Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 Achievement Guide & Road Map

Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 Achievement Guide

Overview
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 3/10
- Offline: 29/30 (970)
- Online: 1/30 (30)
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 6-9 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2
- Number of missable achievements: None (Level Specific Achievements)
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No Cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No
- Glitchy achievements: Yes (Hungry for Fame)
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: The Topshot Elite can be used for the shooting galleries but is not required and a Facebook account is required for the Hungry for Fame achievement

Introduction
"Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012" is a very linear hunting game which offers very easy gamerscore with the exception of a few challenging shooting gallery achievements. The story mode is very short but needs to be played twice. Once to complete the story and another so that you can get Gun Master, where you have to only use your Compound bow and Trophy gun to complete the levels. You also need to play through the shooting gallery but you don't need to actually complete all of the levels, you just need to aim for the specific achievements in the gallery. I will outline which achievements are shooting gallery related in the guide.

Step 1 - Shooting Gallery
The first level of each gallery is the easiest to obtain achievements on. There are three different gallery types: Reflex, target, and normal shooting. You will only need to use the target gallery to hit the exploding cans. I would recommend using the Reflex gallery to get Dead Eye and King of Reflexes. Then get the rest on the normal shooting galleries. This step should take you 1-2 hours.

Step 2 - Normal playthrough
Playthrough the game normally while looking out for the hidden locations, kill achievements, and any other misc achievements. Only buy the best upgrades available for each gun and don't bother with the weapon skins for Pimp My Gun. This step should take you about 3-5 hours.

Step 3 - Gun Master playthrough
When you have completed your first playthrough choose the level select option and play all of the levels again only using the Compound bow and Trophy Gun. You cannot use any other weapon so leave the bird shooting to later. You can use this playthrough to kill small animals by using the trophy gun and slowing the time down.

Step 4 - Mop up
Use the methods in the guide to mop up any achievements you have left. Kill the birds you have left over using the method in the guide.

Conclusion
This game would have an achievement difficulty of 2/10 if not for two annoying shooting gallery achievements. The Topshot Elite gun is not needed whatsoever. This game is pretty fun and easy to playthrough. Once the Shooting gallery is out of the way it is clean sailing to 1000.

[x360a would like to thank jamie1000013 for this roadmap]

Pimp My Gun

90
Unlock and fully upgrade all the firearms.
(3)
After 1 or 2 missions you will have access to the shop and you can access it after you complete each level. You have to complete the game in order to unlock the final gun which is the Trophy gun. You can only upgrade the rifle, long ranged rifle, shotgun, and the Compound bow. Also it is important to know that you only need to buy the best upgrade available for the gun you don't need the lesser upgrades for this achievement to unlock. So for instance on the bow only buy the best ammo, best sight etc and that will mean you have fully upgraded it. I also don't think you need to bother with the weapon skins for this achievement.

So just buy the best upgrades only, they typically cost $5000. You should be able to get this on your first playthrough. If not you'll get this on your second playthrough while going for Gun Master. After you complete the game for the first time you will get $20,000 to spend so that could help.
Pump It Up

30
Hunt 300 birds with the Shotgun in Story.
(2)
All you need to do is hunt 300 birds with a shotgun in story mode. This will more than likely take two playthroughs. I would suggest you do the method below because on your second playthrough you will be going for the Gun Master achievement and using the shotgun disables the achievement.

Here is how to boost it really fast: load up Texas day 1 hunt 2. You will come to a open area with fences on both sides. You will be able to shoot about 35-50 birds each time. After you kill the birds just walk forward a little and shoot the trophy boar and you will get an auto save. Then just quit to the main menu and choose this level again. Only takes about 15-20 minutes to get 200 birds killed. Also make sure you use your shotgun as kills with the other guns don't count.
Hunting for Money

90
Earn more than $50,000 in Story.
This should unlock about 3/4 of the way through the game. Just use shooting blinds and aim for the Trophy Animal's organs like the heart and lungs for bonus points. The best way of getting money fast is when you have an objective to kill multiple animals that run past the screen (This happens like twice in story) just go nuts and kill as many as you can. I would go as far as saying it's story related.
Spoorer

15
Find 20 tracks in Story.
You will always find a set of animal tracks when you are trying to find the next trophy animal. They will show up as yellow prints when you are in detective mode simply walk over to them and press and you will get a short cutscene showing the animal's last known direction. You should get this halfway through your first playthrough if you do it to every track you see.
Hungry for Fame

30
Upload 20 pictures.
(11)
This achievement is a bit glitchy but will unlock with persistence. You have to take pictures and then upload them to your Facebook account. You unlock the camera later on in the game and it shows up in one of the weapon slots. Simply zoom in and take a photo and then press and login to Facebook and then upload it. You may want to number each photo so you can track how many you have uploaded. Just keep doing this over and over it doesn't matter what rating the photo gets. After a while though it will say upload failed when it does this try dashboarding and retrying or leave it a couple of hours and retry.

It may take a lot more than twenty for this to unlock. I had to have 20 pictures uploaded on the same day for this to unlock but it may vary for others.
Detective

15
Spend 15 minutes total in detection mode.
To use detective mode press . Animals, hiding spots, and hunting blinds will show up in different colours highlighted. You should be able to get this naturally on your first playthrough because it is really helpful to use. If you don't just turn it on and leave it going for however long you need.
Gun Slinger

30
Shoot 10 trophy animals while using the Trophy Gun.
You unlock the Trophy gun after completing the game for the first time. The Trophy gun is hands down the best gun on the game and is very easy to use. You should unlock this while going for Gun Master so please see that achievement for more details.
Bushman

15
Spend one continuous minute fully covered by vegetation.
You can do this at any point during the game simply go into a bush and the sides of you screen should go black. When this happens just simply hide there for 1 minute. Animals cannot break you cover so don't worry. To spot suitable bushes just use detective mode ( and the bushes should glow blue/purple.
Shadow

30
Finish any location in Story without alerting any trophy animal.
There's no need to go out of your way for this achievement. If you play the game by being as discreet as possible you should unlock this on any random level. The easiest level to get this on would probably be the first mission.
Anatomy Saved My Life

15
Win 10 skillshots in Story.
A skillshot is when a predator jumps out at you in slow motion and you have to kill it before it kills you. You will get this by naturally playing through. They are very easy to kill.
Heartbreaker

30
Hunt 10 big game trophies by shooting them through the heart.
(2)
To do this get a rifle or a long range rifle and zoom in on a trophy animal then hold to go into slow motion. While in this mode try and find the heart on the animal usually below the lungs. After you shoot you should get a bullet cam and you'll get a heart shot. Rinse and repeat 9 more times.
Secret Seeker

20
Find 7 hidden locations in Story.
(1)
Hidden locations are darted around the levels and offer little side missions. For example during the first mission the commentator will tell you that you just passed a hidden location unless of course you found it. They are mostly very easy to spot and since you only need 7 you can miss a few. If you look at the stats of each mission they will tell you how many hidden locations there are for that level. If you don't unlock this during your first playthrough just keep an eye out next playthrough. Look for trails that don't lead anywhere near the trophy animal.
Gun Master

100
Finish every Story map using only the Trophy Gun and the Compound Bow.
(6)
For this achievement you need to complete the game using only the trophy gun and Compound bow. After you complete the game for the first time you will unlock the Trophy gun. You cannot use any other weapon which includes the shotgun, rifle, and long range rifle. You cannot for instance use the shotgun to hunt birds as this will disable the achievement.

So you need to go on to level select and play through the missions using only the trophy gun and compound bow. Try to remember which levels you have done because it starts you at the last level every time you complete a level. You can replay the levels in any order and if you do use another gun for a level don't worry just replay that level and the achievement will unlock. I for instance hunted birds with a shotgun for the first two levels and had to replay them for the achievement.

To get the kills for the small and animals and birds just use the methods I have outlined in the guide and not during this playthrough it will be easier that way.
Close and Personal

30
Shoot any big game from less than 15 yards.
Just keep creeping up to a trophy animal using crouch and bushes to hide and then zoom, in with your rifle and check the yard and fire. Slow motion () will be a big help for this achievement.
Devarminator

30
Hunt 200 small game land animals in Story.
Small game animals include Warthogs, foxes, and rabbits. This may take two playthroughs to get. I would recommend on your second playthrough to use your Trophy gun to kill any small animals you can this is because you can slow down time and it also won't void that achievement unlike using the shotgun.
Paparazzi

15
Take 30 pictures in Story.
Simply take 30 pictures with your camera. You get the camera later on in the game. The pictures don't have to be a certain quality either.
Become a Legend

100
Finish Story Mode.
Story Related and Cannot be missed.

Simply complete all 15 missions on all 5 locations and this will unlock when you kill Ben.
Skill or Luck?

30
Hunt any trophy with one shot over 280 yards.
(6)
Method that works: Mexico Day 3, Hunt 2. Use the 250 point blind, shoot close to the target to make it flee, then take down after it hits 280 yards. Must be done in one shot. Description is kind of confusing, but just means it has to be a one hit kill. Also, target is usually at 280 yards after passing the cacti on the right. Shoot a few meters ahead of the deer for a clean kill.
Bow Mastery

30
Hunt 15 big game trophies while using the Compound Bow.
You first get the bow on Texas day 1. You may get this on your first playthrough and it isn't very difficult to do so. You will get the bow about halfway through the game. After you complete the brief training to use it you will get hunts that require you to use the bow. Simply keep using it while you can and it will unlock either on this playthrough or your Gun Master playthrough.

Tip: When it comes to hunting the trophy animals that aren't too far away, try your best to sneak up closer to them and take them out using the bow. Some of the trophies will need to be dealt with in this manor, but not all. Aim for the neck as it's a quick kill.
Archer

15
Hunt a bird using the Compound Bow.
You get the bow on Texas day 1. The easiest way to get this achievement is to use your detection mode during certain hunts to spot birds sitting in the trees. A good spot for this is a couple of hunts after you first get the bow there is some stealth missions and there will be a lot of birds on tree branches, very easy to spot them.
Lucky Luke

30
Hunt an animal from at least 40 yards without using your scope or sights.
(1)
The earlier missions are perfect as they have plenty of trophy animals in close range. You may want to upgrade your rifle but it more than likely won't be needed.
Adrenaline Seeker

30
Hunt a trophy animal while it's alerted and running away.
You could get this when you try and get the 280 yards shot achievement with the method that I posted but really you can get this easily at any point.
Good Reflexes!

15
Hunt 10 Target of Opportunity animals.
(2)
A target of opportunity is an animal that usually runs past you and you have to kill it quickly. You may get this on your first playthrough if not simply keep trying different routes on your second playthrough. There are more than 10 available and they are very hard to miss.
Hunting The Hunters

15
Shoot 10 predators during a single player Arcade Shooting Gallery.
(3)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

An easy way to get this is to load up the first level on Montana (Woodlands) and as soon as you see a red sign in front of you look in to the distance on the right. Two mountain lions will run across the screen, shoot them and then don't shoot anything else. You will fail that section so will have to replay, rinse and repeat five times until you unlock the achievement. Also remember after each two kills to shoot the ground in order to lose your bonus or else you will get more points that required so will have to continue.
King of Reflexes

30
Win any 1 Player Reflex Shooting Gallery hunting all animals in the correct order.
(8)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

Switch to the Reflex Galleries and enter the first level (Namibia) available. You have to hit the animals in order the symbols are displayed. I had quite a hard time doing this until I learned the best way to approach each section. Just keep trying different ways to get the animals and you should get this after a few frustrating attempts. Always use the shotgun for birds as they are quite hard to hit otherwise.
Deadeye

30
Win any single player Shooting Gallery while not missing a shot and scoring 20000 or more.
(2)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

This is the easiest way to get the achievement hands down:

Start up Namibia reflex shooting gallery:

Complete the first two waves:
1. Shoot the wild beast
2. Shoot the wild beast and impala
3. On the the third wave, shoot nothing and let the time run out. You have ten tries to complete this wave, so do nothing for all of the tries letting the timer run out.
At the end of the tenth try, the achievement should pop and you should have between 26000-27000 total score.
Demolition Expert

15
Shoot 10 exploding cans in single player Target Shooting Galleries.
(3)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

There are exploding cans in the first Target Gallery - Mexican Camp. The totals are cumulative. So you can replay the level to get to 10. They will be pointed out by the game so you should know what they look like.
True Hero

15
In any 1 Player Arcade Shooting Gallery make your Hunter Award reach five stars.
(2)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

The stars rack up as you get multiple kills without missing. All you have to do is get consecutive kills long enough to get your stars up. The easiest way to do this is to equip your shotgun and shoot birds. You could also keep target assistance on and it will keep your gun sights tracked on the animals.
Let Them Fall

30
Shoot 100 birds in single player Shooting Galleries.
(1)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

Just keep shooting birds in the (first) arcade gallery and you’ll unlock this achievement in no time, especially if you’re using that gallery for the “Clean!” achievement.
Clean!

30
Hunt at least 75% of male animals in any single player Arcade Shooting Gallery.
(4)
Arcade Shooting Gallery Achievement

This is by far the hardest achievement in the game followed by King of Reflexes. The easiest way to get this achievement is to follow this method:

On the first arcade gallery shoot the first 14 Big Game animals to shoot in the first section. The first 4 animals at the beginning you can't shoot but they count. After this 14 there comes the second section with only Birds. Just do nothing! Let the time always run out again and again until the Game is over! (Ten times) After that you will get the trophy because you have shot 14 from 18 Big games and so 75%.

There should be three animals at once, then another 3, then 8 at the end which is the hardest part. Make sure you have aim assist turned on to make this a lot easier. I got it on my first try with aim assist on while using a normal Xbox 360 controller.