How to Find and Kill the Legendary Bharati Grizzly Bear in Red Dead Redemption 2

Most Red Dead Redemption 2 players meet the Legendary Bharati Grizzly Bear the hard way: it bursts out of the trees in Chapter 2, mauls Arthur and Hosea, and disappears. The good news is that the story doesn't take it away from you. Once the mission is over, the bear stays in its territory in the Grizzlies, waiting for a rematch – and taking it down earns you a legendary pelt, a unique outfit and one of the most useful talismans in the game.

Here's everything you need to know to find it, kill it without wasting a save, and turn it into gear.

Quick facts

How to unlock the hunt

The Bharati Grizzly is tied to the Chapter 2 story mission "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego", which Hosea gives you at the Horseshoe Overlook camp. During the mission you buy a new horse in Valentine, craft Potent Predator Bait and follow the bear's trail up to O'Creagh's Run with Hosea. The bait doesn't work, the bear ambushes you both, and after a frantic Dead Eye sequence it escapes. Hosea calls off the hunt.

That's the important part: you do not kill the legendary bear during the mission. It's left for you to finish afterward, either right away or any time later in the story.

If you're chasing a gold medal, the mission asks you to track the bear within 1:30, shoot it at least six times, and finish in under 12 minutes. Play it once normally, then replay it for gold.

Where to find the Legendary Bharati Grizzly Bear

The bear lives in Grizzlies East in Ambarino, just north of O'Creagh's Run – the lake where the mission ends. Ride up to the lake and continue a short way north into the forest until the legendary animal icon appears on your map.

When you enter the area you should get a message saying you've entered Legendary Animal territory. If it doesn't appear, or the game says the area is too busy, ride well away, make camp and sleep, then come back. That usually resets the spawn.

Step-by-step: how to kill the legendary bear

1. Save your game first. The bear can kill Arthur in a couple of swipes, and you don't want to repeat the whole approach.
2. Prepare. Top up your Health, Stamina and Dead Eye cores before you go. Bring Health Cures and, if you have one, Cover Scent Lotion so the bear doesn't pick you up before you see it.
3. Pick your weapon. A scoped rifle is the cleanest option – a Rolling Block with a long scope takes it down in a handful of headshots. A repeater works as a backup but needs far more hits. A bow with Improved Arrows is also viable if you prefer staying quiet.
4. Find the first clue. Inside the legendary territory, use Eagle Eye (L3 + R3 on controller) and look for the golden sparkle. Study it.
5. Follow the trail. There are usually three clues in total. Each one reveals the next, and the final one leads to fresh tracks you can follow with Eagle Eye.
6. Spot the bear from range. As the tracks get close, use binoculars or your scope to find the bear before it finds you. Don't walk straight up to it.
7. Get high if you can. The safest approach is to climb onto large rocks nearby where the bear can't reach you, then shoot from there.
8. Use Dead Eye. Mark the head several times and empty your weapon. If it charges, back off, heal, and keep firing.
9. Skin it and take the pelt. Skinning gives you the Legendary Bear Pelt and adds the Legendary Bear Claw to your satchel automatically. Stow the pelt on your horse.

Any weapon is fine here – legendary pelts don't lose quality, so even explosives won't ruin the reward. What matters is that you skin it. Legendary animals don't come back once they're dead, so don't leave without the pelt.

What to do with the pelt: Trapper rewards

Don't sell the legendary pelt to Pearson or a butcher. Take it to a Trapper. Four Trappers are open from Chapter 2 onward – in the Saint Denis market, in Roanoke Ridge in New Hanover, northeast of Riggs Station, and in far northern Big Valley – and a fifth opens near Manzanita Post in the epilogue.

The Trapper pays a small sum for the pelt and, more importantly, unlocks the Legendary Bear items. One pelt covers all of them:

The Head Hat is the easiest to get, since it needs nothing but the legendary pelt. The coat and roper need a perfect bison pelt and a perfect bull hide, so keep an eye out for both on your travels.

How to craft the Bear Claw Talisman

The Legendary Bear Claw is the real prize. Combined with two other items, it becomes the Bear Claw Talisman, which permanently slows the rate your Health core drains by 10%. That's a passive bonus that helps for the rest of the game.

To craft it at any Fence, you need:

1. Legendary Bear Claw – from skinning the Bharati Grizzly.
2. Silver Chain Bracelet – random loot from bodies, houses and camps.
3. Quartz Chunk – Deborah MacGuiness sends one as a reward for the first dinosaur bone you report in the "A Test of Faith" stranger mission.

The crafting fee is $34.75. Once made, the talisman takes effect automatically.

Tips and common mistakes

• Don't confuse it with ordinary grizzlies. Plenty of regular grizzly bears roam the Grizzlies. The legendary one only shows up inside its marked territory after you've followed the clues.
• Don't leave the pelt behind. Legendary animals are one-time kills. If something else kills the bear and you never skin it, you lose the chance.
• Don't sell to Pearson. Legendary pelts go to the Trapper. Pearson's camp upgrades use regular perfect pelts.
• Check the Quartz Chunk early. If you haven't started "A Test of Faith," the Quartz Chunk is usually what holds up the talisman. Find one dinosaur bone and you'll have it soon after.
• It doesn't count toward Skin Deep or Zoologist. Legendary animals aren't required for those trophies or achievements, but they do count toward 100% completion.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely. The Bharati Grizzly is one of the first legendary animals you can realistically hunt, it's close to where the story already sends you, and the Bear Claw Talisman is a lasting buff you'll benefit from for the rest of the game. Bring a scoped rifle, find high ground and finish the job Hosea couldn't.