OSRS Hunter Guide 1-99 — Chinchompas & Birdhouses
Accurate 1–99 Hunter training path: birdhouses, red crabs, falconry, razor-backed kebbits, Hunters' Rumours, red/black chinchompas, and herbiboar — with wiki-aligned XP rates and unlocks.
Efficient active methods
Chins / herbiboar / nests
Black chins (alt + tick manip)
Black chinchompas (99)
Cross-check levels and rates with the tables below — video guides go out of date after updates like Varlamore.
Hunter Training Methods 1-99
Ordered along the wiki's fastest active path. Keep birdhouse runs going the whole way.
Complete the quiz with Orlando Smith in the Varrock Museum basement for 1,000 Hunter XP (and 1,000 Slayer XP) — jumps you to level 9.
Passive Fossil Island method. Set 4 bird houses and collect every 50 minutes. Best low-effort XP to ~80; still viable to 99. Use digsite pendants and cheap seeds (potato/onion).
Tracking in the Feldip Hunter area (south of Yanille). Equip a ring of pursuit to reveal the full trail instantly. Available from level 7.
Piscatoris Hunter area. Net ruby harvests while bird-snaring copper longtails. Combining both is what reaches ~20k/hr.
Fastest active method in this range. Requires partial completion of The Pandemonium and 10 Construction to build crab traps. Alternative: sapphire glacialis butterfly netting (~28.5k/hr).
Box trapping at Locus Oasis (Varlamore). Fairy ring AJP. Needs partial Eagles' Peak for box traps. ~50k/hr with 3 traps.
Piscatoris falconry area (fairy ring AKQ). Empty weapon, shield, and hands slots. Focus spotted kebbit spawns in the south-eastern corner. Dark kebbits at 57 (~75–80k/hr).
Trains Hunter and Fishing together on Fossil Island underwater (44 Hunter, 47 Fishing, Bone Voyage). Strong if you need both skills; worse Hunter XP alone than black chins or rumours. Nets cost money — not a profit method.
Tracking at Piscatoris (fairy ring AKQ, east toward falconry). Stamina potions and weight-reducing gear help. ~100k/hr without stams; up to ~140k with alt supply.
Safe profitable training. Rates jump hard at 80 with 5 traps. Best spot is Tlati Rainforest (Children of the Sun / Varlamore access). Tick manipulation optional.
Hunter Guild tasks. Expert rumours from 72 (~160k/hr); Master from 91 (~195k at 91, ~250k at 99). Use a block list and guild hunter outfit. Safer alternative to Wilderness black chins.
Fastest Hunter XP from 73 and highly profitable, but heavy PK risk. Solo ~145–225k XP/hr; with shooting alt + tick manip up to ~265k (cap ~300k uninterrupted at 99). Hard Wilderness Diary recommended for access.
Low-effort Fossil Island tracking. ~66 catches/hr assumed for wiki rates. Harvest for herbs + ~3.3k Herblore XP/hr with secateurs. Herbi pet chance 1/6,500 on harvest.
Most Profitable Hunter Methods
GP/hr figures track wiki money-making guides and move with GE prices — treat them as order-of-magnitude.
Best Hunter GP/hr. Rates assume tick manipulation; PKers reduce real profit.
Best safe profit method. Much better at 80+ with 5 traps; Tlati Rainforest is the top spot.
Profit scales with Herblore (better herb table). Magic secateurs and herb sack recommended.
Passive income from bird nests and feathers while training other skills. Not high calendar GP/hr, but excellent XP for time spent.
Steady profit on The Crown Jewel. Build crab traps once; bait with fine fish offcuts.
Used mainly for XP bridging to 49+, not as a money-maker. Kebbit fur/loot is minor.
Hunter Unlocks & Requirements
Bird snaring & tracking
Crimson swifts, polar kebbits, and other starter prey
Bird houses
Passive Fossil Island trapping (requires Bone Voyage)
Butterfly netting
Catch ruby harvests and higher butterflies
2 concurrent traps
Extra trap; then 3 at 40, 4 at 60, 5 at 80 (+1 in Wilderness)
Box trapping
Ferrets and later chinchompas — requires Eagles' Peak
Net trapping
Swamp lizards and salamanders (rope + small fishing net)
Pitfall trapping
Spined larupia and other pitfall creatures
Falconry
Rent a gyr falcon to hunt kebbits at Piscatoris
Grey chinchompas
First chinchompa catch (box traps)
Red chinchompas
Main safe profit box-trap method
Black chinchompas
Wilderness chinchompas — fastest XP and best GP/hr
Herbiboar
Fossil Island tracking (also needs 31 Herblore)
Master Hunters' Rumours
Highest-tier Hunter Guild tasks (~250k XP/hr at 99)
Bird houses every 50 minutes: Best early–mid XP for time spent; keep them going to 99 if you want AFK levels
Trap limits: 1 → 2 at 20 → 3 at 40 → 4 at 60 → 5 at 80 (Wilderness adds one more)
Boost before trap thresholds: Hunter potions (or tipple) to unlock the next trap early around 20/40/60/80
Safe vs risk: Red chins / rumours / herbiboar if you hate PKers; black chins if you want max XP and GP
Rumour block list: Park bad Expert/Master tasks on one guild hunter, then train on the others
Herbiboar: Magic secateurs + herb sack; official client Herbiboar Helper highlights the correct search
Black chin tick manip: Knife + teak/mahogany logs; shoot strays so fresh chins path into traps
Early game (1–39)
Natural History Quiz to 9, then birdhouses on Fossil Island for the bulk of efficient XP. Actively: Feldip weasels (9–15) → ruby harvests with copper longtails (15–21) → red crabs (21–39). Sapphire glacialis is the fallback if you skip The Pandemonium crab traps.
Mid game (39–73)
Finish enough of Eagles' Peak for box traps, then embertailed jerboas (39–43) and falconry (43–49). Razor-backed kebbits carry you to 73 at ~130k/hr. Grey chinchompas unlock at 53; red chins at 63 (rates are weak until 80 / 5 traps). Orange/red/black salamanders are lower-intensity alternatives.
End game (73–99)
Black chinchompas (73) are the fastest XP and best GP/hr if you accept Wilderness risk. Hunters' Rumours (Expert 72 / Master 91) are the strong safe XP option. Red chins and herbiboar (80 Hunter, 31 Herblore) are the main profitable / supply-focused alternatives.
Essential materials
- •Bird snares / box traps / rope + small net: Hunter shops (Yanille, Nardah, etc.)
- •Noose wand + rings of pursuit: Tracking weasels and razor-backed kebbits
- •Butterfly net + jars: Ruby harvests, sapphire glacialis, moths
- •Clockworks + logs + seeds: Birdhouse runs
Quest requirements
- •Bone Voyage: Fossil Island — birdhouses, drift net fishing, herbiboar
- •Eagles' Peak: Box traps (jerboas, all chinchompas)
- •Children of the Sun: Varlamore access (jerboas, Hunter Guild, Tlati red chins)
- •The Pandemonium (partial): Red crab trapping (+10 Construction for traps)
- •Priest in Peril: Morytania swamp lizards only — not needed for Feldip Hills
- •Desert access: Orange salamanders at Uzer (Shantay Pass / fairy DLQ) or Necropolis (Beneath Cursed Sands)
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping birdhouses — they are the best XP-for-time early and mid
- •Trying red chins hard before 80 when you only have 4 traps
- •Tracking without rings of pursuit (huge XP loss on weasels/razorbacks)
- •Treating drift nets as profit — nets are a cost; the value is dual XP
Related tools
Calculate your time to 99 with our Skill Calculator. Track XP gains with the Player Lookup tool. Check current prices at the GE Tracker.
Rumour tiers
- •Novice (46) / Adept (57): Available early but weak XP — skip for training
- •Expert (72): ~160k XP/hr with a good block list and guild outfit
- •Master (91): ~195k at 91, up to ~250k at 99
Tips
- •Switch freely between guild hunters — two never share the same creature, so you can block tasks
- •Talk to Guild Scribe Verity for back-to-back rumours
- •Completion XP uses (Hunter level + 5) × tier modifier (50 / 55 / 60)
- •Best safe alternative to black chinchompas when you want high XP without Wilderness risk