What do you eat while deer hunting

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bsparker

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I ground hunt and still hunt, I’m usually away from the truck about 5 hours a stretch. What snacks do you bring with you that won’t disturb the deer (noise from wrappers) or give away you location (smell)? Or does it not matter?

Thanks, from “a hunger hunter”.
 
I have taken jerky or meatsticks.

I have also taken a type of trailmix...just have to pay attention to the type of trailmix to avoid oils and salt.

Used to ground hunt for several years sitting at the base of trees...till age and the cold got to me...last couple deer seasons were spent in a shed on a boattrailer.
 
5 hours? Nothing. I almost lost a deer to bringing those snack crackers with peanut butter in them. I was munching some down when someone shot at a deer on the neighboring property, and the buck came flying across the corn field, then slowed to a trot after climbing the hill my son and I had just climbed. (different sides) I was tracking the buck with my shotgun and I tried to whistle to get the deer to stop, but couldn't because of the peanut butter. Just then my son coughed, the deer stopped, and I shot. To this day, my son tells me he had to help me get that deer....:p

That night I ate deer heart. As did my son.
 
Why venison jerky of course! Maybe they won't be able to tell it it was made from their grandma!
Seriously, I hunted out West where there was no sitting your butt if you wanted to fill your tag, so nutrient-dense protein and smart carbs like nuts, trail mix etc. - no bread, twinkies or the like - water was more important and needed in the early season
 
Noise and smell do matter!

But sometimes a guy just does not care.

I hunt in stands, blinds, on the ground or still hunt. When I still worked, I would take November off. It was the hunt that mattered and if I wanted a snack, I would. No difference now being retired.

Snacks of choice are jerky (usually homemade) and a few candy-bars. Also water or Gatorade. A guy has gotta stay hydrated cuz waking up to cramps in the middle of the night S___s!

If I plan to stay out all day it is more like a lunch that I would take to work. Sandwiches etc.
 
Every muzzleloader season a plan to spend the entire day afield. It is great because there is often snow in December, and few people hunt BP season.
I usually eat a good breakfast at home, then for lunch, I start a fire and heat up a can of stew from my pack, make tea, usually have a dessert of some sort......
It's my ritual, and I like it.
 
Eat early breakfast. In woods before sunrise. I will be walking and sitting all day to just before darkness. I prepare two small containers of Steel Oats, blue berries, walnuts, whey protein and super blend food. Very little odor, plenty of carbs, protein, fat (from the Walnuts) etc. for 3-4 hrs of substained energy. Eat the first bowl around 11am, second one around 3-4pm. Do not take snacks.Do not drink Gatorade unless it is very Hot, and then diluted with about 80% Water. Too much Sugar, not good for endurance. Jerky etc. usually has way too much sodium and other ingredients like Garlic which is too strong a smell not a good source of carbs and increases thirst. Bring un-sweetend Green tea, for the caffeine which promotes and substains energy. I bring two energy bars in case something happens and I have to spend the night. They will give me enough energy to make it out in the morning.
 
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A couple of bottles of water. one bottle of gator aid. A few cheese sticks. Some granola bars and some mixed nuts and a few of those bit size candy bars. A couple of sandwiches for lunch. With everything I carry in my bucket it weights 20 pounds. I pull this on a sled or I put the bucket in a pack frame.
 
I used to put a few frozen miniature Milky Way bars in my shirt pocket. They thawed out from the body heat after a bit. However, in the hot weather the chocolate would melt and be a mess so I switched to jerky. Man, I love that stuff. A bottle of water goes along too.
 
I like to use chewing tobacco when hunting, I don't really use any throughout the year. I kind of made it into my own tradition, I've shot a lot of deer moments after putting a lip in. I'd guess most hunters don't smoke anymore, but I've seen my dad kill more deer with a cigarette in is mouth then I can count.
 
MUSUBI!!!! if I stop by the store....

Unusual have a pretty good selection of cereal bars, candy and other crap in the pockets of my 2200. I'm happy to go all day without eating, but a couple of my hunting buddies burn out if they don't have stuff to munch on, and they never remember to bring anything.

I'm honestly more concerned about water....
 
Here's my homemade snack mix to the best of my memory. It varies a bit from year to year, I try some new things. A local Farm and Fleet sells the components in bulk, but it is still expensive. I mix a 12-16 oz pack of each, and make a big vat for the whole deer season. Usually have some left for work snacks later. It always ends up being very high octane. High fat, sugar, protein, calorie. It gets cold up here in MN in November!

1 pack butter toffee peanuts, 1 dried pineapple (the sugar coated kind), 1 pistachio kernels, 1 roasted/salted pecans, 1 brazil nuts, 1 macadamia nuts, 1 generic "corn nuts", 1 roasted/salted sunflower seed kernels, 1 honey roast oat bran sticks, 2lb peanut butter M&Ms, 1 turkish apricots. Comes out to about $100 and makes about 12 pounds. My wife adds marshmallows to hers.
 
My dad used to carry Milky Way Darks every day during hunting season. Literally, most of his deer cost a Milky Way Dark dropped in the dirt when he grabbed his rifle. They were his talisman. Now, he swears that they must have changed the recipe, as they don't work as well anymore. I usually carry graola bars, the 6-packs of cheese crackers, a bottle of water, and a thermos of coffee.
 
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