Mathews Inc.
Food
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
luckyleo 13-Jul-15
RTJ1980 13-Jul-15
patdel 13-Jul-15
JLS 13-Jul-15
patdel 13-Jul-15
JLS 13-Jul-15
Carnivore 14-Jul-15
oldgoat 14-Jul-15
Mike Vines 14-Jul-15
SoDakSooner 14-Jul-15
Jaquomo 14-Jul-15
greg simon 14-Jul-15
IdyllwildArcher 14-Jul-15
cityhunter 14-Jul-15
greg simon 14-Jul-15
Jaquomo 14-Jul-15
elkbreath 14-Jul-15
Jaquomo 15-Jul-15
Mike Vines 15-Jul-15
elkbreath 15-Jul-15
huntforever 17-Jul-15
Jaquomo 17-Jul-15
elkbreath 17-Jul-15
Jaquomo 17-Jul-15
From: luckyleo
13-Jul-15
What's in your backpack for food on a solo bivy hunt????? Thanks Leo

From: RTJ1980
13-Jul-15
I put my food in a gallon zip lock bag by day. I carry 7 days at a time. We usually stay in the back country for 4 or 5 days then come out for a day and head back in for the duration of the 10-day hunt. My daily food ration consists of:

(2) packs of flavored oatmeal zip lock snack bag size of trail mix mini bagel peanut butter to go cup protein powder (2) protein bars jerky (2) - 100 calorie pack of almonds (2) tuna pouches assorted flavors mountain house flavor varies by day hot cocoa mix or apple cider mix (6-10) jolly ranchers or chewy sprees for a quick pick me up

For brakfast I will mix in a Mountain House granola and blueberries in cream or breakfast skillet to mix it up. Oatmeal every day gets a little old even in the back country. I will snack on the trail mix all day and will have the Tuna pack and bagel with peanut butter for lunch. Dinner is Mountain house and what ever I have left. Desert is usually "back country ice cream", vanilla protein powder mixed with cold water. Don't knock it til you try it.

I typically have a little bit of food left each day. Usually it is a protein bar or the candy. On day 3 and 7 I typically eat my favorite Mountain House which gives me something to look forward to. I am a big fan of every meal they make but the regular mac and cheese.

Ryan

From: patdel
13-Jul-15
Mountain house. Ramen noodles. Swiss miss cocoa mix to drink. A handful of Jolly Ranchers. A few snickers or something.

I do not care for mountain house, but if there is a better way to get calories up the mountain I haven't found it.

Never been a coffee drinker, but I'm a mountain dew addict. I throw some no doze pills in the pack so I can get my caffeine.

I came back from my last elk hunt 15 pounds lighter than when I left. If I could eat like I wanted that wouldn't have happened. :).

I'm gonna watch this thread, hopefully get some better ideas for myself.

From: JLS
13-Jul-15
Breakfast: 2-3 packs of instant oatmeal (peaches & cream is top choice), 1/4 c instant milk, handful of chopped almonds

OR

Granola, 1/4 cu instant milk all in a quart freezer bag. Add water and eat, hot or cold.

Lunch: Butthole sandwich

OR

Almonds String cheese Trail mix Jerky Cliff bars Fig Newtons

Dinner: Mountain House some sort of chocolate good whiskey

Idylwild had a great idea earlier this year, where he took baguettes and make a sandwich with salami and cheese, and you toast them over a fire. I'm definitely going to take some of these next trip.

From: patdel
13-Jul-15
JLS..... Lunch doesn't sound very good.

From: JLS
13-Jul-15
patdel,

That's the nickname for a bagel sandwich, normally made with peanut butter, bacon, and honey. They are good (better warmed up), but like everything else get old after five or six days worth.

From: Carnivore
14-Jul-15
Length of hunt? Daytime temps in the shade?

For a 4-day hunt at elevation I bring 3 pounds of deep dish pizza, each slice in its own sandwich bag. 1 piece for lunch, 2 for dinner. A couple extra pounds in the pack make life worth living. And the usual stuff as mentioned for b'fast, snacks, and sides.

Butthole sandwich, back country ice cream, TBM on the other thread...you guys are cracking me up tonight.

From: oldgoat
14-Jul-15
Salami is awesome, it's what fueled the Roman Legions

From: Mike Vines
14-Jul-15
Besides the normal oatmeal, homemade granola, jerky, mountain house. I also like to take flour tortillas with peanut butter and 2 sticks of hunters sausage in each one (2 per day).

When I hunted Hawaii, all I carried was canned spam and ate the fruits that were growing where I was hunting. Sounds nasty, and cold Spam back here in Michigan isn't on my "to eat list" EVER, but the sights sounds and smells of the islands can make anything seems like a gourmet meal.

From: SoDakSooner
14-Jul-15
Spam is a delicacy in Hawaii from what I hear....lol.

From: Jaquomo
14-Jul-15
Nobody mentioned the protein shake, but after a Bowsiter turned us onto it last year, I'll never be without them. Put an instant breakfast, a scoop of protein powder, and powdered milk in a quart ziplock. Add a straw and seal it up. Add water and mix by hand, then drink through a corner with the straw.

Amazing, simple "go food".

From: greg simon
14-Jul-15
Bagels, get a couple different flavors, I like blueberry and the cinnamon. Fritos corn chips and sliced pepperoni.

14-Jul-15
There was a great thread on this about 3-5 months ago. Go back through the elk forum and you'll find it, had a ton of posts.

From: cityhunter
14-Jul-15
lou figured you for a ensure type guy :>

From: greg simon
14-Jul-15
I try to shoot for an average of 125 calories per ounce in my food. That way two pounds of food per day will give me 4000 calories.

From: Jaquomo
14-Jul-15
Yeah, Ensure and Metamucil shakes, and a good supply of Depends!

Stop reminding me that I'm an old man, now!!!!!

From: elkbreath
14-Jul-15
New addition to my pack this year, thanks to my lovely and experimental wife, peanut butter-coffee energy 'cookies', mine will also have soaked chia.

http://blissfulbritt.com/2013/01/25/coffee/

You could even put some bacon chunks in there...

From: Jaquomo
15-Jul-15
elkbreath, not trying to be a smart-aleck, but what does chia do for you?

From: Mike Vines
15-Jul-15
"what does chia do for you?"

When the hunting is Extreamly slow, it gives you something to watch grow (Chia Pet).

From: elkbreath
15-Jul-15
No worries Jaquomo,

Protein, omega 3's, lots of vitamins, etc... 'Super food' for energy and endurance athletes. They also maintain digestion, keeping you feeling 'full' for longer.

They are an incredible little seed. Adding them to the recipe will also replace empty grains and carbs with real calories, as well as keep the consistency of the entire cookie to something even more yummy.

A couple tbls of chia soaked in juice, kombucha or cold coffee are an awesome addition to a day on the mountain.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-pirello/change-your-life-with-chi_b_446413.html

http://www.fleetfeetstlouis.com/news/chia-seeds

http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/tarahumara-diet-tough-swallow

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/chia-seed-the-muhammad-ali-of-nutrition

From: huntforever
17-Jul-15
If you like the taste of coconut, 1 0z of unrefined coconut oil has 270 calories in it! The plant based saturated fat is easily converted to energy and very good for you. I have not found anything else that has more calories per oz. I try to eat a heaping tablespoon everyday, even at home. Cashews or most other nuts are very good too.

From: Jaquomo
17-Jul-15
Ok thanks, elkbreath. It sounds a little on the fruity-gay-earth muffin side but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're from Wyoming. (:-)

Sounds like a couple tbls of chia mixed with coconut oil spread on a Pop Tart would be the perfect mountain hunting food!

From: elkbreath
17-Jul-15
yeah, it for sure is. I eat pretty Paleo, RAw and Wild food...so that's fair!

Huntforever you're on to something there. A tbls of coconut oil and some cinnamon in black coffee is one of my go-to's.

Another, if you want to take it a step further toward "manhood" and find a nutrient dense source of energy, its Raw Elk Liver. And Im dead serious, its incredible. http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-liver-files/

http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com.au/articles/anti-fatigue-factor-of-liver

From: Jaquomo
17-Jul-15
Ok thanks, elkbreath. It sounds a little on the fruity-gay-earth muffin side but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're from Wyoming. (:-)

Sounds like a couple tbls of chia mixed with coconut oil spread on a Pop Tart would be the perfect mountain hunting food!

  • Sitka Gear