Favorite hunting pack-in meals.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Armored farmer

Armored farmer

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
12,053
Location
South Eastern Illinois
My deer hunting grounds are literally walking distance from my house. I know some of you travel for days, and stay in cabins or campers.
What is your favorite meals to pack for your day in the field?
Every year I spend a couple of entire days in the woods. Usually one of those days is during muzzleloader deer season. It's more about getting away from the hustle and enjoying my woods time, than it is about killing a deer.
I Usually take a thermos of coffee and a granola bar for breakfast, a can of my favorite soup to heat by a smallish fire on the riverbank, maybe a pre-made sammich in foil, and a bottle of water. That usually does me for the day. Of course I always take an apple .

I like to cook on the open fire. I make a pretty mean can of beanie weenies too(if you call that cooking). A can and a spoon is all you really need. (If you get the easy open can)
What's your all-day-away meals? You have to be able to carry it in your pockets or packs!
MRE's? Never tried one.
Freeze dried hikers meals?
 
Usually I am in a Box Blind hunting, so I can take a bottled drink, a granola bar of some type.

But on occasion will make a 'Breakfast Burrito' (Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Cheese and Potatoes wrapped in a large flour tortilla). Just heat it up on my propane heater when ready to eat.

BB1.jpg
 
Last edited:
I usually make do with snacks. Things like jerky, energy bars, etc. I always try to eat a decent breakfast with some protein before hitting the woods. That and I've found that just a bite or 2 of something like a Snickers bar as the morning goes on does wonders for keeping me warm. Around Halloween I stock up on the small snack size candy bars just for this. Eating a small candy bar does more to warm me up than an extra layer of clothes.

I've tried MRE's, but they have too much packaging to carry through the woods. They make a better quick meal at camp.

I have also tried some of the freeze dried backpack food and should probably use them more often. Some of them are right tasty, they take up very little space and are easy to fix. I have one of these tiny stoves.

MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove | REI Co-op

Along with a small fuel can, and small pot there is practically no space or weight in the pack. I can boil a cup of water in around a minute so the fuel lasts a long time. Just pour the water in the pouch, stir, let cool for 4-5 minutes and eat.
 
jmr40 said:
I usually make do with snacks. Things like jerky, energy bars, etc. I always try to eat a decent breakfast with some protein before hitting the woods. That and I've found that just a bite or 2 of something like a Snickers bar as the morning goes on does wonders for keeping me warm. Around Halloween I stock up on the small snack size candy bars just for this. Eating a small candy bar does more to warm me up than an extra layer of clothes.

I've tried MRE's, but they have too much packaging to carry through the woods. They make a better quick meal at camp.

I have also tried some of the freeze dried backpack food and should probably use them more often. Some of them are right tasty, they take up very little space and are easy to fix. I have one of these tiny stoves.

MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove | REI Co-op

Along with a small fuel can, and small pot there is practically no space or weight in the pack. I can boil a cup of water in around a minute so the fuel lasts a long time. Just pour the water in the pouch, stir, let cool for 4-5 minutes and eat.
Click to expand...
That's sounds like Ramen noodles....coffee...etc.
I may have to get one of those.
 
One of my major goals upon retirement from the army in 05 was to never eat another MRE.

Almost made it, but trips to Afghanistan and the Ukraine as a army civilian cause me to break my vow.....A couple weeks ago on an old Yugoslavian base in Bosnia I wished I had some MREs VS the watered down soup they served their troops (and us). I still refuse to eat them and they actually sell them in the commissary on post.

It's not that they're bad, they grew much, much, better over time. I just ate an awful lot of them over the years. When I 1st enlisted, we had C-rats and freeze dried LRPs.

My normal snacks:

Venison jerky
Spam "Lite" singles, love the things grew addicted in HI. Wife's got dog agility class tonight, so it's spam and eggs for dinner!
Homemade trail mix
Cliff Bars
 
Mre's to me are easy to throw in the pack. Get the ones with the heating pack. Most dont include them. Honestly not that bad of food.

Always sardines in mustard too.
 
I used to sit out all day in often sub freezing temps, I needed some calories to help keep me warm.

A couple of PB & J sammies and often a couple of full sized candy bars, preferably Snickers.

Plus a thermos of coffee so I didn't choke to death on the sandwiches. lol
 
Depends on what I've got but I'll usually like, sunflower seeds, oatmeal pies, the little brownies, and my favorite jerky. I don't really like eating much when hunting I have Stomach problems and don't need to make them worse out there.
I do have a nice thermos for soup, but never really use it. I like the Chinese hot and sour soup tho keeps you warm.
 
candy bars, preferably Snickers.
Click to expand...

Snickers seem to be a favorite among hunters. I had a game warden friend once tell me that he could track hunters to their stand by following the trail of empty snickers wrappers and Mountain Dew bottles left in the woods. Before Monster and Red Bull type drinks became a thing Mountain Dew had more caffeine than other drinks. They used to be pretty popular here in the south. Monsters seem to have taken their place

That's sounds like Ramen noodles....coffee...etc.
Click to expand...

Ramen noodles would be cheap but I've never tried them. The freeze dried meals can be expensive and if you were eating them on a daily basis like many long distance back packers the cost would add up pretty quick. But I don't mind spending the money for a few each year. If you don't eat them this year they keep 10+ years. If nothing else keeping a few around if the power is out isn't a bad idea. Walmart now carries them. On some days a hot meal can make the difference.

backpacking meal - Walmart.com
 
jmr40 said:
Snickers seem to be a favorite among hunters. I had a game warden friend once tell me that he could track hunters to their stand by following the trail of empty snickers wrappers and Mountain Dew bottles left in the woods. Before Monster and Red Bull type drinks became a thing Mountain Dew had more caffeine than other drinks. They used to be pretty popular here in the south. Monsters seem to have taken their place



Ramen noodles would be cheap but I've never tried them. The freeze dried meals can be expensive and if you were eating them on a daily basis like many long distance back packers the cost would add up pretty quick. But I don't mind spending the money for a few each year. If you don't eat them this year they keep 10+ years. If nothing else keeping a few around if the power is out isn't a bad idea. Walmart now carries them. On some days a hot meal can make the difference.

backpacking meal - Walmart.com
Click to expand...


They're pretty awesome, little high in sodium....add a bullion cube, Kimchee, and let an egg poach in the broth while cooking. I did a tour on the peninsula....... went to the KATUSA (Korean Augmentee to the USA) school of Ramen cooking on a diesel space heater while standing guard...

Also really like Snickers...
 
If you have a fire of pretty much any size, try something we used to call “Hobo dinners” (but I doubt hobos ever ate this good).

1/3 lbs raw burger, sausage, or boneless chicken, cut.
1 raw potato cut up
Raw vegetables: carrots, celery, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, turnip, green beans, frozen peas, whatever!
Drizzle with oil
Season to taste

Double wrap in HD aluminum foil.

Cook in the foil package by dropping in a small bed of coals or in a fire. We’ve cooked these on hot engine blocks before.

Generally takes 20 minutes to cook and tastes excellent! Eat out of the wrapper and all that’s left is a small ball of foil.
 
This isn't quick but sure is easy as a meal for duck hunters when they get back to camp.
Clean and pluck a duck. After the fire burns down in the late evening, wrap foil around a rock that fits the cavity of the seasoned duck. Place it in the coals and in the early AM put the rock in the duck, wrap the duck in foil and bury it in the bottom of the embers. When you come back from hunting all cold and wet, dig it up and ENJOY.
 
I do try to bring shelled peanuts and apples. They are sturdy and aromatic and all gods creatures love the smell of peanuts and apples.
I avoid foods that my game doesn’t like the smell of. No jerky or meat sticks unless hunting predators. I also avoid noisy food. No in shell nuts or cellophane wrappers.
However I have heard that a potato chip bag is an excellent elk call in areas where tourists feed the critters. Lol
 
Boiled eggs, viennas and the small cans of
pork and beans, sardines, fruit, summer
sausage or jerky, peanuts, almonds, gorp,
sandwich, metrex bar, kind bar, peanut butter crackers, oatmeal cookies, etc.
Always water, small thermos of coffee for
the am at times
I never bring anything that requires a
bunch of prep. Try to go for the high value
things. No spicy anything or pee inducing
drinks
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Best meal in the field
2 3
Replies
58
Views
4K
wankerjake
wankerjake
Armored farmer
  • Locked
How to survive the "off-season"
Replies
13
Views
1K
cat_IT_guy
cat_IT_guy
S
  • Locked
Gredos ibex hunting in spain
Replies
0
Views
522
SILIANA
S
Ugly Sauce
  • Locked
Ran away from home again.
Replies
16
Views
452
Ugly Sauce
Ugly Sauce
G
  • Locked
Kill it, cook it, eat it
Replies
9
Views
817
Davek1977
D
Back
Top