Food for Backpack Hunting

[Darren]

I am planning to do some overnight, and weekend, hike in hunts this upcoming season. What do you guys usually take with you for good lightweight food when hunting out of a backpack?

[~T-BONE~]

Trailmix, jerky lots of it , pre cooked steaks, oxo broth, some xtra granola bars some juice crystals to mix it up a bit . One can get away with taking smaller amounts all depends on the amount of time you want to spend up in them there hills......?

[Jelvis]

Water, the most important. Energy bars, salted peanuts, carrots, apple, bannana, pepperoni that will do it for a week end, unless your trying to gain weight. Then canned smoked oysters, cheese, crackers and gaterade, with the other stuff.

[PGKris]

Lipton Sidekicks or similar. Nothing more lightweight or tasty. Try and keep to the ones that ony need butter and not milk.

[troutseeker]

I bring soup pouches, bear jerky (yum), mixed nuts (my hunting buds), some chocolate and sometimes a can of beans for the Blazzing Saddles fire ritual. For water I have a Katadyne filter that I trust with my health.

For a weekend out I don't mind packing a little heavier as it is only a short time in the bush. Once camp is setup the food get's stashed and I hunt light. For a long trip I try to minimize weight as I will likely be moving camp a few times and it get's tiring... In season rabbit and grouse make welcomed additions to meals.

Troutseeker

[kishman]

Check Mountain Equipment co-op and other backpacking stores as well as your ,local military surplus store for meals ready to eat (M.R.E.'s) they're easy, light, full meals.

[Krico]

Instant oatmeal for breakfast, energy bars, chocolate bars, trail mix and pepperoni/jerky to keep me going during the day and freeze dried meals to cook up for dinner. It's nice to bring gatorade drink crystals to add to water as well.

[Frosty]

The liptons sidekicks are great, i've taken them out of their big packages and put them into small ziplocks to cut down on space, and for the ones that need milk, powdered milk worked good for us, oatmeal for breaky.

You headed out overnight on the island there darren?
I've got a valley planned out, nice valley about an hour and a half hike and the road is washed out hardcore at the beginning of the valley....not even a quad could get through. So i'm hoping for a good zero pressure spot.

[Darren]

Welcome to the site Frosty, Is that Kelly? Yeah, I am planning to head out overnight on the Island, I wanna check out some alpine this weekend that I might try hunting opening weekend.

[BlacktailStalker]

I always take something frozen that I plan on eating the first night, something hearty. You can eat your fresh backstraps after that :)

[Seeadler]

some things I take:

instant oatmeal
trail mix
dried fruit
lipton sidekicks, repackaged with powdered milk....just add water and butter
power bars
jello (I don't let it set and drink it)
canned ham and corned beef (gotta have one real meal a day in the evening)
container of butter
tea

i also take water purification tablets.

[PGKris]

No there is a smart way to beat the milk problem. Never thought of re-packaging the sidekicks. Damn good idea.

[CNE]

I,ve tried a few of the Backpackers pantry from MEC. The ones I got were 5 or 6 bucks and were better than any meal I've had at a restaurant.

[BANG!]

Darren - if you're going into the woods for a few days - and plan to take a whole bunch of food stuffs that your body doesn't usually eat - try gradually working it into your pre-trip meals for a few days before you head out there.

A sudden change in what you eat and drink can give you a nasty dose of the sh%ts. Sounds funny - but trust me, you don't want to be farting and sh%tting all over the place when you're trying to 'do the stealth thing' through the woods.

[ryanb]

The freeze dried meals are pretty tasty for the most part. The only problem I've encountered with them was some really bad indegestion from a couple of the breakfast meals. The dinners have never given me a problem. I just use instant oatmeal for breakfast instead now.

[cwocarsten]

IBeing in the army reserves I save my Rations for the pack in hunts. Otherwise I bring dried fruit, nuts, powerade/gaterade powder,MR Noodles and soup powder. Most important is a water purifier. Got the hershies once many miles in the bush and will never go deep in the bush again w/o a few immodiem tabs.