Sheep hunting - Calorie Count

[AllDay]

I am just wondering what weight and what calorie count most people aim for on their sheep hunts?

I typically bring about 2800 calories per day, but I am thinking I am going up to 3500 calories this year. I have low-body fat percentage and decent muscle mass, and I also get cold very easily, so I seem to get really food-****ed on longer trips. I find that after about 4-5 days the calorie deficit seems to hit me really bad and it feels like my body is eating itself (which it is).

I am not sure if there are many other people out there that are on the lighter side that get really food ****ed on their mountain hunts, but after last year I am thinking the extra 4-5 pounds will be worth the haul in. I would love to hear if anyone has had similar problems and how they have dealt with them.

The easiest way to deal with this problem would be to harvest a sheep and eat that, but after 3 years of coming out light, I am considering going in extra-heavy.

[porthunter]

I'm 5'9 and fluctuate from 165-175lbs on the average. I generally set about 3000cals a day as my normal and have never felt liked I needed more, most of the time I have something left over at the end of the day unless its a high output kind of day.

That being said, it may be worth looking into where your calories are coming from when you break down the macros? I've been tailoring my daily food make up of bars/foods that tend to be higher in fats and it seems to help when it comes to not getting as hungry.

For perspective, 3000 cals is usually about 1.5lbs/day for me. If we're talking about weight.

[jac]

I’m 5 11” 195lbs. I packed 2lbs of food per day but I didn’t eat all of it each day. I will say that the Peak
Refuel meals were very good

[SBvias]

I tend to pack 4-5 heavier days (1.5-2ibs) then the rest are lighter, maybe 1.2 - 1.3 ibs. I try to max the cal/oz but also make sure I bring what I look forwardto eat, otherwise it just stays uneaten. I also find I don't eat (or feel like eating) as much as I do at home.

The heavier meals are for the first few days before my body becomes used to field conditions and the occasional heavy hiking day.

For me being on the lighter side, ~160ibs, it sure feels a lot better to have 5 or more ibs out of the pack. It helps with motivation to go further.

[tdot]

I'm 6', 165lbs. I definitely feel crappy after about 3 days if I don't eat closer to 3500 calories per day. I tend to limit my sugar intake to a steady trickle all day, not any big treats, complex carbs as much as possible and then alot of calories from oils. I add it to my breakfast oatmeal, I have 1/2 a Peak meal at Lunch and Dinner that I've bulked up with extra noodles, S+P plus Olive Oil. I'm right around 1.5-1.7 pounds per day at 3200-3500 calories. I'll often pack extra oil for the last days when I need bigger hits of energy to keep going and a few extra bars or meal replacements that require zero cooking and can be used to bulk up any day that I feel the need to.

A big thing that I found helps is to train with the food you'll eat in the Backcountry. Eat similar snacks, meals, and quantities. Starting with once or twice a week and slowly increasing, so that about 1/3 to 1/2 of my food intake in the couple weeks before my trip is very similar to what I'll eat in the mountains. Gets my guts and brain used to eating the diet, it also ensures that I only take food that I like.

[.264winmag]

5’6” 160#, 2.25#/day food for me to feel comfortable. Iirc I’ve calculated 5-8000+ calorie burn/day, putting 3-3500 in me each day still usually lose 5-10# on a 4-10 day trek. That’s being fortunate enough to recharge with heart/liver at some point. There are other, albeit more expensive, ways to cut pack weight. I don’t skimp on grub!

[mod7rem]

5’8” just under 140lbs and I think usually 1.5lbs per day. The biggest improvements I’ve made over the years is getting better quality calories.

I eat a full MH or PeakRefuel meal at night but I’ll add a packet of olive oil, some coconut milk powder and some extra beef jerky or dried fish. A nice finisher is a clifbar.

I stopped eating oatmeal for breakfast a long time ago because I found it burns off way to fast. I like MH or PeakRefuel granola breakfasts but I will add all or some of these things- olive oil packet, coconut milk powder, protein powder, green belly meal powder. I’ve made my own granola breakfast meals in the past, delicious but heavy.

Lunch is a Green Belly meal bar, nuts, jerky, dried fruit.

Another thing I started doin a few years ago from learning it from a friend, is repackage everything with vacuum bag sealer. Way less bulk, less weight than the original packaging. Then the meals already have the added ingredients and individually packaged.

I haven’t suffered from starvation like I used to for quite a few years now. Used to be oatmeal, sidekicks, chocolate bars, etc. Same amount of weight carried and completely different outcome.

[Rampager]

I'm 5'10" 175lbs and on my last sheep hunt I had about 3,500 cal/day. This was relatively calorie-dense conscious with an overall target of 5cal/g so it came out to about 1.7lb/day, maybe a bit more with packaging etc. I found I never ate all of it day after day, probably due to a few lower energy output days that were mostly glassing. The general routine was breakfast: oatmeal or MH and a bar, lunch: snacking all day with nuts, bars, chews etc. and usually a drink supplement, dinner: MH with olive oil. Planning for this year I am sticking with the same general plan but with a few tweaks, most notably going towards more single serve packs (almost a bad word nowadays) for convenience more than anything.

mod7rem - where are you finding your olive oil packets? Online they are ridiculously expensive in Canada.

[tdot]

There are some smaller Nalgene bottles at MEC that have oil proof threads. I take 3-4 every trip, never had one leak. That includes backcountry ski trips that have involved alot more activity, tumbling and crashes than a sheep hunt. Never had a leak.

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/1601-1...e?colour=NOC00

Benefit is I add 2+ tablespoons to every meal. Way less mess than the single serve packs, and the oil is tastier too.

I add a Medium Chain Triglyceride oil to my breakfast, the stuff is like a sustained caffeine boost, without the crash.

[NMO]

Pulled this from something I wrote a while back - specific to hunting goats in February but still applies for sheep.

"This is one of the single largest areas you can shave weight out of your pack – but as with anything it will come at a cost. I don’t typically count calories when backpacking, as I have a pretty good understanding of how much food I need to feel good and pack accordingly, however, I will keep track of them for winter hunts. Try to focus on foods with less refined sugar and more protein and fat. Mountain House is an old classic, however, it’s nice to cut back the salt and get into some real food in the backcountry. Last year I was the most dialed in I have been with regards to food and calorie counting, and I managed to get my food down to around 1.3lbs per 3500 Cal. Depending on how much climbing you do, and how cold it is, your food needs may vary. This is a typical daily amount for high exertion for long periods in cold weather, multiply by the number of days in the trip and scale up or down amount as you see fit.

• Offgrid Food Predator Fuel Oatmeal – 660cal
• Offgrid Food Jerky – 210cal
• Offgrid Food OG Trail Mix – 740Cal
• MoonCheese – 326cal
• Honey Stinger Waffle x2 – 340cal (2)
• ProBar Superfood Almond Butter – 190cal
• Clif Shot Block – 100cal
• Offgrid Food Thai Green Curry w Quail – 950cal
• Instant Coffee & Tea bags

Peak Refuel is another great option - I know both Offgrid and Peak are expensive, as are all the low weight high cal snacks here, but if you are willing to spend $$ you can shave weight and still have high calories.