Horizon Forbidden West is home to many animal species, and the jays are some of the hardest to hunt. They’ll see you at a moment’s notice and fly off, giving you little chance to shoot it with an arrow. Here’s how to find and hunt jays on your journey for resources.
Jays can be found south of Chainscrape, nearby the Relic Ruins in The Daunt. They lurk in the forest, walking around and occasionally flying from place to place (especially if you’re sprinting here and there).
Thick in the forestry, you’ll want to use your scanning abilities. It will be small, but if you hold down the R3 button and scan, you’ll see a yellow, almost golden, outline of the winged creature. Press the R1 button to mark it.
Next, keep crawling among the grass by pressing the square button. This is a proper hunt, so make sure your arrows are stocked up by crafting them beforehand. Once you get close enough by using the tall grass around the area, stay composed and get a shot at the bird. If it sees you or if you rush it, the jay will fly away so be patient.
You can still aim for the jay while it’s in mid-air and nail the shot. However, it’s relatively hard to do as the jay moves fast across the sky. You can also try to slow down time by pressing the right analog stick while aiming.
Once you’ve hunted the jay, you can get a bright feather off its carcass, and according to the game, “It is highly valuable to merchants,” but they only sell for a comedic nine metal shards only. Its feathers can also help you with upgrades to your ammo and tool pouches, which are significantly more useful. For instance, two jay feathers and 25 metal shards can provide a larger quiver for your light arrows and elemental light arrows.
