Sheep hunting - Calorie Count

[mod7rem]

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.

It’s a company in California called Outdoor Herbivore.

[mod7rem]

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.

That’s a great idea. I think I’ll switch to this instead of packets.

[madcalfe]

I'm 5'11 and 155lbs
I've never actually counted how many calories are in my food per day for my sheep hunts but I never seem to go hungry
my food is right around 18lbs for 12 days though so 1.5lbs per day.
my food usually consists of
small zip lock of homemade oatmeal with protein powder mixed in
small zip lock of trail mix
x2 star bucks instant coffee packs
packet of BCAA/ electrolyte drink mix
protein bar
granola bar
a bagel
couple jolly ranchers
peak refuel dinner

and I throw a packet of liptons chicken noodle and protein powder to make a drink in every other bag

and if I fly into a lake I stash some canned food, pop, and a mickey. makes waiting for the plane so much better

[Petros65]

Pack the fats - animal fats.

Learn from programs like "Alone" ---- every single one of them after a few days wants/needs fat.
You want energy, eat fat, not carbs. Humans can live forever without carbs but without any fat we die.
Cars will mess with your insulin levels and thats when you get the exhausted feeling. Fat does not do that.
Learn from our ancestors - pemmican is an awesome survival food, lard, fatty biltong, salami, all the cured meats.

[Petros65]

Other great sources of fats
Infant formula (yeah sounds weird but its awesome nutrition) mixed with water
Nuts - grind them up so that they don't take a lot of space.
Bacon jerky- grind it up with nuts, press into squares and its a great on the go snacks.

[Gun Dog]

You can always go old school and fatten up before your trip.

[bensonvalley]

Great topic. I learned the hard way that, as you said, the body starts eating itself. My first sheep hunt I went in at my normal weight 160lbs (5’8”) but we underestimated how much energy we would spend on that trip and after 8 nights I came out at 150lbs. It was a real eye opener. That final day hike back to the truck was tough.

[northernbrew]

Hey NMO, Where do you get your offgrid meals? my short and prob lack luster search didn't turn up much here in canada thx

[mod7rem]

Pack the fats - animal fats.

Learn from programs like "Alone" ---- every single one of them after a few days wants/needs fat.
You want energy, eat fat, not carbs. Humans can live forever without carbs but without any fat we die.
Cars will mess with your insulin levels and thats when you get the exhausted feeling. Fat does not do that.
Learn from our ancestors - pemmican is an awesome survival food, lard, fatty biltong, salami, all the cured meats.

That reminds me, I also like to take Landjaeger sausage because it’s fatty but heavier than jerky.

[mod7rem]

Other great sources of fats
Infant formula (yeah sounds weird but its awesome nutrition) mixed with water
Nuts - grind them up so that they don't take a lot of space.
Bacon jerky- grind it up with nuts, press into squares and its a great on the go snacks.

Do you make your own bacon jerky or buy it?