“	Saving people, hunting things, the family business	”
	— Dean Winchester in Wendigo

Hunters are people, usually humans, who hunt down the supernatural and save people from monsters, demons, ghosts and other creatures and supernatural events through tactical means. Mick Davies states that some of the earliest hunters were monks like Martin Luther, all the way back in the 16th century.^[1]

Characteristics[]

They usually are just typical humans who, unlike others, are aware of the existence of supernatural beings and, even more, they fight against them to protect normal people from harm. One of the most recurring reasons to go into the hunter lifestyle is a tragedy in their lives that involved the supernatural (Mary Winchester, John's wife and Dean and Sam's mother, being killed by the demon Azazel; Bobby Singer's wife being possessed by a demon and Bobby having to kill her). However, there are other reasons to decide being a supernatural hunter, such as being raised as one.

It is also shown that supernatural hunters typically pass their knowledge onto their children, as they could be killed by supernatural creatures that look for revenge or could appear. When they do so, a family of supernatural hunters is formed, like the Campbells, Harvelles or the Winchesters.

Many of the supernatural hunters depicted in the series do not reside in a permanent residence (or at least, they cannot do so), as they move throughout the country looking for cases and protecting the people, they live on the move, and as such have few belongings beyond essential equipment and supplies which allows them to move easily and quickly. Dean Winchester also states that hunters "never hit the same town over again" because they "have a habit of leaving messes behind" after working on cases, this even being one of John Winchester's rules as Dean quotes him: "you never use the same crapper twice".^[2]

Those who do have permanent residences don't spend too much time in them, and they are usually distant and closed of towards their neighbors in order to maintain their secrecy.

It is implied that supernatural hunters know each other, or at least some groups do so. In the series, it has also been shown that there are special places where supernatural hunters unite, like the Harvelle's Roadhouse in Nebraska.

It was revealed by Henry Winchester that the Men-of-Letters, prior to their extinction, used to share their information with only the most elite hunters, and took on an advisory role, or as Dean referred it, "Being Yoda to our Jedi".

On occasion, shop owners who are aware of the supernatural world will put hunter symbols in their windows to show that they can be of assistance.

Skills and Abilities[]

Most hunters have a good physical condition suitable for hunting, and possess an extensive knowledge of the supernatural and mythology as well. There is a basis about how a supernatural hunter must be, as most of them can be recognized by common traits (it is speculated that supernatural hunters use similar ways to do their hunting: whenever they are together, it can be confirmed in the series).

Hunters are skilled fighters, proficient with firearms, shotguns and melee weapons they might acquire and are also expert marksmen. When weapons are scarce and they are in a dangerous situation, they use hand-to-hand combat or whatever is available as a weapon. They also appear to be proficient trackers and possess prudent tactical skills and an instinctive ability to "read" behavioral characteristics and manipulate people. In addition, they need to be virtuosos of escape, evasion and silent movement, when the situation requires subtlety and stealth, such as surprise attacks.

And throughout the series, it has been shown they can read and recall Latin incantations, which can be used to summon, exorcise, and vanquish demons. Aside from Latin, some hunters are also able to read and/or recite other languages. An excellent example of this is Bobby, who uses his linguistic knowledge in translating ancient and foreign texts to identify a foreign monster and its weaknesses. Also, it's been seen that most of them have journals, or books, with information, details and methods to kill the different creature they must face, as John Winchester wrote a journal that he passed onto his sons. Veteran hunters possess massive and in-depth knowledge on supernatural lore, and often keep the hunter community updated on any new or recent developments.

It is shown they possess many abilities that are frowned upon by law, including, but not limited to: lock picking, breaking into security systems, computer hacking, disguised conning, car jacking and gaining an 'advantageous purchase'. They are versed with how police, fire departments and various government agencies (FBI, CDC) typically operate and conduct investigations, and know how to both impersonate and evade them effectively. Most of these methods are used to gather information about the cases they're working on, though methods can differ between supernatural hunters.

Hunters also keep their weapons close to themselves, as they can be attacked at any moment or to easily transport them to any location they need to go.

Weaponry[]

Hunters possess a large amount of weaponry, as they need to be practical enough so they can easily adapt to the different situations they may face and the creatures they may encounter. Depending on the enemy, they use weapons and other items that weaken and kill them. All supernatural hunters have a common list of equipment that is useful in most of the cases they are in, such as:

• Firearms - One of the most useful weapons supernatural hunters have. By modifying their bullets, they can use them against many creatures (e.g. Silver bullets can be used against skinwalkers and werewolves, while shotgun cartridges can be loaded with salt.) They also can be used without any modification if only greater fire-power is needed, as when facing and destroying zombies). Includes rifles, shotguns and revolvers. Hunters may require snipers when dealing with monsters too dangerous to confront in short-range combat.
  • The Colt - The legendary gun created by the hunter Samuel Colt in 19th century capable of kill anything except for four beings one of them being Lucifer.
• Specialty Bullets
  • Iron Bullets
  • Silver Bullets
  • Rock Salt Shells/Rounds/Cartridges
  • Dead Man's Blood Bullets
  • Witch-Killing Bullets
  • Devil's Trap Bullets - Developed by the Men of Letters.
  • Angel-Killing Bullets - Used by Apocalypse World hunters against angels and demons.
  • Holy Oil Bullets - Used and presumably created by hunters working under Sam and Dean after escaping the Apocalypse World, effects unknown.^[3]
• Knives - As close range weapons, they can be useful when there is no possibility to use a gun, or use them to decapitate vampires for example. They can also use other cutting weapons, like axes, machetes and even swords.
• Salt - Supernatural Hunters have considerable amounts of salt, as it can be used for protection against demons, ghosts, hellhounds, etc., as most of them cannot pass a line made of salt. However, you can use it as a form of gun with shotgun shells.
• Silver Items - This works very well against werewolves, skinwalkers and many other monsters, so it is practical to have weapons (like knives, for example) and bullets made of silver.
• Iron Items - Used to harms ghosts, demons, and other supernatural entities.
• Stakes - Used to kill mostly deities and zombies.
  • Palo Santo - Used to harm and immobilize demons.
• Holy Water - It can be used against demons, as it is very harming and painful for them.
• Other Items - Other useful equipment includes tasers, lighters, oils, lanterns, binoculars, syringes, mirrors, swords, flashlights., that can be used anytime (e.g. oil and lighters can be used to burn corpses and bones, while syringes can be used to inject vampires with dead man's blood).
• Explosives - C-4, dynamite, grenades, landmines, Molotov cocktails, etc are used by hunters like Sam, Dean, Bobby, John, Rufus Turner, Gordon Walker, the Men of Letters, etc for big cases, C-4 even being called by Garth "a hunter's best friend".
• Supernatural Weaponry - This includes any conventional weapon that is often empowered with some supernatural effect. Also they are sometimes even one of a kind, such as the demon-killing knife, The Colt and Divine Weapons.
  • Angel Blades - More experienced hunters like the Winchesters, Winchesters' associates, Asa Fox, etc.. carry angel blades with them, that can be used against a variety of supernatural creatures like angels, demons, hellhounds, werewolves, etc. Their use was very common by hunters in the Apocalypse World.

• Magic - This includes summoning spells for ghosts, demons and several other supernatural entities. However those like Sam and Dean despite on occasion, uses magic they don't consider themselves witches or any other kind of legitimate magic user.
  • Seals and Sigils - These comprise a vital part of their defensive arsenal. It could range greatly in size, from Devil's Traps or Solomon Keys in the ceiling, to smaller ones like tattoos. They could be used on entire houses, or on cars, and even on boxes to contain cursed objects.
  • Hex Bags and Charms - Works similarly to seals and sigils. These are items imbued with defensive or concealing magic.

Highly resourceful, they frequently need improvised weapons and explosive devices; as they demonstrate knowledge in chemistry by constructing Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices, or in electronics and reverse engineering, just like creating an electromagnetic field detector from an old Walkman.

Known Hunters and Associates[]

Many hunters are depicted in the franchise, such as:

The Winchester Family[]

The Campbell Family[]

The Mills Family[]

The Harvelle Family[]

Men of Letters[]

HunterCorp[]

Apocalypse World Resistance/Survivors[]

Ghostfacers[]

The Fox-Banes Family[]

The Singer Family[]

The Chambers Family[]

The Cuevas Family[]

The Fiddler Family[]

The Underwood Family[]

The Monster Club[]

The Scooby Gang[]

Unaffiliated[]

Trivia[]

• When a hunter dies, the body is laid down on a row of logs with a white sheet over the body and then salted and burned. This is to prevent the hunter's soul from becoming a ghost.
• Although hunters track down different supernatural entities, some of them, specialize on certain beings.
  • Daniel Elkins and Gordon Walker specialized in tracking and hunting vampire nests, with Gordon also becoming determined with hunting off Special Children shortly before his death.
  • Jack Fiddler, who specialized in using his shaman abilities to hunt wendigos.
  • Ghostfacers, who (although not good at it) tried to hunt only ghosts.
  • Reese used to hunt only zanna.
  • Lily Sunder and Apocalypse World survivors could also be seen as some sort of angel hunters.
    • Apocalypse World survivors also specialized in surviving against Tempter Demons, and therefore hunting and killing them.
  • Even an Unnamed Wraith started to hunt psychics after getting a taste of them.
• Although hunters are usually humans, there are also supernatural beings who hunt on other supernatural beings, some of which even plan on killing themselves for being non-human.
  • Gordon Walker, who mainly used to hunt vampires, even after becoming one, was still in pursuit of the special child Sam Winchester, who he swore to kill in order to prevent the Apocalypse, he also planned to kill himself for being a vampire after killing Sam, claiming that Sam should have killed himself as well.
  • Castiel, a Angel/Seraph.
  • Ellsworth and his henchmen, Demons who hunted monsters in general and their alphas for Crowley to interrogate.
  • H, a demon as well, that tutored John Winchester into hunting for unknown reasons and was later killed by the same through unknown means.
  • Emma of the Isles, a Selkie who was determined to eradicate the selkie infestation in Scotland, even coming to commit suicide for that cause.
  • Jack Kline, a Nephilim who was partially raised by the Winchesters.
  • An Unnamed Wraith, who hunted psychics to feed on their brains after becoming addicted to them.
  • Mrs. Butters, a Wood Nymph who was welcomed by the Men of Letters and adopted their strict anti-supernatural being view, even willing to kill the friendly Nephilim Jack Kline.
• During Season 6, demons under Crowley's control acted similar to hunters, albeit specializing on capturing and torturing monsters to locate Purgatory.
• Although most hunters shown were based in the United States of America, it is implied that there are hunters all over the world. This is suggested by the fact that certain supernatural creatures can only be found in certain parts of the world.
  • Hunters in Scotland are called locally as breakers.^[4] In Japan, hunters are called hanta.^[5]
• American hunters typically eat burgers and drink beer and live in cheap motels. There are a few exceptions. While some hunters are constantly on the move, others prefer to remain stationary and work a secondary job.
• Hunter Asa Fox owned an angel blade. This is probably due to demons using and owning angel blades instead of the demon-killing knife.

References[]

See Also[]

• Monsters
• Curses
  • Cursed Objects
• Men of Letters
  • British Men of Letters
• HunterCorp