Elk Hunter Slot Review
A dozen of the best symbol on the grid pays 5x your stake, and that’s the whole argument of Elk Hunter in one number. Set against snow-streaked peaks and a log-framed grid of pines and golden grass, this is a slot that looks gentle and pays mean, and the only thing standing between its flat paytable and anything worth winning is a wild that carries a multiplier. If that sounds thin, it’s because the base game is; the wilds are what you’re actually here for.
NetEnt have built it around scatter pays on an unusual 4-reel, 6-row grid, where symbols pay anywhere provided enough of them show up. It runs at 96.05% RTP with a 26% hit frequency, stakes from 0.2 to 200 per spin, and a top prize of 2,000x the bet. The studio’s back catalogue runs from Secrets of Atlantis to Jungle Spirit Call of the Wild, and this sits closer to the quiet end of that range. The hunting ground is small, but it’s well stocked.
Scatter Pays and the Paytable
There are no paylines. Six or more Elk symbols appearing anywhere on the grid award a scattered win, and every other symbol needs eight or more. Wins from different symbols land together and add up, though only the highest combination pays per symbol.
With 24 positions on a 4×6 grid, those thresholds are demanding. Eight-of-a-kind is the entry point for everything except the Elk, which pays from seven. The pays below are multiples of the total bet, from the minimum cluster up to 12 or more:
- Elk (from 7): 0.75x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x, then 5x at 12 or more
- Bear (from 8): 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x, topping out at 4x for a dozen-plus
- Cougar (from 8): 0.4x, 0.75x, 1.25x, 1.5x, with 3x the reward at 12 or more
- Eagle (from 8): opens at 0.3x and climbs through 0.5x, 1x and 1.25x to 2.5x
- A, K, Q (from 8): 0.2x, 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x and a 2x maximum
- J, 10 (from 8): the low end, 0.1x rising to 1.5x for the biggest clusters
The shape of that table tells the story. Even a dozen Elk pays just 5x the bet, so the base game grinds out small returns and leans on the Multiplier Wilds to lift anything into worthwhile territory. A 26% hit rate means most spins return nothing at all.
Two further rules govern every payout. Simultaneous scattered wins from different symbols are added together, so a spin can pay an Elk cluster and a Bear cluster at once.
Payout values are also dynamic: they change in line with the selected bet, so the maths stays the same at every stake.
Multiplier Wilds
Multiplier Wilds are the engine of the game. They appear anywhere on the reels in the main game and in Free Spins, substitute for every symbol except Free Spins symbols and other Multiplier Wilds, and take part in all scattered wins, multiplying them by their value.
No more than five can sit on the grid at once. The essentials:
- Multiplier values available: x2, x3, x5 and x10
- Maximum on the reels at any one time: 5
- A single wild multiplies its win by its own value
- Two or more wilds in one win multiply it by the sum of their values
- They substitute for everything except Free Spins symbols and each other
The summing rule is the one worth dwelling on. A win containing two or more Multiplier Wilds is multiplied by their combined total, not each in turn, so a pair of x10s boosts a cluster to 20x. Five of them stacked into one Elk combination is the realistic route to the bigger pays on a table this flat.
In Free Spins, the x10 Wild gets an upgrade: it’s sticky, holding its position for the rest of the round. That single change turns a short bonus into something that can build, spin by spin, towards the sort of total the base paytable never approaches on its own.
Free Spins
Three Free Spins symbols on the reels in the main game award 7 free spins. That’s a modest number, and the round knows it: retriggers come in two sizes during the feature, spelled out below.
- Trigger: 3 Free Spins symbols anywhere in the main game
- Award: 7 free spins
- Two symbols during the round add 2 further spins
- All three together add another 5
Everything that makes the main game tick carries over. Multiplier Wilds still appear, still sum their multipliers, and the x10 version sticks around once it lands.
With a sticky x10 in place and fresh wilds arriving on top, the back half of a good round is where the paytable’s ceiling becomes reachable. A round without wilds, though, pays like the base game does: modestly.
7 spins gives the feature a narrow window, and the retrigger ladder is the only thing that widens it. That’s the whole tension of the round, and it’s decided by whether the wilds show up early.
Buy Feature
A Buy Feature button sits in the interface. The buy runs at its own return of 96.10%, a shade above the standard game’s 96.05%, so it’s neither a premium nor a discount on paper.
Given that three-scatter triggers on a 26% hit-rate game can take their time, the buy is the sensible route for anyone who only wants the sticky-wild round. 7 spins for the money is a thin ask, but the sticky x10 and the two-tier retrigger give a good round room to run well past it.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7/10
Playing Elk Hunter is mostly watching a beautiful mountain do nothing, and waiting for the one symbol that changes it. That’s not a criticism so much as the deal: you’re here for the wilds, and the sticky x10 in Free Spins is why anybody picks this over the studio’s louder output.
When it works, it really works. The summing rule means a single cluster carrying several wilds pays far more than the table suggests, and a good bonus round builds instead of fading. The weakness is everything around those moments: the base paytable is close to token, and seven spins is a stingy round that leaves the feature resting almost entirely on retriggers.
If you want constant action, this mountain will feel silent. For players who enjoy a long, quiet stalk with one big shot at the end, it’s a lovely place to spend an evening, and the scenery alone makes the wait easier to sit through.
Elk Hunter FAQs
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What is the RTP of Elk Hunter?
96.05% in the standard game. The Buy Feature runs at its own return of 96.10%. -
How do you trigger Free Spins in Elk Hunter?
Land 3 Free Spins symbols anywhere in the main game and the round starts with 7 spins. Inside the feature, 2 symbols add 2 more spins and 3 symbols add 5. -
How do Multiplier Wilds work in Elk Hunter?
They carry x2, x3, x5 or x10, substitute for everything except Free Spins symbols and each other, and multiply any win they take part in. Where two or more land in the same win, the multipliers are added together rather than applied one after the other. -
What is the maximum win on Elk Hunter?
2,000x the total bet. -
What is the hit frequency of Elk Hunter?
26%, so roughly one spin in four produces a win of any size. -
What is the grid size of Elk Hunter?
A 4-reel, 6-row grid with 24 positions, using scatter pays rather than paylines. Six or more Elk symbols or eight or more of any other symbol award a scattered win. -
What are the minimum and maximum bets on Elk Hunter?
Stakes run from 0.2 to 200 per spin. -
When is Elk Hunter released?
Elk Hunter’s release date is 12 October 2023.
