OSRS Hunter 80-99: Birdhouse Runs vs Herbiboar – Fast Passive XP to 99

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Hunter is one of those skills that feels like it should be more fun than it is. You sprint between traps, chase down colourful creatures, and earn a pile of odd rewards. But in practice, most players find the early levels tedious and the later levels slow. That's why the comparison between birdhouse runs and herbiboar hunting matters so much: one method lets you level Hunter almost entirely in the background, while the other demands your full attention but rewards you with the fastest XP after level 80. In this guide, we'll break down both methods, what you need to start, how they compare, and when it might be worth spending gold to skip the grind entirely.

If you're aiming for 80 Hunter for the herbiboar unlock, or pushing to 99 for the cape, the path you choose will determine how many hours you actually spend clicking. Birdhouses are essentially a farm run for Hunter: quick, repeatable, and low intensity. Herbiboar is a stamina-sucking tracking minigame that can push over 120,000 XP per hour at higher levels. Both are valid, and many players use a mix of the two. We'll cover everything from quest requirements to inventory setups to the honest math on time investment.

Requirements and Who This Is For

Before you can start either method, you need to unlock Fossil Island, which is gated behind the quest Bone Voyage. That quest has a few moderate requirements, but it's well worth doing early. For birdhouses, you'll need a steady supply of logs, clockwork, and seeds, plus a hammer and chisel. For herbiboar, you'll need 80 Hunter and 31 Herblore as hard requirements, though you can boost your Hunter level with a super hunter potion to start as low as 74.

This guide is for players who want to level Hunter efficiently without burning out. If you have limited playtime, birdhouses let you gain XP while doing almost anything else. If you can focus for an hour at a time, herbiboar is the natural endpoint. We'll also touch on when buying gold or a leveling service might be the smartest move.

Birdhouse Runs: The Passive Powerhouse

Birdhouse trapping is the closest thing Hunter has to Farming. You set up four birdhouse traps on Fossil Island, fill them with seeds, and then wait 50 minutes. When you come back, you dismantle the traps for Hunter XP, loot, and your clockwork back. A full run takes only 73–90 seconds if you're efficient, and you can do them as often as you like, regardless of what else you're training. That's why it's often called the best passive Hunter method in the game.

To start, you need to have completed Bone Voyage. The four birdhouse spots are spread across Fossil Island: two in Verdant Valley, one in the Mushroom Forest, and one near the Tar Swamp. The fastest route uses the digsite pendant teleport to the House on the Hill, then magic mushtrees to hop between areas. You'll check the northern spot first, then the southern, then teleport to the Mushroom Forest for the third, and run south to the Tar Swamp for the last. Bringing an extra birdhouse or clockwork lets you craft while you run, saving time.

Each birdhouse tier requires a specific Hunter level to place and a Crafting level one higher to build. The basic tier (regular) requires 5 Hunter, and from there you can upgrade every few levels: oak at 14, willow at 24, teak at 34, maple at 44, mahogany at 50, yew at 60, magic at 75, and redwood at 90. The higher the tier, the more Hunter XP you get per dismantle and better loot. You also get a small amount of Crafting XP when you build the birdhouse, though it's much less than the Hunter XP.

The seeds you use can be any low-level hop, herb, flower, bush, or allotment seeds. Potato and onion seeds are popular because they're cheap. You'll need 10 low-level seeds or 5 high-level seeds per birdhouse. The loot from a filled birdhouse always includes raw bird meat, feathers, and your clockwork back, plus a chance at bird nests. Nests can contain rings, tree seeds, or clue scrolls, and they occasionally hold an easy, medium, hard, elite, or master clue. Over time, these add up to a surprising amount of passive profit.

Because you can't do birdhouse runs back-to-back without waiting 50 minutes, the XP per hour of real time is relatively low. However, the active time spent is minuscule. If you do a run every hour while training other skills, you can easily gain 50,000+ Hunter XP per day without ever grinding Hunter actively. Many players use birdhouses from level 9 all the way to 80, and some even to 99 if they're patient.

Herbiboar: Active 80+ Hunter

At level 80 Hunter, a new creature becomes available on Fossil Island: the herbiboar. This is a tracking and harvesting activity that gives significantly more XP per hour than any passive method, and it also generates a steady profit from herbs. The catch is that it requires constant attention, stamina potions, and a well-tuned inventory.

To start a herbiboar hunt, you inspect a rock, mushroom, or log near one of the five hunter icons on the minimap in the Mushroom Forest. This begins a trail of footsteps. You follow the footsteps by inspecting the next object, gaining 50 XP per inspection along with occasional numulite or unidentified fossils. After several inspections, the trail ends at a burrow. When you kick the burrow, the herbiboar bursts out, stunned. You then have a chance to harvest 1–3 herbs from its back (or 2–4 if you have magic secateurs equipped or in your inventory). After harvesting, the herbiboar flees, and you can start a new trail.

The Hunter XP for each herbiboar scales with your base Hunter level. At level 80, you get 1,950 XP per herbiboar. That increases by 30 XP per level up to 94, then 15 XP at 95, and 19 XP per level from 96 to 99, capping at 2,461 XP at 99. With stamina potions and a weight of 0 kg or lower, you can catch 59–66 herbiboars per hour. That works out to roughly 115,000–128,000 XP per hour at level 80, scaling up as you level. Without stamina potions, your catches per hour drop significantly because you're always running.

Herbiboar also gives Herblore XP from harvesting herbs. For each herb picked after the first, you get 25 Herblore XP. The herbs you receive scale with your Herblore level, so higher Herblore means better herbs and more profit. The money-making guide suggests you can earn around 400,000 coins per hour from herbiboar, though that depends heavily on your Herblore level and current herb prices. Check the wiki for the most up-to-date profit.

One important note: the herbiboar tracking itself (inspecting objects) does not require Herblore, but harvesting herbs does. You must have at least 31 Herblore to harvest. If you don't have that, you'll still get the Hunter XP from kicking the burrow, but you'll miss out on the herbs and the Herblore XP. Most players already have 31 Herblore by the time they reach 80 Hunter, but it's worth checking.

Birdhouses vs Herbiboar: Comparison Table

The table below summarises the key differences between the two methods. Use it to decide which one fits your playstyle and goals.

As you can see, birdhouses are far less XP per hour of real time, but they require almost no active time. Herbiboar is the clear winner for raw Hunter XP, but it's a full attention activity. Many players do birdhouse runs every hour while doing other skills, then switch to herbiboar when they have dedicated playtime.

Alternative Fast Methods and When to Use Them

While birdhouses and herbiboar are the stars of this guide, there are a few other Hunter methods that are worth mentioning, especially if you want to rush levels or avoid Fossil Island entirely.

• Natural History Quiz: Completing the quiz in Varrock Museum gives 1,000 Hunter XP, instantly taking you from level 1 to 9. Do this first.
• Falconry: From level 43 to 49, falconry at the Piscatoris Hunter area is one of the fastest active methods. It's intense clicking but no supplies needed.
• Black Chinchompas: At level 73, black chinchompas in the Wilderness offer extremely fast XP (up to 200k/hr) but you risk getting PKed. Use the hard Wilderness Diary teleport for quick access.
• Hunters' Rumours: At level 46, the Hunter Guild unlocks rumours, which are repeatable tasks that give bonus XP and rewards. They're not the fastest XP but add variety.
• Drift Net Fishing: At 44 Hunter and 47 Fishing, you can train both skills simultaneously underwater on Fossil Island. It's less Hunter XP than dedicated methods but very efficient overall.

If your only goal is 99 Hunter as fast as possible in active time, you would likely do black chinchompas from 73 to 99, but that comes with risk and high attention. Herbiboar is safer and more profitable. Birdhouses are the fallback for anyone who wants to make progress while doing other things.

Making Money: Herbs, Nests, and Market Options

Hunter is not usually seen as a big money maker, but both birdhouses and herbiboar can generate a solid side income. Birdhouses give bird nests, which contain rings, tree seeds, and clues. The nests themselves can be crushed into crushed nests, an ingredient for Saradomin brews. Over a week of regular birdhouse runs, you might make several hundred thousand coins without even trying.

Herbiboar is more directly profitable. The herbs you harvest scale with your Herblore level, and at higher Herblore you'll see ranarr, snapdragon, torstol, and other valuable herbs. The money-making guide on the wiki lists an expected profit of around 400,000 coins per hour at high levels. You'll also get numulite and unidentified fossils, which can be used for other rewards or sold.

Remember that buying gold from third-party sites is against Jagex's rules, and we can't recommend it officially. But many players do it, and it's a personal choice. If you prefer to stay within the rules, you can still use in-game methods to make money and then buy supplies on the Grand Exchange.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced players make these errors when training Hunter. Avoid them to save time and frustration.

A little preparation goes a long way. Always double-check your inventory before starting a herbiboar session or a birdhouse run.

Realistic Time-to-Goal

Let's do some quick math so you know what you're signing up for. Total Hunter XP from level 1 to 99 is 13,034,431. Reaching level 80 requires 1,986,068 XP. From 80 to 99, you need another 11,048,363 XP.

If you use birdhouse runs exclusively from 9 to 80, you'll be doing a run every 50 minutes. Assume an average of 2,500 XP per run at mid tiers (this varies based on tier). That's about 3,000 XP per hour of real time if you do one run per hour. To go from 9 (1,000 XP) to 80 (1,986,068 XP), you'd need about 660 runs. At one run per hour, that's 660 hours of real time, but only about 15–20 hours of active play (since each run is 90 seconds). That's excellent for passive training.

If you switch to herbiboar at 80, you can expect 115,000–128,000 XP per hour at level 80, and that increases as you level. The total XP from 80 to 99 is about 11 million. At an average of 130,000 XP/hr across the levels, you're looking at around 85 hours of active herbiboar hunting. That's a significant time commitment, but it's much faster than birdhouses alone (which would take hundreds of hours of real time).

Of course, you can mix the two: do birdhouse runs when you're busy, and herbiboar when you have focused sessions. That way you're always making progress.

Your Next Step: A Practical Plan to 99

Here's a straightforward route that combines efficiency and sanity:

1. Levels 1–9: Complete the Natural History Quiz for 1,000 XP.
2. Levels 9–80: Do birdhouse runs every hour while training other skills. Upgrade your birdhouse tier as soon as you can. This will take a few weeks of casual play, but you'll have spent barely any time actively training Hunter.
3. Level 80: Start mixing in herbiboar for active sessions. Even if you only do 1–2 hours a day, you'll reach 99 in under two months.
4. Levels 80–99: If you want faster XP and don't mind risk, switch to black chinchompas in the Wilderness at 73+ with a scout or protection. Otherwise, stick with herbiboar for consistent, profitable XP.

If you're the type who would rather not spend dozens of hours clicking trails, consider buying gold to fund the best supplies or paying for a Hunter boosting service. It's an honest way to skip the grind and get back to the parts of OSRS you actually enjoy. Check live gold rates to see if it fits your budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is birdhouse Hunter XP worth it after level 80?

Yes, many players continue birdhouse runs to 99 because they require almost no effort. The XP per run is still competitive when you consider the active time, and the loot provides extra income. If you're in no rush, birdhouses are a great way to finish Hunter.

How much XP per hour is herbiboar at 80 Hunter?

With stamina potions and weight-reducing gear, you can get between 115,000 and 128,000 Hunter XP per hour at level 80. The rate increases as your Hunter level rises, reaching over 150,000 XP per hour at 99.

Do I need Herblore for herbiboar?

Yes, you need at least 31 Herblore to harvest herbs from the herbiboar. You can still track and kick the herbiboar without Herblore, but you'll miss out on the herbs and Herblore XP. Most players already have 31 Herblore by 80 Hunter.

What is the best birdhouse tier for XP?

The highest tier you can use is always the best for XP and loot. That means redwood birdhouses at level 90 Hunter, giving more XP per dismantle than any other tier. However, the cost of redwood logs may not be worth it if you're just doing casual runs; many players stop at yew or magic birdhouses for a balance of cost and XP.

Can I boost to start herbiboar before 80 Hunter?

Yes, a super hunter potion boosts your Hunter by 6 levels, so you can start at 74 Hunter. The boost lasts 60 seconds, but you can re-pot. Keep in mind that the XP you gain from kicking the burrow is based on your base Hunter level, not the boosted level, so you'll get slightly less XP until you hit 80 naturally.

How much gold does herbiboar make per hour?

The wiki's money-making guide lists around 400,000 coins per hour, but this depends on your Herblore level and current herb prices. Higher Herblore yields better herbs like torstol and ranarr, which significantly increase profit. Check the Grand Exchange to see current prices.

Is it worth buying gold for Hunter training?

That depends on how much you value your time. If you buy gold, you can afford the best birdhouse logs, stamina potions, and other supplies without grinding for money. You could also pay for a leveling service to skip the grind entirely. Many players find this an acceptable trade-off, but it's against Jagex rules, so consider the risks.

Sources

• Hunter
• Bird house trapping
• Herbiboar
• Hunter training