Favorite hunting pack-in meals.

It took 1-1/2 hours to hike in. Once in place, I'd eat two peeled hard boiled eggs I brought along as breakfast and one Hershey's nugget to melt in my mouth afterward. Morning break was a Nature's Bakery fig bar I buy from Costco and a string cheese, maybe. Lunch was a ham & cheese sandwich and an apple. I also carried three bottles of water that I refilled each day from a well and made myself drink before hiking back to the truck after picking up at 3:30 pm.

If it's just a day trip I often will just pack a block of hard cheese and a small dry salami. If I am at all concerned about getting caught out overnight I also will bring a jetboil, a water filter, and a few packs of "just add water" backpacking food. And whenever possible, I will plan on hunting an area with a trout stream in it, and I will bring a fly rod and a lightweight frying pan and hope for a shore lunch.

Armored farmer said:

My deer hunting grounds are literally walking distance from my house.

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Our deer hunting areas aren't exactly "walking distance" from the house, but they're only 15 to 45 minutes away by pickup-truck. So we generally eat breakfast at the house, or on the drive over.
As for our lunches, we mostly just snack all day - granola bars, GORP, an apple, some hard candies, and as much water as we can comfortably carry. If we figure we're going to be gone from the truck all day, we'll usually include a small roll of summer sausage, a chunk of cheese, some crackers (in a Pringles potato chips can so they don't get broken) and some dried apples in our daypack(s). We usually have a small, half-melted candy bar in one of our coat pockets - sometimes it's a leftover from last year.

I do sort of chuckle at the guys who spend all the money on descenting soaps and sprays and liquids who get out to their hide and break out the slim Jim’s and coffee and light a cigarette. Lol
Don’t get me wrong, some of the best deer I’ve taken have been with a smoking cigar in my teeth.

I've seen my dad shoot more deer with a cigarette in his mouth then most guys shoot in there lifetime of hunting.

Very interesting to see what others do.

I like cheese and French bread. Maybe summer sausage. Pecans, raisin bread. Coffee of course. That's for hunting on the back 20.

It really depends on how lazy I'm being And how far from the truck I expect to be.

If I'm feeling fancy and expect to be away from the truck I'll make a full pot of rice and a whole can of spam worth of musubi (8), If I'm expecting to be near the truck I'll do the same thing but I won't wrap it and just leave them in tupperwares.... usually scramble eggs to fo with it.

If I'm being lazy and have spare money I'll stop by the gas station and pick up fried chicken and musubi.
If I'm being lazy and don't have spare money its crackers and Vienna sausage.

I usually drink two or three cups of coffee before I leave in the morning, carry two or three energy drinks, And have at least a couple of energy drink powder packets And my hunting bag. Also carry a gallon plus of water and enough granola bars to feed a small army........

The shortest hunt I go out is about 3 mi round trip and the longest about 6-7, So quite honestly water is more important than anything else.... besides my caffeine supply.........and poo tickets, im too old and fat for muscle shirts.....

My cabin is probably a half hour-40 min one way to a grocery store, so we fill a cooler with meats, fresh veg, canned goods etc. Along with plenty of water and other beverages. Depends on what I feel like to bring to the stand. Sometimes soup or beef stew in a thermos. sometimes granola or other nut bars, nutty buddies and other misc little debbie pies.
Uncrustables are a favorite of our crew as well. Pre made PB&J, taken in frozen in the morning and they are thawed by lunch time. Mre's or Mountain House on occasion as well. Really just depends on what kind of mood I am in. Bottled ice tea, Gatoraid, water are musts. Have to stay hydrated yanno. And need the wide mouth bottles to pee into.

I'll have a water or a soda, nothing like trying to open a soda in the woods and being quite lol.

troy fairweather said:

I'll have a water or a soda, nothing like trying to open a soda in the woods and being quite lol.

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That's why you pair it with a bag of chips......

Ham and Swiss on rye, chips, and a pickle. Apple and a granola bar. Water and coffee in thermos’.

May be an apple or bologna sandwich and a pop or bottle of water at most.

The night before I'll eat carbohydrates (spaghetti dinner) then drink a bottle of water and coffee on the drive out the next morning. I pack in more water, some deer jerky, a couple flavored instant oatmeal packets, small baggy of peanuts, maybe an apple. My most favorite thing to bring is some ritz type crackers and a can of these.

LNF150 said:

The night before I'll eat carbohydrates (spaghetti dinner) then drink a bottle of water and coffee on the drive out the next morning. I pack in more water, some deer jerky, a couple flavored instant oatmeal packets, small baggy of peanuts, maybe an apple. My most favorite thing to bring is some ritz type crackers and a can of these.
View attachment 1035512

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I'd have to try them don't think I've seen them on the self here, what type off fish is it.

Those are pretty good, but I altered my
personal policy about eating spicy food
while out away from home. Need for antacids and squatting in the woods with
a burning rear exit, etc.
I will take the regular ones and squeeze up
a few crackers in the fish oil to get a few
more nibbles per can.
And they pocket carry really good

I have colitis so that can make some days in the wood interesting.

troy fairweather said:

I'd have to try them don't think I've seen them on the self here, what type off fish is it.

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The Beach Cliff fish steaks are herring
( or they used to be)

One of Ken Kramm's yoofloob videos
has where he heats up some oil packed
fish steaks in the can during one of his
bicycle stealth camping trips

My favorite is when the food I brought in, is left in my back pack...... Because I get busy frying the liver from the dear i have hanging in the nearest tree. Yes liver always seems more tasteful in the field...

troy fairweather said:

I've seen my dad shoot more deer with a cigarette in his mouth then most guys shoot in there lifetime of hunting.

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I tried hunting with a pipe in my mouth, once. It went fine until I spotted a good boar. Somewhere between that point and the point where I took the shot, the pipe disappeared. I have absolutely no recollection of taking it out or dropping it or I-dont-know-what. I'm just glad that it was a five dollar corncob, and that I didn't set the place on fire.

I like to take dried, boiled or frozen caribou meats with salt, pepper and seal oil to slather on in winter. Hot tea in a thermos too.
Fish is great frozen, boiled, fried and baked.
In summer, black coffee and leftovers from whats laying around go's in my boating box. I keep some salt and spices along too.

.38 Special said:

I tried hunting with a pipe in my mouth, once. It went fine until I spotted a good boar. Somewhere between that point and the point where I took the shot, the pipe disappeared. I have absolutely no recollection of taking it out or dropping it or I-dont-know-what. I'm just glad that it was a five dollar corncob, and that I didn't set the place on fire.

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I've seen guys shoot with pipes, they kinda hold it with the pinky and ring finger to there Palm and uses there thumb pointer and middle around the forend. I don't smoke but I love the smell of a pipe.

caribou said:

I like to take dried, boiled or frozen caribou meats with salt, pepper and seal oil to slather on in winter. Hot tea in a thermos too.
Fish is great frozen, boiled, fried and baked.
In summer, black coffee and leftovers from whats laying around go's in my boating box. I keep some salt and spices along too.

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You guys up there have that nice smoked salmon, it always looks good wish I had some lol.

Man. You guys down in the lower 48, I swear.

A cabin or camper would be luxurious. So would an open fire.

Anyway...I've tried to get away from Mtn. House, but just haven't been able to make it work. I don't find them all that costly. They're no more expensive than eating at a fast food restaurant. Of course, they're great and light weight if you have access to water. If you have to haul your water, not so much. The other benefit is virtually no clean-up. I like that a lot. The biggest problem I see with freeze dried meals, and many other hunters have confirmed this, is that, after about the second day, they tear your innards up. Perhaps it's the rapid change in diet, perhaps it the freeze drying process. In any event, after 5-6 days on those things...you're ready to be done hunting.

My typical pack-in hunt food meal plan is a Mtn. House breakfast and dinner with a no-cook lunch. I prep 1500 calorie lunch packs in quart zip lock bags. Typically, that means a 5 oz foil pack of tuna or smoked salmon, a packet of beef jerky, a cliff bar (or similar), 2 discs of Pilot Bread, some various dried fruits/raisins, etc. and a packet of various dried nuts. That will weigh about one pound or a bit more.

I usually throw in at least one packet of Top Ramen per day that I'll be out as "back up" food. (To be used if I'm stuck in camp due to weather or have to stay longer than planned. It's also just good as a between meals "warm-up" when one is wet and cold.)