Creek host toads, but these creatures are near any water source. Gila Monsters are seen in New Austin at night, with iguanas showing up in both Guarma and New Austin as well.
Tender Pork Loin	Boar, Peccary, Pig	Boars are found in Guarma, parts of West Elizabeth, and within Lemoyne. Pigs are also found in Lemoyne, but usually around Bayou Nwa and Saint Denis or the Heartlands of New Hanover. Peccaries are only seen in New Austin, roughly around the middle portion of the state.
Plump Bird Meat	Chicken, Geese, Turkey, Rooster	Chickens are found practically everywhere, especially in towns and cities as livestock. Turkeys can be found in the wild areas of forests, while roosters are usually on farms or ranches. Bodies of water tend to host the location of geese in RDR2.
Exotic Bird Meat	Parakeet, Parrot, Pelican	Parrots are exclusive to Guarma and parakeets are almost entirely secluded to Bayou Nwa. Pelicans have a larger territory but tend to stay along the eastern shores of New Hanover and Lemoyne, as well as the shores of Flat Iron Lake.

As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator GTA Series Videos, many of the meats acquired for the Herbalist challenge must be seasoned to complete the goal. Most rare meats can be seasoned to create stronger effects, except for Herptile Meat. Learning how to improve rare meats you discover from a hunt in RDR2 can help you prepare better food for larger expeditions into the open world.

How To Get Every Type Of Fish

Explore Bodies Of Water For Unique Creatures

RDR2: Every Type of Meat (& How To Get Them) (4)

Fish are a bit harder to find than even some rare Meats in RDR2 since the capture of some fish species requires more luck than just tracking down the right animals. The best strategy to find specific fish is to cast a line out in different bodies of water and hope you reel in something unique. The only type of fish you can't season in the game is Gritty Fish, but everything else can be improved through various herbs.

Meat Type	Associated Animals	Where To Find
Gritty Fish	Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Longnose Gar	Stagnant lakes or swampy waters like those seen in Bayou Nwa or Bluewater Marsh. Bluegill and Bullhead Catfish respond to food baits, whereas the Channel Catfish and Longnose Gar prefer swamp lures.
Flaky Fish	Chain Pickerel, Lake Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Northern Pike, Redfin Pickerel, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass	Perch, Chain Pickerel, and Rock Bass are generally found in the bodies of water in most regions. Redfin Pickerel, Lake Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass are common in southern areas. On the other hand, Muskie and Northern Pike tend to swim in northern regions of the map.
Succulent Fish	Sockeye Salmon, Steelhead Trout	Stockeye Salmon live in northern regions of the map, usually in the rivers of forested areas. Steelhead Trout are more common in southern regions of the map, both in rivers and various lakes.
Crustacean Meat	Crabs	This meat is the rarest type of seafood, coming only from limited areas of Guarma, along the Rio Bravo in New Austin, and on the largest island of Flat Iron Lake.

While Crustacean Meat may be the rarest fish meat you can find, it sells for less than Succulent Fish, which tends to be more abundant. The fish you catch have different benefits, much like the variety of meats from land animals you've hunted. Discovering what every type of meat does in Red Dead Redemption 2 after you get it will help you figure out which ones are worth collecting in the vast open world.

Source: GTA Series Videos/YouTube