What do you eat while deer hunting

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I do a pre-emptive strike by taking some Imodium AD pills before I go out; works like a charm
Having adverse effects from Imodium that strategy is out of the question for me, but anticipating the possibility of nature calling later on I often lay a fresh "mine" some 200-300 yards from my treestand, near an alternative path deer might use instead of where I am positioned. Works like a charm, deer avoid it like the plague. They don't call it "the silent beater" for nothing. :)

Oh well. This was a discussion about food but things tend to escalate quickly...
 
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.

Nice, I could picture that. Always one of my fears take a bit and see a deer run...or not be able to get him to slow enough. I'm usually out for 5 hours and up till now haven't eaten anything while out, but interested in what has and has not worked. Happy hunting this season!
 
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.

Ritual and hunting are part of the experience, keep up the ritual. I'll be envious of your full warm meal.
 
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.

I could get on board with a container of oats, berries and walnuts. This one might make its way into my pack. Thanks!
 
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.

Ha, my dad smoked cigars, wore bluejeans and a brown jacket most times. Came home with a couple deer a year. Dad often said it's more important to be still and keep your eyes open than to blend in.
 
I used to think noise mattered and I suppose it can sometimes. Last time I had a child in the blind with me, she was making so much noise I figured there wasn’t a deer within miles of us, with all the talking and banging around.

I prematurely got frustrated and said we needed to pack up and head back, when asked “Why?”, I said there are not going to be any that come around with all the noise. Then she said, “What about that one?”, pointing at the doe that came from behind us.

I sat back down, enjoyed the time and recollected a story from another fellow years before that said he hung wind chimes from his stand year around, so noise was normal.

Also noted How many more animals I had seen over the years from the seat of a tractor vs stalking silently in the woods...

I generally don’t worry about eating, more often than not, its about not needing to get rid of previous meals...

Sunflower seeds mostly for the salt, seem to always be around though.

Gives me hope for bringing my son in a few years, kid doesn't not sit quiet. But he loves to shoot and be in the woods.
 
Yep, after my first leg of hiking, taking stands etc. I eat, then smoke a nice cigar and enjoy the woods and quiet and then sleep for about a half hour before the next leg. I learned a long time ago that my snoring will attract a buck after my brother killed one that had followed close up to me while I was sleeping. All I heard was the sound of the shotgun and then saw my brother laughing. Said he had to wait for the deer to move away from me to get a safe shot.
This has proven to me to be the most productive time for my hunts. Right about mid day, when they get up again to feed for a few hours.

Had a buddy take a buck at 20 yards after being woken from his nap. I get too fixated on surveying the woods can't let my eyes fall for fear of missing something. Maybe I'll try the nap approach this year.
 
As long as I've got the old Stanley full of coffee, a can of Vienies and a package of cheese crackers, I'm good to go. I have been know to tote the makings for coffee and a few fixin's so I can stop and cook lunch if I'm on a pretty long walk. I've even popped a bunny or a squirrel and roasted them over the fire a few times. That works out pretty well, too. Mostly though its the vienies and crackers.

Mac
In my younger day I might make a 2 day hunt on just a MtDew and a potato.
 
Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews generally any kind of nuts. It fills you up. Alot of calories and protein. A big plus is the smell might help you.
 
For me it depends on the weather, if it's warm: water, apple and granola bar. Cold: Coffee, Pop-tarts and a couple PB&J sandwiches will get me by until dinner time.
 
There is being a bit hungry, and there is being so full that I nod off..., don't want to nod off. :confused:
I like being a bit hungry as it seems to keep me more alert....

I carry stuff to ward off nagging hunger, but I know I won't be that bad off, as right now I'm built like Santa Claus...so I could survive in the wilds for at least a month as long as I had clean water. ;)

I also carry stuff, just in case something stupid happens like I mess up an ankle in rough terrain, and have to be out for many hours, or even wait until next-light, for somebody to come and get me.
So I carry:
1 lb. parched corn..., dry roasted dried corn. Kinda like Corn-nuts, but no salt.
Jerky..., home made so I can control the salt
1/2 pound of raisins..., the sugar gives quick energy and in hot weather the potassium wards off any leg cramps
Taffy ...something like Bit-O-Honey or Mary-Janes , a few pieces in case it's really cold and I get the shivers.
Water...,
Instant Coffee..., I don't plan to heat up water, but as I wrote above, in case I get stuck out overnight or maybe it takes me "forever" to get back to the vehicle (hopefully dragging a very large deer). In those cases firing up a cup of hot coffee for the ride home or opening a thermos and it's still hot, is a good idea. In "really cold weather", when the high is going to be below 30 degrees, I will carry a small thermos of hot coffee with me.

The Parched Corn, Jerky, and Raisins I found through reading were rather popular trail foods a couple a centuries back, and when I looked into them for nutrition and other properties, they turned out to be pretty darned useful. The Taffy I tried after watching John Wayne in True Grit, I admit it. I'd seen the movie several times, but for some reason I noticed it when Cogburn tells Mattie Ross what he brought to eat, and one of the items was taffy. So I looked into it, and now I get a bag at The Dollar Store. They are honey flavored, or the other is peanut butter flavored..., not a scent choice, but they don't hurt none, neither. ;)

As for scent, I wash my outer layer of hunting clothes with plain, lye soap. I seriously doubt that although I ground hunt and still hunt, my breath has given me away... I sure ain't spending money on "Pine tree scented chewing gum". :confused:
No matter what I have for food in the field, I think I've a better chance of the sound and scent of a fart scaring off the deer, before my food and wrappers do...,:thumbup:

LD
I was with you till the instant coffee.
It's the only thing I don't cheap out on. I love good coffee and will drink some of the worst cooked down coffee, but instant is where I draw the line.
 
I can go without eating....but why?

I like to be as comfortable as I can while I am doing something that is quite uncomfortable in general. I eat what ever is handy and sleep a lot while hunting.

I love not being a trophy hunter and purely being a meat hunter. Makes it so much more enjoyable.

Eating is basically fuel. How much energy will you be expending on a day's hunt? Walking/Hiking? Sitting in a tree stand? What is the weather, hot /cold? The key is finding the right fuel and when to take it. And for sure over loading the body with excess sodium (which is easy to do) and simple sugars are not a good thing. How much "Sweat" loss are you actually losing per hour? Not trying to be technical, but it has been part of my Hobby since high school years. To myself, I find it a fascinating study. Interesting to see what others use as fuel.
 
I love good coffee and will drink some of the worst cooked down coffee, but instant is where I draw the line.
There's instant coffee and there's instant coffee. Whatever can be found in supermarkets, including all mainstream and organic brands, is boiled down to a sludge, frozen and freeze dried with common, archaic high end-temperature "technology". Massive heat load throughout the manufacturing process. On the other hand, brewing fresh coffee and storing it boiling hot in a thermos isn't any better.

Personally I either let the coffee cool down to 100-110°F before storing it, or freeze dry high quality coffee myself, avoiding the degradation caused by heat exposure in both cases.

OTOH, I've learned not to drink coffee while hunting unless I make it fresh in a pot over campfire. If I really need caffeine in a treestand, a can of energy drink tastes just as bad, can be bought over the counter and is ready-to-drink as it is.
 
I was with you till the instant coffee.
It's the only thing I don't cheap out on. I love good coffee and will drink some of the worst cooked down coffee, but instant is where I draw the line.

Well it's not going "cheap" in my case it's going "quick", and light weight. Tthere are some "instants" that taste better than others, and I confess I call coffee made from preloaded teabags, "instant" since not only is it quick BUT it's a mixture of ground coffee and instant coffee, in many cases. So that's normally what I carry. :thumbup:

As far as taste goes..., my introduction to "instant" coffee was via C-Rations when I was serving in the Corps, and it didn't improve much if at all when they put it into MRE's. At least in the MRE one sometimes got hot chocolate and coffee, and you could mix that together and make mocha. But if you've learned to drink C-Rat coffee and be happy, then modern, store-bought variations of "instant" are not bad at all. You can even find General Foods International Coffee or Maxwell House International...anyone for an Orange Cappuccino :D ?

When I want a "great" cup of coffee, I roast and grind my beans, then use a French Press. A little too elaborate though, for me when hunting. ;)

LD
 
Well it's not going "cheap" in my case it's going "quick", and light weight. Tthere are some "instants" that taste better than others, and I confess I call coffee made from preloaded teabags, "instant" since not only is it quick BUT it's a mixture of ground coffee and instant coffee, in many cases. So that's normally what I carry. :thumbup:

As far as taste goes..., my introduction to "instant" coffee was via C-Rations when I was serving in the Corps, and it didn't improve much if at all when they put it into MRE's. At least in the MRE one sometimes got hot chocolate and coffee, and you could mix that together and make mocha. But if you've learned to drink C-Rat coffee and be happy, then modern, store-bought variations of "instant" are not bad at all. You can even find General Foods International Coffee or Maxwell House International...anyone for an Orange Cappuccino :D ?

When I want a "great" cup of coffee, I roast and grind my beans, then use a French Press. A little too elaborate though, for me when hunting. ;)

LD
I hadn't thought of it that way. The pre packed filters are disgusting also. I should have said I like coffee with good flavor. The only experience I've had with instant was a couple types of nasty stuff.
I like to brew my coffee and cool it to a acceptable drinking temp. If it gets cold, I'll still drink it.
Enough on coffee. I was liking all the food ideas. My pack is going to look like a food truck.
 
If I'm siting all day, peanut butter on a piece of pita bread. Otherwise, its a can of beanie weenies or a charly tuna lunch kit when I get back to the jeep between am and afternoon sits. On the stand/blind, its usually just water from the camelback and copenhagen.
 
I bring a MRE, and a few packets of water. Give me a warm meal when its 20 below 0. Plenty of carbs in it also. Not the best, but its food and very easy to eat from. I break them apart the night before so there is less shuffling and trash i have to carry back.
 
I like the idea of apples and peanut butter crackers, hopefully the scents will cover my scent and attract game:), seriously thermos of coffee, bottles of water and whatever is around the house to snack on. Where I have my blind I am only about 50 yrds from my truck. I hunt on 180 acres within 30min from small town and within 10min from local store that has a deli. I'm thinking about moving a camper there and spend a week there at a time and save the 1.5 hr drive.
 
I have quit dipping snuff at least 30 times. The last time it stuck 11 years ago. But when I get around a camp fire in the cool mountain air is when I get the urge to take a dip.

I’ve basically quit it in my life but when I’m hunting I allow myself to do it. I’m lucky that I can take it or leave it, I buy a couple cans of snuff before a hunt and then don’t buy more. Driving to camp and setting up at a glassing spot are the two big craving times for me.

However I kinda wish I would give it up for hunting too. It’s hard sometimes to remember why I like the stuff. It gives me heartburn after a few days and a raw lip because I don’t have the callous anymore. My legs are wobbly sometimes getting up to pull a sneak and I get winded easier too while chewing it. There’s basically no upside. But it’s my driving buddy and my glassing buddy and my campfire buddy and it’s tough to say goodbye forever.
 
I have a double tree stand for just me so I have plenty of room for snackies. Usually jerky and coffee, if I am real lucky my wife whips up some candied pecans for the guys.

Our group usually goes back to the cabin for late breakfast.

After it gets dark and we come in for the day its major snackies and drinkies time!
 
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