Snacks?

[Bmcox86]

What kind of snacks does everyone take in when deer hunting. I will only be day hunting as I don't have anyone to spike camp with but plan on a 3-4 mile hike to glass and then the hike out in the evening to still hunt closer to the truck.

I usually just take trail mix and a candy bar but since I will be hunting longer this year and not from a stand I am thinking I need a better energy source.

Any ideas of quick hi energy snacks. Was thinking maybe some kind of sandwich for lunch.

My ideas so far

Jerky
beef and cheese sticks
Trail mix
Honey sticks

[dreamunelk]

All of my hunting buddies laugh at how much chow I take with me.  I generally have enough to get me well into the next day with out the tummy grumbles.  With that said don't over think it.  There is now reason to suffer while hunting especially if just plan to be gone for the day and the worst case scenario is you have to spend the night in the woods.  Just load up on things that you would enjoy eating while hunting.  Some healthy, some not so much.  You will burn calories.  If you get into a situation where you may have to pack a long distance.  It helps to have something to put in your tummy when needed.  Also food fuels the furnace and helps keep you warm.  Again don't over think it.

[JLS]

Bagel sandwiches are good.  Trail mix, dried fruit, jerky, Pop Tarts, Payday bars, Cliff Bars, and granola bars are all good.

I do alot of hiking, so I like to make sure I have a good mix of quality protein, fats, and complex carbs in my food supply.  Don't forget the water like Naches said.  I'll carry up to 3 liters sometimes, depending on available sources and weather conditions. 

[JJB11B]

6 pack and an apple. Great for some good ol fashion gas

[JLS]

All of my hunting buddies laugh at how much chow I take with me.  I generally have enough to get me well into the next day with out the tummy grumbles.  With that said don't over think it.  There is now reason to suffer while hunting especially if just plan to be gone for the day and the worst case scenario is you have to spend the night in the woods.  Just load up on things that you would enjoy eating while hunting.  Some healthy, some not so much.  You will burn calories.  If you get into a situation where you may have to pack a long distance.  It helps to have something to put in your tummy when needed.  Also food fuels the furnace and helps keep you warm.  Again don't over think it.

Good point here on bringing enough food.  You never know when the "easy shot" becomes the tracking job from hell.  Of course, the weather will go south too and you'll likely be wet, cold, and tired with a hellacious drag/pack ahead of you. Now is not the time to bonk.  Have a little extra food, as well as some emergency calories.  I always carry a couple of Hammer Gels in my pack for this kind of situation.  Adequate food and hydration can go a long ways towards preventing hypothermia.

[bmccalister]

I usually take along an energy/electrolytes drink mix either powder or Mio and mix in a water container that I carry in addition to my hydration system. For food I bring along a few cliff bars, granola bars, dried fruit or apples and a banana, jerky and a few energy gels; such as, stinger, GU, and cliff. I also like to bring along some hard candy.

[hike2hunt]

I like to dip banana chips in in jif to go single servings

[Blacktail Sniper]

Been a bunch of good things in the way of grab & go type snacks mentioned, really can't go too wrong there.  Just pick stuff you like to munch on.

One thing I learned from a buddy a long time ago that I do now is keep a one burner propane stove in my rig, and I stock up on a dozen or so different kinds of canned foods, like chili, stew, soups, etc.  No worries about spoiling or getting messed up since they are in cans.  Several have pop top lids so a can opener isn't needed, but good to have anyway along with a few pieces of metal silverware and a couple small cooking pots.

All of this fits neatly into the medium sized Rubbermaid type containers, easy to grab it and toss in the rig.

Used to do the sandwich and other "cold" finger foods only, but on a cold or wet day, getting back to the rig and having a nice hot meal in just a few minutes is priceless.

[Fl0und3rz]

Don't forget the salty.  Worst headache I had was after summitting St. Helens.  It magically went away once I got a burger and salty fries in my in Cougar.

Otherwise, I like a bagel sandwich, trail mix, jerky or meat sticks, powerbar harvest bars, and lots of water 2-3L.

[CHUCK S]

Landjaegers!   They are awesome, get the ones from Bavarian Meat Works in Seattle.  Lots of places sell them.  They are a little expensive but most guys only get to hunt a few times a year.  Try them, you can stick it in your shirt pocket, jacket pocket and have them ready to go. 

[follow maggie]

I like trail mix & granola bars. I also will bring a thermos of coffee, water and a couple sandwiches made from whatever's in the cupboard.

[huntnnw]

I dont get that hungry when I am out hunting...I pack cliff bars, bannana, granola and sometimes pack my MSR and boil water for oatmeal or even cup of noodle type meal

[300rum]

My wife makes me homemade granola.  10x's better then anything you get in the store.

A bagel with peanut butter is great.  It will last about a week in the pack too. 

I always take my pocket rocket with me.  There's not much better then being in a snow storm having a cup o' noodles and a Starbucks Via. 

Here is a tip.  Don't hike out in the evening, hike out in the pitch black.  If you are going to do all that work to hike in a few miles, stay there until the bitter end, that's prime time anyway.  Most guys are afraid of being in the woods at night.  Don't be.   

[huntnnw]

   and you get the guys who say they went in 6 mi, but failed to say they started hiking at daylight big difference

[DoubleJ]

I'm at the opposite end.  I tend to starve/dehydrate myself when hunting all day.  I tend to not hunt too far from the house though so if it gets too bad, I just go home.  I bring 2 power bars and 2, 20oz bottles of water.  If for some "out-of-a-story-book" reason I get caught out there, I have a portable water filter for when my water runs out and I know what plants are edible.  The last 2 deer I shot, not including my 2nd deer from Tonasket, I shot them and then went home to drop off gear and eat before recovering.  That gave the deer about an hour to expire before I started tracking.

[jackelope]

Mountain man sandwiches. Bagel w/ peanut butter, honey and bacon.
Trail mix
Granola bars
Jerky
Then I don't eat anything.

[runamuk]

I dont like trail mix with candy just dried fruit and nuts, pepperoni, an apple.....water

I love pistachios when I am just sitting, gives my fingers something to do popping them open.

[floatinghat]

lots of water and 4-6 powerbars, some trail type mix, something sweet as a treat or two.    I like jerky but the nitrates and sodium tent to make me drink more water and use more TP.

[iflyils]

trail mix, beef jerky, cheese sticks gu chomps!!!!

[7mag.]

Snickers bars are great too. Lots of calories, high in fiber and protein.

[PolarBear]

Usually all I pack is Gatorade.  If I am going for an all day (2am to 9pm) I'll make up a couple of bagels with peanutbutter, honey, bacon and cheese.  Talk about energy for a long pack out!  I take landjaegers when elk hunting and scent isn't as much of a factor.

[Bean Counter]

My nutritional choices have affected the way I hunt. Some might call it lazy, but I call it for the better.

I'm willing to be out there later than dawn if necessary if it means having  full belly and being well hydrated. That way, I don't need to carry as many snacks with me and I can stay out all day. I've spotted and killed more deer midday than I have at dawn anyway. If I have help and things are going well then of course i'd like to be out there at first light, but being properly hydrated and getting in a good breakfast is more important IMHO. I've gotten tired of hearing "Well its 10am, lets go back to camp for a few hours...."

Lately I've gone on just a few PB&Js, some string cheese, and maybe a can of chicken noodle soup. With a big breakfast and a big dinner that's all I need in between.

[Sumpnneedskillin]

Been a bunch of good things in the way of grab & go type snacks mentioned, really can't go too wrong there.  Just pick stuff you like to munch on.

One thing I learned from a buddy a long time ago that I do now is keep a one burner propane stove in my rig, and I stock up on a dozen or so different kinds of canned foods, like chili, stew, soups, etc.  No worries about spoiling or getting messed up since they are in cans.  Several have pop top lids so a can opener isn't needed, but good to have anyway along with a few pieces of metal silverware and a couple small cooking pots.

All of this fits neatly into the medium sized Rubbermaid type containers, easy to grab it and toss in the rig.

Used to do the sandwich and other "cold" finger foods only, but on a cold or wet day, getting back to the rig and having a nice hot meal in just a few minutes is priceless.

I kept a jug of water and a small coffee pot in my "tub".  I also had coffee, hot cocoa and tea.  Several times got back to the rig cold and wet.  Fired that stove up made a pot of coffee and then sat in the rig drinking coffee with the heater going full blast.  Warmed right up.

Back to the orig topic, I kept energy bars, granola bars, some jerky and I liked to have a package of sport beans (jelly beans with electrolytes etc).  I tried the Wilderness athlete stuff too.  I like the drink mixes, the bars were ok.

[calledinsick]

Lots of great advise, I would add that when I have my Camel Pack I drink more water. I like to pack energy bars, and smoke fish very dry like jerky.  Any time you can make your own snacks I would do so.

[Houndhunter]

Think fat, sugar, and water . Bacon is your friend

[cdriver]

Bring enough so that just in case you had to spend the night you could at least snack.

[TriggerMike]

A couple of peanut butter and bacon sandwiches and/or a couple of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The potassium from the bananas can be clutch. Toast the bread so it doesn't get smushy and store it in tupperware instead of sandwich baggies. Bring a couple of Apples for quick carbs and protein bars with at least 20g of protein per serving. As far as water, you can't have enough. Also, you don't need gatorade with these foods, water is more beneficial.