There are 30 dinosaur bones in Red Dead Redemption 2, part of Deborah MacGuiness’s Stranger mission “A Test of Faith”. The bones are spread over five states: 7 in The Heartlands, 5 in the Grizzlies, 3 each in Big Valley and Roanoke Ridge, 2 each in Cumberland Forest, Cholla Springs, Hennigan’s Stead, Rio Bravo and Gaptooth Ridge, 1 in Scarlett Meadows and 1 on the ridge near Grizzlies East. Eight of them are in New Austin, so you’ll finish the set as John Marston in the Epilogue, then visit Deborah at Firwood Rise for the Jawbone Knife.
The location list below is grouped by region and pulls together the GTA BASE mission page, PowerPyx’s bone guide and the Red Dead Wiki.
Common dinosaur bone problems players run into
“My last bone is gone”
A player on the Steam RDR2 forum had 29 bones and found nothing at the 30th spot. The likely cause raised in that thread was that the player had never met Deborah, and the Red Dead Wiki A Test of Faith page confirms the mechanic: the last bone can’t be inspected and won’t show in Eagle Eye until you’ve started her mission. Meet her first, then go back.
“I found a bone before meeting Deborah. Did I break it?”
No. On GameFAQs, several players said they’d done the same with no problem, and one recalled Arthur handing Deborah the paper during her opening cutscene. The wiki adds that finding bones early simply adds extra dialogue to that scene.
“The post office won’t let me send my bones”
This one has no clean answer. In a GameFAQs thread about a stuck 29/30 hunt, one reply guessed the mail option only appears at certain milestones, not for every bone. The wiki’s reward list fits that pattern, with mail arriving after the 1st, 15th and 30th bones. If the clerk has nothing for you, keep hunting and check again after your next milestone.
“Is there any way to track them in-game?”
Barely. A GameFAQs thread on tracking bones confirmed there’s no map ping. Eagle Eye shows a bright yellow glow, and one player noted the controller vibrates when you’re close. Everyone else in that thread used an online map.
All 30 RDR2 dinosaur bone locations by region
Bones sit on high ground far more often than not: cliff edges, plateaus, hilltops and ledges. Ride to the landmark, climb as high as is safe, and pop Eagle Eye.
| Region | Bones | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| The Heartlands (New Hanover) | 7 | At the bottom of the well under the oil derrick (take the ladder down into the dark cave); west of Dewberry Creek in the open; on a grassy hill; at the base of a rock cliff south of Cumberland Falls, between two roads; on the ground south of an abandoned cabin; on a clifftop near the Dakota River northwest of Valentine; in a dried riverbed beside an oil derrick near a hilltop |
| Scarlett Meadows (Lemoyne) | 1 | South of Dewberry Creek, in the open |
| Big Valley (West Elizabeth) | 3 | On an open rocky slope; about halfway up Mount Shann where the path bends in an S; inside a cave at the foot of Mount Hagen, northwest of Wallace Station |
| Grizzlies (Ambarino) | 5 | At the foot of a rock wall; on a red rock outcrop near a hilltop in Calumet Ravine; on a ledge just below a cliff top above the Dakota River; on an open grassy hill near the northern map edge; on the ridgeline west of O’Creagh’s Run |
| Between Roanoke Ridge and Grizzlies East | 1 | On a rocky plateau just south of the railway bridge |
| Cumberland Forest (New Hanover) | 2 | On a cliff edge at Six Point Overlook; beside a stone spike on the cliff southwest of Bacchus Station, with Fort Wallace in view |
| Roanoke Ridge (New Hanover) | 3 | On a cliff over the trail from Annesburg toward Brandywine Drop; on the middle level of the cliffs on the west bank of the Kamassa River, north of Elysian Pool; at the edge of a clearing near Van Horn |
| Cholla Springs (New Austin) | 2 | Tucked inside a small rock wall at the base of a hill near Rattlesnake Hollow; on a bushy hill just southwest of Jorge’s Gap |
| Hennigan’s Stead (New Austin) | 2 | On a raised plateau at the west end of the canyon (Pike’s Basin); above the San Luis River shore, north of a small islet |
| Rio Bravo (New Austin) | 2 | On the eastern slope near the top of Rio Del Lobo Rock; on the big rock plateau overlooking Fort Mercer |
| Gaptooth Ridge (New Austin) | 2 | On a clifftop overlooking the canyon north of Tumbleweed; at the southeast edge of the plateau above Tumbleweed |
PowerPyx flags a few as especially hard to spot: the one in the dried-up riverbed, the tiny bone in the grass southeast of a hut, the one near a hilltop that blends into a rock wall, and the bush-covered bone west of Jorge’s Gap. For those, rely on Eagle Eye rather than your eyes.
How to start “A Test of Faith”
The mission opens in Chapter 2. Look for Deborah MacGuiness digging at a fossil site in The Heartlands, northeast of Flatneck Station and just southeast of Horseshoe Overlook, per GTA BASE. She’s an amateur paleontologist the universities won’t take seriously, and she asks you to report any bones you find.
You can collect bones in any order, before or after meeting her. The bones are not missable, and they vanish once inspected, so a spot that’s empty after you’ve checked it is normal.
How to turn the bones in and get the reward
Reporting works through the mail, not by visiting Deborah each time.
- Inspect a bone. It’s logged in your progress straight away.
- Visit any post office, talk to the clerk and choose to send mail to report your finds.
- Expect rewards in the post at three points, per the Red Dead Wiki: a Quartz Chunk after the first bone, a Skull Statue after 15, and the Jawbone Knife plus an invitation after all 30.
- After sending the final report, let a day pass. PowerPyx suggests camping and sleeping twice to cover 24 in-game hours, then picking up the mail.
- Read the invitation in your satchel’s Documents. Deborah’s marker appears at Firwood Rise in Cumberland Forest, northeast of Valentine.
- Go inside the barn to see what she’s built with your bones. No spoilers, but it’s worth the ride.
Some of these steps differ a little between guides; GTA BASE says to mail each bone’s location, while one GameFAQs player only had the option at certain points. The reward milestones above are the most consistent detail across sources.
Is it worth collecting every dinosaur bone?
Only if you care about completion or want the knife. There’s no cash reward. In a Steam thread asking whether the bones are worth it, one player called them annoying but said the knife is “really cool,” and another suggested grabbing at least one and skipping the rest unless you’re chasing 100%.
On that point, sources disagree. The Red Dead Wiki says one bone is enough for the 100% requirement, while PowerPyx treats the finished quest as the 100% checklist item. If you’re going for 100%, finish all 30 and remove the doubt. The quest also counts toward the Collector’s Item trophy and achievement.
One last tip from players and guides alike: save New Austin for the Epilogue. Arthur can technically reach some of those bones through glitches, but the PowerPyx guide warns that bounty hunters can kill him there almost instantly.
Frequently asked questions
How many dinosaur bones are there in RDR2?
There are 30 dinosaur bones in Red Dead Redemption 2’s story mode, spread across New Hanover, Lemoyne, West Elizabeth, Ambarino and New Austin.
Can Arthur find all the dinosaur bones?
Not normally. Eight bones are in New Austin, which Arthur can’t safely explore, so the hunt is usually finished as John Marston in the Epilogue.
Do dinosaur bones show up on the map?
No, there’s no in-game marker for undiscovered bones. Eagle Eye makes a nearby bone glow, and players say the controller vibrates when you’re close.
Is the dinosaur bone reward worth it?
The final reward is the Jawbone Knife, plus a Quartz Chunk and a Skull Statue along the way. There’s no cash payout, so it’s mostly for completionists and anyone who wants the knife.
Where is Deborah MacGuiness at the end?
At Firwood Rise in Cumberland Forest, northeast of Valentine. You’ll get her invitation by mail after reporting the last bone, and she’s waiting inside the barn.
Featured image: Rockstar Games / official Steam screenshots
