I seem to have a bug in Hetepsenusret where my Hunting Lodges, the hunters walk over to the birds, turn around, and just walk back. They don't do a thing. This is especially bad considering the requests I keep getting for Game Meat.

Is there some way I have to place the lodges to get them to not bug out like this?

Can the hunters actually get to the birds ? If they can't reach them, they won't do anything. Are you sure they aren't actually doing anything ? It may be that they are walking too far and the game is telling them to turn around and go back.

Aye, they are walking to the birds -- directly under them, but then turning around immediately without throwing their nets.

So, just to clarify, the hunters go to the birds, then just turn around ? I wonder if they are picking up other birds that have been killed and taking them back instead. Screenshots would be very helpful :)

Yup, they walk there, turn around, and walk back. In the info windows for the hunting lodges, they never receive any game meat, and likewise, none ever appears in my granaries.

Here is a screen shot of.. the hunters doing nothing (not quite sure what good a screen shot would do here?).

Just for testing purposes can you put a hunting lodge near the spawn area and see if the problem still persists?

I believe you are correct, hunters can't cross ferries with their catch, so do as has been suggested: get all the game on the main island, then cart it over via ferry like that. :)

I have the same issue on a different level. I have hunting lodges all over the map, including ones right next to spawns. The hunters ignore these closer spawns and go to one on the other side of the map, then turn around and walk back empty handed. They don't have any river crossings to make.

In future, don't bump ancient discussions: it is better if you make your own thread and reference this one. Bumping dead discussions is never helpful.

Have you tried just penning in the herd they keep going towards with statues and/or walls?

I'm having the same issue as well. This is NOT due to a ferry as I don't have a ferry at all. The hunters go to the game to be hunted (in this level, ostriches), and just turn around. Employment is good. They were fine for a while, but then stopped working.
Searching online pointed me here. Sorry it's the same thread.. Thanks

Sorry but it is happening to me as well! and it is not due to the ferries!

Pinturic, where are the birds exactly? If they're over a floodplain, try building a road that leads down there, because your hunters won't have a path to the birds otherwise. I'd also avoid building an excessive number of hunting lodges. Two close-by is normally sufficient. Any more and they'll start competing with each other.

The opposition to bumping a thread is purely dogmatic and has no practical basis. On the contray, it is preferable to keep posts on the same subject matter within the same forum thread. That way, you don't end up with multiple threads about the exact same subject. Keeping everything together ensures that all information is available in the same place, saving you from having to read multiple threads on the off-chance that you missed some crucial bit of information that was only mentioned in one of them.