Werewolf hunters.

[Berserker]

Ruthless professional poachers looking to cash in on werewolf pelts, teeth, etc.
Misguided Van Helsing juniors looking for a cheap thrill, who watched too many episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Well-funded zealots from the Vatican sent on a hell-purging righteous mission.

If you were a werewolf, how would you handle werewolf hunters?

I'm partial to option 3.

[Blue-eyes in the dark]

i guess i'm too nice, i chose the last choice to convince.

[Rosiewolf]

I would probably either do option three or one.

[Defensorem Lupus]

I would try them all because the situation can be relative; I would choose depending on the situation at hand. But my overall first choice would be the last one, then if the status quo were to change I would have to decide what to do next.
In other words, I act depending on what the situation at hand calls for: Flee, Death, Convincing, Turn them, or Bribe them.

[Ansuru]

Relocate: I'm getting the hell out of here. They'll never find me.

It's their job to find you. Running doesn't wash with me.


Turn 'em: How do you like those fangs and fur? This isn't a dream, pal... but lets see if you wake up.

Neither does making them stronger. Give them enhanced senses and endurance, the ability to shift, plus the advantage of surprise (a were'd be naturally suspicious of a human come to call, but another were, even one come to take over your territory, is more likely to resort to tooth and claw than a Remington loaded with silver.


Bribe 'em: Look... turn the other way, and I'll see to it you get all the fresh venison you can eat!

Oh puh-leeze. These guys can afford to pay for silver weaponry. I'm sure they know where to find a good venison steak...good way to follow the trial back to a were! What's a meat-eating schmuck from the forest got against that kinda money?


Convince 'em: *best Sean Connery voice* I don't want to kill YOU! I never did!

I know! I know! Bambi's Mom impression, right? YAH!! That'll work! NOT. (you get a cookie if you can spot the various points of irony in this answer)


Kill 'em: Werewolf hunters can't be redeemed. How dare they threaten my family?

At the end of the day, the only final solution is the one that's final. And a forest is better than the back yard at a mafia don's mansion for hiding a body!

[Terastas]

You forgot an option:

- "Trick them."

The best way to handle a self-proclaimed werewolf hunter would be to mess with their heads and send them off in the wrong direction, misdirect them into fighting each other, or set them up to be arrested and/or committed like the nutjobs any normal human being that doesn't believe in werewolves would presume them to be. The most important thing about being a werewolf is to never do anything to blow your cover, and any of the options included in the poll would be risking that. It would be much better to maintain a normal appearance and let the hunters do themselves in.

[JoshuaMadoc]

1: Convince them.

Failing that

2: Run from them.

Failing that

3: Fend them off.

Failing that

4: Kill them.

[RedEye]

Both Kitetsu and Tesertas have good points; in that a Hunter is going to be someone who is already just a little bit nuts.
Personally, I'd find out why they were hunting me, first. You don't want to do anything until you find out what their angle is. Fame? Fortune?
They could be hunting Werewolves to warn them of something, for that matter. Or they might be Mercenaries from some Genetics Facility: those you kill right off as neighborhood improvement.

I'd suggest staying Smooth and listening to them. Once you know what the deal is; THEN you can act properly.
If they're out to make the world safe for Smoothskins; you set them up so the Police catch them all armed up and looking for the big Fuzzy. If they're FANS, you set them straight and send AB a nasty letter.
Basically, though; you need to find out the WHY, and act from that.

[JoshuaMadoc]

And make any comrades jumping to dumb conclusions paraplegics regardless of their status.

It's your army; be a responsible CO. It's your family; be a responsible parent.

EDIT: 5 votes on "kill". I'm very unimpressed by you voters, but i'm also not surprised.

[Berserker]

Semi-related to hunters... what if someone was hunting for werewolves for years, but on a quest to become one? Obviously they've gone through a number of hardships and spent a large chunk of their life trying to seek out the truth, and they've finally succeeded. But they're still a complete stranger, and that complicates things. How do you determine if someone is ready, or worthy, to become a werewolf?

I reckon I would gauge the sacrifices they've already made, weighed with their intentions. Simple fans probably come straight out of suburbia, and they might not know what they're getting into. Someone who turned their curiosity into a pilgrimage might be different. Of course, if you had a pack, you'd have to convene with them first.

[JoshuaMadoc]

I'd determine them on the actions they make in the future, next to their initial and current motive. I'd need to find out how they've been affected by their motives, and calculate each according options to go along with their future decisions and actions.

[Black Claw]

You should have put knock them out, then flee to a location where they won't expect you to hide.......... their home town!!!!!! Then if that fails then we kill them with a fifty caliber sniper rifle at a range of half a mile!!! then if that fails call the cops and say your being stalked by him during a new moon so he can't prove your a werewolf!!!!!!!

[Black Claw]

Oh yeah, don't listen to that rating above the moons i've been like this for 7 yrs, thanks to my cousin who says i'm a werewolf or a vampire because i really have fangs and people are scared of me because of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blue-eyes in the dark]

Oh yeah, don't listen to that rating above the moons i've been like this for 7 yrs, thanks to my cousin who says i'm a werewolf or a vampire because i really have fangs and people are scared of me because of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You just made yourself a new friend.

[RedEye]

Going back to the question of "suppose they were hunting Werewolves to become one?" makes one think a bit.
Like the old uber-question of "Why?" You're in a difficult place because if you ask them, you give away the potential that you either know of, or are one. You leave your tail hanging out in the breeze, so to speak.
Yet, if you do nothing; your advantages are nullified and they are still hunting--and that's inherently dangerous. Anyone who is seeking Werewolves to join their ranks is the proverbial loose cannon, unless you can figure out their motives; and just plain asking is the simplest manner of finding out.
Are they involved with a Wulf? Are they seriously ill and seeking legendary Wulf disease resistance as a cure? Are they going to try "redeeming" Wulfen images in the public's mind by becoming some sort of vigilante Werewolf Hero?
What's their game, and why are they playing it?
Just as important: What can they bring to the local Wulf-Pack to benefit it?

In some ways, the "Searcher" is more dangerous than the "Kill them all" version of the Hunter; since they will have some type of knowledge that the regular sort of folks don't have...and they will talk ( which the "killers" won't do, since what they are planning is already illegal).

Best bet: use a Smoothskin "Friend" to feel them out and evaluate them.
Why? Because even a Crossed-Over Werewolf won't have all the "cues" that a Smoothskin will have; Crossers were once Smooth but now are Wulf and see things differently.
And I suspect that the little physical cues will be what is "needed to know," in whether to contact or to distract this Hunter. Let the Human "Friends" deal with them while the Wulfen stay in the background ready to assist if needed.
Talk about dancing on thin ice...

[Silverclaw]

I think I would try to convince them first. (assuming they are not shooting at me)
If that doesn't work, then I'd bite 'em. That would most likely give them a new problem to think about instead of trying to kill me. But if they are insistent on trying to kill, then I'd have to try and get them first.

[Terastas]

I'd suggest staying Smooth and listening to them. Once you know what the deal is; THEN you can act properly.
If they're out to make the world safe for Smoothskins; you set them up so the Police catch them all armed up and looking for the big Fuzzy. If they're FANS, you set them straight and send AB a nasty letter.
Basically, though; you need to find out the WHY, and act from that.

*nods* The reality is that there would never be a one-size-fits-all solution to something like this.

A werewolf would also need to variate his technique to keep patterns from forming. If a werewolf got rid of all the hunters in the area the exact same way, the evidence would start to pile up and catch the attention of the police and other such individuals more capable of getting under a werewolf's skin.

Killing a hunter, or anyone, for that matter, should always be discouraged because if they hide/dispose of the body, the authorities will come looking for the missing individual, and if you leave the body, it becomes a murder investigation. Killing a series of individuals would be even worse because eventually the authorities would classify it as a crime spree, launch a more thorough investigation, and worst of all, may look at the respective backgrounds of the deceased and identify the werewolf motive.

Setting them all up to look like lunatics wouldn't work either because eventually people would start to wonder why there are so many crazies in that part of the country and why it's always werewolves that they're ranting about. That too might encourage a more thorough investigation.

So I think werewolves would be encouraged to diversify their tactics. Some could be killed and some could be baited into getting themselves caught by the police, killed by gang members or whatever, and a select few probably could be reasoned with, but I think for the most part the common response would be to lay low until they get bored and move on.

The only option I would highly discourage is turning them. It should be in a werewolf's best interest to stay anonymous, and to do that, they should be highly selective of who they allow lycanthropy to pass onto. As was mentioned in other threads, a werewolf hunter given lycanthropy would more likely fight the werewolves than join them, especially if he believed he could cure himself by killing the werewolf that bit him.

[Irish Wolf]

I chose 3 but i guess that it depends on the situation. That would work if the hunter was really a guy hiring people to do it for him and would practically kill himself if he became a werewolf. If you have read Werewolf Rising you know what I'm talking about.

[ghostfang]

if i was a werewolf i wouldn't bother anyone really, but if they try to kill me for no reasoning i would return the favor.

[RedEye]

Let's all keep in mind one simple fact: IF they're hunting Werewolves; they assume that they Exist and aren't Fantasy.

Either they are clued into something, or they're already 'way around the bend. It is in everyone's interest to find out which point is the valid one.

The nut-jobs can be tricked into getting caught by the Cops. They want to believe that the People exist, and where else but the Pack-structure of the local Law-dogs is the best place to look? Pretty soon, they will go bye-bye; Cops don't like that sort of thing. (Of course, you warn your own People IN the police to lay low...)

Now, if they know something; just what do they know? Did they see someone Shift? Did they see somebody in Fur? Did they get their information from somebody who seems to know the wrong stuff for a non-Wulf to know?
The scariest scenario is the "up and coming" reporter. They are looking for the "Scoop" that will make them into a NAME, and most reporters of this type aren't above wrecking a whole Pack to get their place in the Sun. This could include anything; and to keep the Secret, they have to be neutralized somehow. They might just name the right names out of incorrect information and guesswork; and then people have to leave town and do the whole disappearing act (which is extremel hard to do now).
Bringing them in is a "last resort" thing; remember, these people make their living telling people about wierd things and wierder people.

Then there is the rare jewel that sincerely wants to help and maybe Cross Over: these people have to be treated like the reporters until they are proved otherwise. Maybe they are involved with one of the People and want to become more involved, maybe they're sick and looking to the Children of the Wolf as a lifeline.
And maybe you have to say no, and trust them to keep silent (as decent a test there is, of their suitability and honor). Then you can say yes, after all; that is one way that the People survive, by incorporating new blood and genes into their structure.

Sheesh...I've run over again. My original post: Deal with things from a position of knowledge--seems still to hold true.
But then, it always has...

[Terastas]

I think I'd list reporters as my second worst case scenario. A reporter can be brushed off as a tabloid nut just as easily as a hunter can be brushed off as a psychotic gun enthusiast. Reporters are only more hazardous because they have video cameras and sometimes bring along extra witnesses in the film crew. Even if a reporter does get a werewolf on camera, it might attract some of the nutcases to the location, but most people would brush it off as staged the same way they do the bigfoot videos (maybe werewolves could wear wristwatches as a precaution when dealing with reporters). It's a tougher nut to crack, but if someone was resilient and/or imaginative enough, they could.

The worst people to have skulking around I think would be cops, detectives and up, because A) They're trained to be thorough, B) They have the CSI to back them up, C) They have access to personal records, D) They can make a time line of where people say they were and when and identify anything that doesn't add up, D) They're looking for missing persons and/or murderers, not horror movie monsters, so they won't just go away (at least not forever), and E) A missing or dead detective = MANHUNT!!!

So I think werewolves would really be careful about getting the police involved. Every now and then they could send a nutcase in their general direction, but I think a pack would at least keep track of how many people the police have apprehended in how long. Like I said before, sooner or later somebody would wonder why there are so many and why it's always werewolves they're ranting about.

[vrikasatma]

My first thought was "Relocate" but then I thought, "Wait. I can't run forever. These guys are everywhere and there's nothing keeping them from pursuing if I run. I'd have to kill them..."

Then I thought, "Wait. If I kill them...their friends and family will come after me...maybe turn the hunter?"

Then I thought,"...but I don't want to turn them because that takes away whatever edge I have over them. I can outrun or outfight a human but I <i>can't</i> outrun and probably can't outfight another werewolf. And if I turn him he'll really have it in for me."

Then I thought, bribing is the only real solution here. Sure, I'd be working my a** off but at least I'd be fulfilling my nature and I'd be working my a** off however way you slice it.

Wait a minute...
Werewolf pelts and teeth, after death, become...human skins and teeth. Ooooops! Prima facie murder evidence, with special circumstances (stalking, trophy-taking, serial homicide, possible torture). Sayonara sucker, off to the little green room with ya!

[Wselfwulf]

When walking in open spaces, if somebody irritates you, politely ask them to stop. If they do not stop...Destroy them! Funny old LaVeyan Satanism. I'd destroy the hunter. I must retain my title of primary predator, and suffer no threats.

[Scott Gardener]

I'm also in favor of conversion. Want to kill us all? Want to expose us to the world? Well, it's now your hiney, too, bub.

(Actually, since it's me, it would be phrased more to the effect of, "I would now strongly advise against continuing your hostilities against the lycanthropic community, now that the consequences of our exposure would have direct ramifications towards your own interests," but, you get the idea.)

Of course, I wouldn't be quite so quick to convert someone who was showing signs of being either deranged or psychopathic, because the last thing we need is a werewolf with those qualities. I'd have to go back to option 2, reminding him why he's afraid of werewolves in the first place--because to us, he's land sushi.

OK, sashimi, unless he's served over rice. But, again, you get the idea.

[WerewolfKeeper3]

Yeah, i voted for kill...
I;d try all the options first... plus Trick em, and COmmit them... but the commiting thing has it's problems... if someone who knows about the weres heres them, they know about you... and they might be professionals... i'd do what RedEye said first though... why are they hunting you? If it's for pelts, fangs and claws... weeelllll.... dismembering the body and hiding the parts all over the forest for wild animals to find and eat would be good... but you'd have to be careful about who'd be asking questions... hmmm... now i wish i could i change my vote... Tricking them might be difficult for some were's... (Me included... well... maybe not... anyone got a trank gun i can borrow? The whole, "it was all a dream brought on by those coctails at the bar... yeah you were at a bar... i found you lying face down in a gutter... well, i couldn't just let you lie there... i'll take you home after a while... yeah... i'm a good samaritan all around... {wink}" Commiting the person might be a temporary fix; you don't who is hunting you, so you might just have sent someone who knows who you are to someone who can take you out... and unless you actually care about the person, you NEVER change them... oh, and any fans... you slap upside the head and tell them to go home before someone ate them... ) Bribe? Huh, money talks anymore, so only a rich werewolf could do that... COnvince? If their hunting you, they're not likely to be convinced otherwise... {and i liked Dragon Heart too...} basically, do what you have to, to save your hide... doesn't necessarily have to be just those options... but running would probably be the one i'd choose most of the time... you can't afford to get injured, unless you have to choice but to fight them, and unless you have others to protect, running away would be far better then trying to fight a crazy guy with a gun...