Backcountry meals

[tdcour]

Hey everyone, I was fortunate enough to draw a CO muley tag and will be heading out early season to chase deer with my bow in the backcountry. This will be my first hunt off my back, so looking to learn a little here.

What does everyone do for meals in the backcountry? I have read the 3000 calorie rule, and the weight to calorie ratio, etc. etc. etc. What I can't figure out is this. How do you get away from such a high sodium diet and maintain high protein and calorie intake? Jerky is good protein but high in salt, Mountain House and all the other pre-packaged meals are all super high in sodium. That high of salt content is going to make dehydration worse and will affect performance up there, so how do you get around it? Do you just eat the high salt and drink more water? I'm open to any suggestions here and just want to know if there is any good way to get calories and protein without the salt as it almost seems they go hand in hand.

 

[Micah S]

Butt hole sandwiches are always good. You could try Heather's choice I've heard good things but I haven't tried it yet. You could also make your own food with a food dehydrator.

 

[Casey Gepford]

Heather's choice is great stuff. And she's coming out with a dehydrate cook book this month.

 

[tdcour]

Butt hole sandwiches are always good. You could try Heather's choice I've heard good things but I haven't tried it yet. You could also make your own food with a food dehydrator.

ha! You might have to explain yourself on that one!

 

[Work2hunt]

ha! You might have to explain yourself on that one!

Sandwiches made with bagels. I know some guys like honey and bacon on them.

 

[Micah S]

ha! You might have to explain yourself on that one!

Bagel peanut butter honey and bacon. When you put them in a vacuum sealer they look like a butt hole.

 

[Fink]

Bagel peanut butter honey and bacon. When you put them in a vacuum sealer they look like a butt hole.

I'm never gonna look at a bagel the same ever again..
I get so tired of mountain houses and peanut butter bagels and all that stuff, every single day. Any more, it seems like I just snack on nuts and dried fruit all day, maybe eat a snickers bar. then a cup o noodles, or ramen for dinner, without the seasoning packet, if im even hungry. For me anyways, trying to mow down 3,000 calories a day, on a hunt like that is just too hard, and not necessary. I just drink a bunch of water, and end up losing a few pounds over the course of a week.

 

[buckbull]

Butt hole sandwiches are always good. You could try Heather's choice I've heard good things but I haven't tried it yet. You could also make your own food with a food dehydrator.

Glad I didn't google butthole sandwiches on the work computer. Urban Dictionary has a different meaning.

 

[Work2hunt]

Glad I didn't google butthole sandwiches on the work computer. Urban Dictionary has a different meaning.

Ha. I bet. I might have to try that one.

 

[tdcour]

Man this is cracking me up! Definitely going to look at bagels differently as well. No need to keep the bacon cool or anything? Man that seems like it would feel like chewing on boot leather!

 

[Tim McCoy]

I'm ignoring the visual, but if bacon is cooked right, pretty crispy, it is easy to bite through cold...

 

[IDELKFVR]

That is to funny....Never heard them called that before. I to have heard good things about heathers choice but have never tried them.

 

[tdcour]

Heather's choice looks pretty good, but dang are they expensive! 2X the price of the others...

 

[tim]

The salt thing to me is kind of funny. There are times to stop cramping from dehydration, that I drink pickle brine. But that is usually after I have been sweating profusely for days on end doing big bike rides. If you work hard enough, the body will welcome the salt. it won't hurt dehydration, but actually help it. you sweat out salt, your body needs it to keep going.

 

[wyohunter1]

Tim is right, the more you sweat the more salt you will need to intake to replenish.

 

[Casey Gepford]

Heather's choice looks pretty good, but dang are they expensive! 2X the price of the others...

That's why I'm waiting for the cookbook to make my own.

 

[tdcour]

Tim is right, the more you sweat the more salt you will need to intake to replenish.

I understand that, but Mountain house, if you eat the whole thing, is 60% of your daily intake. That is a lot of salt. I'm sure I'll end up eating those anyway as I'm not hearing many suggestions for other alternatives. May try to do one every other day or something.

 

[mnhoundman]

I tried the calories thing to on our first backpack hunt, it was way too much for me. We planned a 6 day hunt b and probably had enough food for 8 day.
Me and my brother in law split a mountain house every night, that was plenty for us and boy they are tasty! We snacked on jerky and granola bars through out the day and some tuna packs. We seemed to do OK that way.

 

[RICMIC]

One of my favorites as a supplement to the freeze dried meals is Idahoan Mashed Potatoes. There are several different flavors; just add some water and real bacon bits or other add ons. One 4 oz. pkg. is really too much for one, and not quite enough for two, although it calls it a four serving pkg. High in sodium like most packaged foods, but I find it totally satisfying. Snack throughout the day on bars and GORP and you will survive. I just came off a canoe trip with some Naval Academy Midshipmen who I was training, and one of the guys had hiked the Andes in Peru for two weeks eating nothing but Snickers bars.

 

[Work2hunt]

Ive been known to bring a small log of summer sausage, with some pre-packaged cheese (the kind that does not need refrigeration), with or without crackers just to change things up.