What food for 2 weeks??

[Toby]

Going solo this year, I'm usually out for about a 7 day hunt with partners. This year I will be alone and plan on a two week hunt. For our seven day hunt we can make our frozen food last, but doubt it will stay good for two weeks. I camp by the truck and can get-ice. I plan on enough frozen food for the first week or so. I'm looking for suggestions for the second week. What kind of non-frozen foods do you recommend. Looking for something pretty quick and simple to make when I get in at night.

[zpd307]

toby, how far from town are you. in Colorado, we found huge relief by going to town halfway through the hunt. we were able to get a shower and real food. so we planned our food for that, only got enough for half of the trip.

[LckyTylr]

It's going to be said at some point or another, but Mountain House meals. In my opinion, they are excellent. High in calories, any idiot can fix them, they taste really good, resealable if you can't eat the whole thing.

I backpack hunt, so I opt (mostly) for food that's really light weight. I like Mt House for lunch and dinner with dehydrated fruit snacks and M&M's (not light). For breakfast, it's either Nature Valley granola bars or bagels with peanut butter, honey and bacon (again, not very light, but a LOT of calories in there to get your day started).

After an entire archery and rifle season, you can get pretty sick of some of this stuff, that's when it's time to switch up the snacks. another thing that really helps my "mood" is having some sort of flavored powder to mix into my drinks, coffee obviously for the morning and some fruity mix for afternoon and evening (gatorade's G2 squirt bottles). This helps with taste and it provides some electrolytes.

[Elkduds]

Tenderloin and liver, bleeding-fresh!

Also: Sweet potatoes, wrap in foil, bake in coals. Tortillas hold up better than bread. Instant rice, canned beans. Apples, bananas. Instant oatmeal. Maple syrup!

[dapper]

I second the mountain house. Though we've been backpacking in so the high calories for lightweight becomes more attractive. Since you'll be hunting from the truck your options are numerous. This fall my hunt will be more from the truck since I drew a Valles Caldera tag, but we're geared for backpack hunting so we'll stay in that mode, and we'll probably run up to Colorado for a short backpack hunt for my son after my hunt. Actually I like the taste of Mountain house, like stated before its simple and lots of calories. We tend to have cold oatmeal in the morning, tend to carry cliff bars, protein bars and a zip loc of trail mix with cashews added in during the day. The mountain house was the only warm meal, that was after dark when we got back to the tent. The cold oatmeal was sickening sweet cold, so the second year we combined two packets unsweetened oatmeal with one sweetened. The cold part was to eliminate weight through use of fewer fuel cannisters. I think of all the "pocket foods" my favorite was the trailmix with added cashews. Thats actually how we balanced out the calories, 2300 per day, after adding up the calories of the other foods, we scaled the trailmix/cashews to obtain the 2300.
Before the backpack elk hunts, my son and I did a couple of bears hunts, one in the Canadian bush from the truck. We ate more typical meals because of the truck. I can't speak for my son, but if we were to do that hunt again, I'd go the mountain house route because of the simplicity and short preparation time/ cleanup. Or at least prepare my menu around quick preparation and little cleanup.
Mountain house tends to be about $7 a meal, but I find it for as low as $5 a meal at a large Walmart in a large city near home. I actually have a list in my wallet of what meals my son and I are still looking for so if I find it cheap, I buy it.


Good luck on your hunt
Dan

[Toby]

There is a little town with a general store less than a half hour away, but supplies are limited. Bigger towns are about an hour and a half away, so that is possible.

I have never tried Mountain House meals, seems like you like them, may need to give them a try.

I suppose some kind of canned foods might work too, just a pain to deal with after a long day. We usually vacuum pack our main evening meal and then just drop it in boiling water, clean up is simple.

[Swede]

I camp about 45 minutes from one town and an hour from another. I would go one late morning into town and restock. I usually get a store bought lunch and return for an evening hunt. I have MH meals available. They are great when starvation is the alternative.

[WapitiTalk1]

The mt house meals serve their intended purpose after a long day in the elk woods. Easy to prepare and are actually pretty darn good IMO. Heck, a few packs of ramen noodles will fill the gut when you're too beat to cook

[Pop-r]

Boys I gotta say I disagree on the MH meals as far as calorie intake. I use them & they are good & filling but i'm literally starving my body to death by eating such small amount of calorie's for the level of "fullness" I feel you get out of them. Elk hunting is VERY demanding calorie wise & I don't doubt but what one burns 10,000+ calorie's a day! You couldn't possibly stay "fortified" on this. I would love to see a MH meal with ab 3-4 times the calorie's stacked into them!

[zpd307]

yeah, the drive to town is about 40 mins, the bonus is that we can stop and take a mid hunt shower along the way! and $8 shower never felt so good...... when we spike camped away from the truck, it was a lot a dehydrated noodles with sauces and tuna or pepperoni for meat. instant oatmeal in the am with granola bars, candy bars and slim jims for lunch.

[Lefty]

I use to run long trap lines in the fall and would motel at night. I" did not take the time to make, cook or prepare foods except where I could use a slowcooker
I bought higher quality deli meats,good breads and sauces, fresh fruits and veggies.
My cooking at the time on the trap line was putting a can of Dinty more stew on the truck engine in the mornings and warmed to 140-150 degrees in a few hours
I hunt elk out of my pickup now. I really like the packaged tuna with crackers and occasionally get out the stove and add hot water to "something",but for me it is hot chocolate
I was on an egg sandwich kick, pre made at home, basically an omelet in good bread or roll

When I rifle elk hunted with my in laws we made nice camp meals,.. I found sleep was more important than a nice cooked meal, food prep took too much time.
With so many decent foods that only need water and not wanting to cook real meals,
I would just take some frozen deli meats, and good cheese fresh fruits and veggies then restock mid week, , dried foods and some canned foods

[LckyTylr]

Pop-R . . . I somewhat agree with you. The MH meals leave me full after each meal, but within 2 hours I'm starving again and digging through my pack rather than pushing up over the next rise. The average calories of the Pro-Pak MH meals that I prefer is 480c. I eat two/day plus all of the other snacks I listed above. I don't think I have ever been able to cram in more than about 2,200 per day . . . and I felt like I'd eaten a Thanksgiving meal.

With that said, I go into every elk season knowing that I'm going to come out of it about 10-15 lbs lighter. That's AFTER a 8-10 lbs gain of muscle . . . then trimming all the way back down to -10 or -15 from pre-season.

My goals with backpacking food is to keep me sustained or slightly under sustained. If the foods in my pack provide enough energy to keep me going, I can rely on my fat stores and mental determination to get through the rest.

I think that my biggest problem for weight loss during elk season is that it's often so stinking warm during the month of September when I'm bowhunting. I find it REALLY hard to force myself to eat. Even when I'm hungry, I look at my water bottle and I look at my food . . . I know in my own mind that I only "have the stomach" for one or the other, but not both. The safe bet is always hydration, so I often skip meals and rely on small snacks to keep something in my stomach. It's only after I get back to camp in the dark when it's cooled off that I can eat, and then I'm so tired that, again, I have to force myself to prepare a meal and eat it. If meal preparation was any more difficult than boiling water and adding it to a foil bag . . . I'd probably skip that too.

Anyways, just my take on it. I don't think that 480 calories per meal is enough to replenish what I burn during an average day of chasing elk . . . but my stomach can't hold much more and I don't know of any other lightweight option that packs more of a punch. I'm going to start a business though . . . I'm going to buy an ultralight plane, take orders from hungry backcountry hunters and deliver juicy cheeseburgers and pizza to you guys in little parachutes. Any takers?

[pointysticks]

I would never eat al mountain house while I am within eye sight of my truck. I don't like them that much.

Id eat can food first.

[Swede]

Lcky: I like your new business plan. Can you deliver to a tree stand in central Oregon? With that business you might get some great coordinates for future hunts.

[Z Barebow]

Referenced above, think about food in an envelope. Tuna and chicken come to mind.

Something I like is El Paso Tortilla Stuffers. Several flavors. I just put package in pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes and serve on to tortillas. They have a little kick for this white bread Midwesterner, so have plenty of water to drink. But they taste good.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/17209087?wmls ... 90&veh=sem

Also MRE's. Since you are staying at the truck, you don't need to worry about the weight and extras.

As noted about, I am there to hunt and not do dishes. I am usually so tired, I like to start a pot of water while I take care of other hunt items. (Clean out pack, get food for next day, look at maps,get clothes for next day, etc) I do want a hot meal, but I will eat out of a package so I don't have to spend time cooking.

[pointysticks]

FYI..those hungry jack hash browns are awesome.

you rehydrate them with hot water and fry them like usual..they taste and feel just like a diner hash brown. add some SPAM..eggs and viola..awesomeness!

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

If I were at the vehicle I'd bring spam and corned beef hash in a can before using Mtn. House. Snackwise/lunch-type foods, I love Snickers bars for hunting. I also really like dehydrated Pineapple...I plan to try making my own this summer(Costco sells cans pretty cheap). Rice is easy to make if you have lots of water available, and if you make it spanish style (extra browning time, beef bullion, and chili powder to taste) it is great with a can of corn and can of black beans thrown in. (again, all this is based on food at the vehicle). You can then throw that mix into a Pita or tortilla for a lunch in the pack.

[elkmtngear]

At the vehicle or not...here's why I like Mountain House when I'm dragging myself back to camp at 9 PM after a 10 mile "death march":

1. Boil Water in the Jetboil (takes 2 minutes)
2. Pour Water into bag
3. Let steep for 5 to 7 minutes
4. Eat
5. Go to sleep

They fill me up, and no clean up. Just roll up the empty bag and stow it.

I find that I usually pack too much food in my daypack. I really just need a breakfast bar in the morning, a 5 hour energy shot, a little trail mix and jerky during the day, and the Mountain House at night (that's just me)!

[pointysticks]

i hear you loud and clear.

for me..i'd eat a cold sandwich at the truck.

i just dont like Mountain house that much. they ALL have some lingering aftertaste to me. similar to the flavor at the end of a hamburger help meal. they trump all food when it comes to lightweight backpack food. (i dont make my own). my longest trip was 14 days..and my last meal gave me dry heaves. hahah..(that might have been chili mac from backpackers pantry)..

i limit myself to 10 day trips now.

[Lefty]

Tyler I hope I can impress on you the importance of boosting your calorie intake and not relying on burning excessive calories beyond your intake.
We use to trap hard; And there were a lot of guys that that did not have a large enough intake of calories losing 15- 30 lbs in 4 weeks The next month they were unable to work effectively .
At that time I worked closely with a Doctors and dieticians as part of University of Minnesota heart health who basically prescribed food and lots of water because of the calories I was burning while I worked then carried over into my trapping season. The other trappers than ran extreme lines had wives that knew how to take good care of their husbands during commercial fishing and trapping seasons.

I caught more fur and made more money, not because I was a better trapper but I maintained better health and was able to extend my “extreme “ trapping season. Those that lost 20-30 lbs in 4-5 weeks physically were not able to go back to their construction jobs efficiently
Likely more water and more calories will benefit your elk season and the month after season

[LckyTylr]

Thanks Lefty. I appreciate the concern. I'm struggling to figure out how to make myself more hungry throughout the day when it's hot out. I was like this when I was a Wildland Firefighter too. At first I thought the solution to my problem was to eat a bigger breakfast as I was always hungry for breakfast, but I quickly realized that it made me really sluggish and miserable for the first half of the day. It was actually somewhat dangerous because I'd cramp up and not be able to dig line or hike as quickly as I should. Then I decided that I'd eat a large dinner, I had to force myself to do it because I was still really warm and not hungry. That didn't work either because I was so tired from the long days that I really needed a good night of sleep, but the full belly kept me awake. Large lunches were out of the question, as was continual snacking as I was always working or on the move. Hunting is a very similar scenario for me, long days that are very tiring and hot with (my personal choice) no time to spare for snacking. Anyway, I haven't noticed a significant issue with resultant exhaustion or weakness from my weight loss during archery season. I hunt straight through from Aug 30 - Nov 30 and quite a lot through the winter. As the fall gets colder, I'm able to eat more during my day hunts and of course, I eat like a pig between hunts.

I don't know, I'll keep trying to be hungry . . . but until it really starts to affect me, I probably won't worry about it too much.