Hunting
Hunting turns wild animals into Food without first investing in a Farm or Mill, so it can support an early economy while wood and coin go to aging up or military production. A kill leaves a finite carcass that Settlers gather directly; in Age of Empires III, huntable and herdable carcasses decay by 0.75 Food per second. Herds are distributed across the map, which makes scouting, travel distance and worker safety part of the economy rather than simple gathering details.
Food gathering
Send Settlers to a nearby hunt and keep their gathering group within reach of protection when an opponent can raid. Animals may flee, remain in place or retaliate, depending on the species; avoid assuming that every herd can be gathered safely in the same way. A carcass loses Food while it remains on the ground, so finish nearby kills before walking the group across the map. When one herd runs low, scout the next source or shift workers to Fishing, livestock, Farms or Mills. Artillery splash damage can kill wildlife, and Settlers can still gather from the resulting carcass; ordinary military attacks do not provide a practical hunting method.
Safety & timing
Hunt early when Food is needed to train Settlers, advance to the next Age or field a first army. Scout before committing many workers so that the herd is close enough to gather and its route can be defended. Move away from exposed hunts when raids become likely, and do not count the same animals twice when planning a long match: the herd is finite, and the carcass continues to lose Food after the kill.
Carcass decay and gathering order
Age of Empires III uses a 0.75 Food-per-second decay rate for both huntable and herdable animals. This is lost Food while the carcass lies on the ground, not a penalty to the Settlers’ gathering rate. Gathering a nearby carcass before relocating workers therefore preserves more of its remaining value. This rule is specific to Age of Empires III; hunting rules from other games in the wider series do not describe this system.
Herds, wildlife and expansions
The available wildlife depends on the map and installed content. The base game includes animals such as Deer and Bison; The WarChiefs adds Guanaco, The Asian Dynasties adds several Asian species including Elephant, Ibex, Nilgai and Saiga, and later releases add animals such as Gazelle, Giraffe, Ostrich, Zebra, Feral Sheep, Seal and Walrus. These names are useful scouting clues, but the animal’s own entry and the selected map determine its food amount and behavior.
Japanese Shrines and nearby animals
Japanese Shrines attract nearby animals and benefit from resources generated around them. This creates a different relationship between hunting and the Japanese economy: animal placement can support Shrine income as well as direct Food gathering. Check the Japanese civilization and Shrine entries for that civilization-specific interaction; it is not a general rule for every civilization.
Choosing a safe source
A short walk from the Town Center is valuable because it reduces worker travel and makes it easier to shelter Settlers during a raid. On a map with scattered herds, scouting can reveal whether the next hunt is worth securing or whether Fishing or a farm-based source is safer. Herdable animals can be moved and protected differently from wild herds, so use their dedicated entry for those mechanics instead of treating every animal as a stationary resource node.