Red Dead Redemption 2 is a massive game. Huge. You’ve probably spent hours just riding through the Heartlands, watching the grass sway, and then—boom—you stumble across a giant ribcage sticking out of the dirt. Most players just think, "Huh, that's neat," and keep riding. But if you want that 100% completion trophy, or if you actually want the Quartz Tycoon Eye to craft the Bear Claw Talon Trinket, you’re going to need a dinosaur bones map RDR2 strategy that doesn't involve wandering aimlessly for forty hours.
Deborah MacGuiness is the NPC who starts this whole mess. You’ll find her digging in a shallow pit in The Heartlands, New Hanover. She’s... intense. She wants you to find 30 sets of remains scattered across the entire map, from the snowy peaks of Ambarino down to the dusty plains of New Austin. Here’s the kicker: half of these bones are locked behind the Blackwater bounty until you hit the Epilogue.
Why the dinosaur bones map RDR2 hunt feels like a chore (and how to fix it)
Let’s be real. Rockstar didn't make these easy to spot. Some are tucked under rock overhangs. Others are literally on the side of vertical cliffs where one wrong step sends Arthur (or John) tumbling to a crunchy death. If you aren't using Eagle Eye constantly, you will miss them. Even then, the yellow particles that signify a "point of interest" are tiny.
Most people get stuck because they try to find them naturally. Don't do that. You’ll go insane. The game world is too dense. You need to categorize your search by region. Start in New Hanover and Ambarino because those are accessible from Chapter 2. You can knock out 22 of the 30 bones before you even think about the end-game content.
The first bone most people find is the one near Dewberry Creek. It’s right there in the open, sitting in the mud. It gives you a false sense of security. "Oh, this will be easy," you think. Then you try to find the one on the summit of Mount Shann. You'll spend twenty minutes trying to figure out which specific rock ledge holds the jawbone while your horse keeps freaking out because there's a grizzly bear nearby. It’s a test of patience.
Navigating the trickiest spots in New Hanover and Lemoyne
New Hanover holds the bulk of the early-game bones. There’s a particularly annoying one near the Oil Derrick. You actually have to go down into the well. Climb down the ladder, and the bone is just sitting there in the dark. A lot of players ride right over it, wondering why their controller is vibrating but they can't see anything on the surface.
Then there’s the bone near Guthrie Farm. It’s tucked into a grassy knoll. It’s not "hidden" so much as it is just boringly placed. You’ll probably walk past it three times.
Lemoyne only has one. Just one. It's in Scarlett Meadows, specifically in the Dewberry Creek area (the northern part). It’s in the dry creek bed. If you’re looking for a dinosaur bones map RDR2 location in the swamps, stop. You won't find anything but alligators and nightmares in the Bayou. Stick to the dry areas.
The Ambarino nightmare
Ambarino is beautiful, but it’s a vertical nightmare for bone hunters. The one at "The Loft" isn't too bad, but the bone near O'Creagh's Run requires some serious climbing.
There is a bone located on a narrow ledge at Deadboot Creek. If you’re doing this during a blizzard, just wait. You can’t see the visual cues in the snow. Go to a camp, sleep until morning, and pray for clear skies. The contrast of the bone against the white snow makes it easier, but the terrain is treacherous.
I’ve seen people lose their favorite horse trying to slide down the mountain to reach the bone near the "I" in Ambarino. Don't be that guy. Leave your horse at the top of the ridge and walk down. It’s slower, sure, but it's cheaper than a Horse Reviver.
Crossing the border: The New Austin bones
This is where the dinosaur bones map RDR2 questline gets controversial. You cannot—legitimately—get these bones as Arthur Morgan. Some people try the "covered wagon" glitch to block the invisible sniper in New Austin, but honestly? It’s a massive pain. Just wait for the Epilogue.
Once you’re playing as John, the final eight bones are spread across Gaptooth Ridge, Rio Bravo, Cholla Springs, and Hennigan's Stead.
- Rio Bravo (San Luis River): This one overlooks the river. The view is incredible, which is a nice break from the bleakness of the desert.
- Gaptooth Ridge: There are two here. One is at the bottom of a canyon, and the other is on a high ridge.
- Cholla Springs: Look for the one at Jorge's Gap. It’s tucked into the hills and is very easy to miss if you aren't hugging the rock walls.
The bone in Tumbleweed (Gaptooth Ridge) is actually inside a small cave-like rock formation. If you're looking at the top of the hills, you're looking in the wrong place. Look down.
What do you actually get for all this work?
Is it worth it? Depends on what you value.
After you mail the first location to Deborah, she sends you a Quartz Shard. This is the big one. You take that to a Fence to craft the Bear Claw Talon Trinket, which permanently decreases your Health Core drain speed by 10%. That’s a tangible gameplay benefit.
After 15 bones, she sends you a Skull Statue. It’s worth some money, but it's mostly flavor text.
The real "reward" comes after all 30. You get an invitation to her ranch in Firwood Rise (Cumberland Forest). You go there, watch a cutscene where she reveals her "masterpiece"—which is a horrifying Frankenstein-monster of a skeleton made from different species—and she gives you the Deborah MacGuiness Invitation and the Deborah MacGuiness Bone Arrowhead.
The Bone Arrowhead is... fine. It's a collectible. But the satisfaction of seeing that "30 of 30" on your task list is the real high.
Nuance and common mistakes in the bone hunt
A lot of guides show you a map with 30 dots and say "go here." That's not helpful when the bone is 200 feet above you on a plateau.
One thing people forget: you have to actually inspect the bone. Just standing near it doesn't count. Your character needs to pull out the journal and scribble it down. If the "Inspect" prompt doesn't appear, try repositioning. Sometimes the hitboxes are a bit wonky, especially on the bones located on slopes.
Also, the mail system is slow. You don't get your rewards instantly. You have to go to a Post Office, mail the coordinates, and then wait about 24 in-game hours before the return mail arrives. I usually just go hunt a legendary animal or do a bounty to pass the time.
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Debunking the "Hidden Bone" myths
There have been rumors since 2018 about a 31st bone or a "secret" dinosaur. There isn't one. The game files have been picked apart by modders for years. What you can find are other easter eggs, like the giant skeleton (which is likely a bigfoot or a giant human) and the frozen mammoth. These are cool, but they do NOT count toward the Deborah MacGuiness quest.
Don't confuse the mammoth near Deadboot Creek with a dinosaur bone. It's a "Point of Interest," but it won't help you with the 100% completion for this specific mission.
Actionable Strategy for your next session
If you’re looking at your map right now and feeling overwhelmed, take a breath. You don't have to do these all at once. In fact, it’s better if you don't.
First step: Go to the Heartlands and talk to Deborah. If you haven't triggered the "A Test of Faith" mission, none of your finds will count.
Second step: Focus on the "Quartz Shard" milestone. You only need one bone for this. The easiest one is just south of the "L" in Lemoyne (at Dewberry Creek) or the one in the Oil Derrick in the Heartlands. Get that bone, mail it, and get your trinket. The 10% health buff is the only thing that really changes your gameplay.
Third step: Use the terrain to your advantage. If a bone is on a mountain, look for the paths marked with dotted lines on your mini-map. Rockstar is usually "kind" enough to put a goat path near the harder-to-reach bones.
Fourth step: Clean up the New Austin bones only after the "American Venom" mission. Trying to do it before then is a recipe for frustration and "Game Over" screens.
Keep your Eagle Eye active. The golden plume is your best friend. If you’re riding through the desert and see a faint yellow shimmer, stop. Even if you think it's just a herb, check it out. Most of the New Austin bones are hidden in plain sight, camouflaged by the orange sand and rock.
The quest is a grind. Nobody is denying that. But it takes you to corners of the map you’d otherwise never see—like the far reaches of the Grizzlies or the deep canyons of Rio Bravo. Think of it as a guided tour of the best vistas in the game, with a weird lady and a fake skeleton waiting for you at the end.
Once you’ve mailed the 30th location, head to the post office one last time. Wait for her letter. The ranch is located in Cumberland Forest, just northeast of Valentine. Go see the "monstrosity" for yourself. It's a fittingly bizarre end to one of Red Dead 2’s most grueling scavenger hunts.