Food for a week

[Takeem406]

I'm planning on a five and a half day hunt the middle of September. I'm trying to figure out how much Mountain House to pack plus snacks.

Usually on a normal day with training I'm consuming about 25k with 500-1k training burn.

I figure about three freeze dried packs a day at least. So 3x6=18 packs, right?

The other question is can I take MTN Ops Ammo and leave it unrefrigeratored for a few days? Planning on taking Magnum for sure.

What else should I look at taking?

How about fuel?

Is there a way to pin point a where the elk are in scouting then chose a spot for the spike camp and go in a week before and stash food?

I might be able to take horses, but as of now I'm planning on using my own awesomeness (or lack there of).

Thanks

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[5MilesBack]

I know I never eat as much as I should up there, but I only take one for each day and that's either my lunch or dinner. Then snack stuff for the rest of the day, and I don't eat breakfast. Even hunting out of base camp I only eat one MH a day normally. And I'm 6'6" 210. I'll do this for 20-25 days every archery season and lose 15-20lbs every year.

 

[gelton]

Being from Montana you are probably used to the altitude but I for one have to force feed myself when I am up high. I usually pack a mountain house breakfast and dinner and eat snacks or Ramen for lunch but I always end up carrying out several half eaten mountain house. This year I will try to bring along some "real" food like tuna and jerky and try Heathers Choice meals supplemented with Mountain House pro packs (1 serving size) but for me I could get by with just 1 packaged meal per day and snacks for every other meal. One small jet boil container gets me about 6-7 days of cooks + coffee/hot chocolate.

 

[PMcGee]

I know I never eat as much as I should up there, but I only take one for each day and that's either my lunch or dinner. Then snack stuff for the rest of the day, and I don't eat breakfast. Even hunting out of base camp I only eat one MH a day normally. And I'm 6'6" 210. I'll do this for 20-25 days every archery season and lose 15-20lbs every year.

This is what I do too. 18 mountain houses in 5 days seems like an awful lot. Last year I took some tuna packets, cheese and tortillas and made wraps. It was something different then the same old mountain houses.

 

[Elkfitness]

I think if I had 18 mountain house in one week, I'd either have the sh!ts for a week or not sh!it for a week. I'd do like others have said shave just one a day. I mix the MH with pb/bacon sandwiches, energy bars, granola with protein powder, energy gels, fruit strips, random energy heavy snacks, etc... Be sure to mix up the flavors as what tastes good on day one may not taste good in day 7.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

18 MH in 5 days would be some kind of record. You will get the worse case of Butt mud you could ever imagine. You will get so sick of it you will end up not eating it.

I toast Daves killer bread then pre-make and individually package 1 hearty PB & J Sandwich for each day that I eighter eat for breakfast or lunch. I premake little bags of flavored almonds and pack lots of granola and protein bars. When its cold out I bring individual string cheese packs. (Eat as a snack or add to the Mountain house.) I usually bring a couple cheap packs of ramen as well. Don't forget booze as well, I like Arrow brand super Schnapps, Its 100 proof, tastes good and is a nice reward after a kill or at the end of a long day.

I bring 1 mountain house for dinner each day
.
This shit is not rocket science man if you never been back packing before just try to estimate and you will likely be packing out a bunch of extra food at the end of the 1st hunt. First hunt of the year I usually take to much shit and by late season I usually have it pretty dialed.

The only reason I would go in early would be to pack in some tasty IPA.

 

[Ironmerganser]

I am no expert by any means...but my first couple times I packed WAY too much food. Now I am at MH a day, oatmeal or Pro Bar for breakfast, some small tortillas, almond butter and salami for lunch. I am like a couple others, I have to remind myself to eat........

 

[PMcGee]

18 MH in 5 days would be some kind of record. You will get the worse case of Butt mud you could ever imagine. You will get so sick of it you will end up not eating it.

No doubt.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I am no expert by any means...but my first couple times I packed WAY too much food. Now I am at MH a day, oatmeal or Pro Bar for breakfast, some small tortillas, almond butter and salami for lunch. I am like a couple others, I have to remind myself to eat........

Agreed on the packing out food the first few times.

I guess one could do Mountain House three times a day. Personally I prefer to just snack during the day and not screw with firing up the stove, unless it's late in the fall and cold and wet/snowy out. I

try to eat periodically throughout the day. Usually I have oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, a food break a couple of hours in, again around noon, again in afternoon (maybe 2x) and then dinner.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Is there a way to pin point a where the elk are in scouting then chose a spot for the spike camp and go in a week before and stash food?

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You certainly could. However, you should be reasonably certain the elk will still be there or in close vicinity. I don't really know why you would need to stash food though, unless you have heavy camp gear. My total pack for a 9 day hunt will run around 60 pounds, gear and food included.

 

[Kotaman]

i know i never eat as much as i should up there, but i only take one for each day and that's either my lunch or dinner. Then snack stuff for the rest of the day, and i don't eat breakfast. Even hunting out of base camp i only eat one mh a day normally. And i'm 6'6" 210. I'll do this for 20-25 days every archery season and lose 15-20lbs every year.

ditto

 

[Yellowknife]

I'd highly recommend a few camping trips before elk season. A few weekends in the woods, and most these things tend to work themselves out. Hunting season is still a long ways away....

 

[ozyclint]

food equals 1lb/day, including minimum packaging. satchel of porridge for breakfast, snack stuff for lunch, 1x freeze dry meal for dinner.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I'm thinking that would be an insane amount of daily sodium intake with 3 MH /day.


molon labe

 

[Poser]

I upped my food to 2lbs a day and performed MUCH, MUCH better. Heather's Choice meals are game changers, too. I'd have a hard time going back to MH after eating those. Lots of energy due to the fat content.

 

[beachbunny]

butt mud!
thats what I love about this forum,always learn something new!!!!!
seriously though.ever think of a dehydrator?
deeraroni, chicken stews,that's what I do.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I eat a lot when I am hunting and I hardly ever eat that crap any more. I don't mind carrying extra weight and bring a variety of snack foods and such. I have been making my own dehydrated meals and they are amazingly good. If I ate 3 MH a day I would want to go home early

 

[camping1601]

For me it's been
A hot breakfast like out meal, granola, and powdered milk, Ramin, or some kind of small freeze dried meal.
Through out the day it's a Nature Valley bar, two smll bagged snacks like chips, nuts, or pretzels two small Slimjims and a Ramin when base camping.
A MH or similar for dinner and a hot cider before bed. I usually add something extra to the cider.

The first 2 or 3 days I may not eat all my food but after that It's game on for my appetite.

It's a guarantee I will have at least one morning ruined by the MH style meals.

 

[Flydaho]

If you take 18 mountain house meals into the woods for a 6 day hunt, you will be packing 8 of those on your way out, probably more. Consider that you will be getting up before light and eating something quick and easy to get you out to your hunting ground as fast as possible. During the day you will be out hunting; snacking on bars/jerkey/snickers will be easier and provide a more steady calorie supply than eating one big MH meal at noon. Plus, if you eat a MH at noon you will need to take your jetboil and extra water with you during the day.

If you are worried about caloric intake then I would steer you away from Mountain House meals. Look on the label, they really don't have a whole lot of calories for their weight or volume (Only 230-290 calories per serving). There are a lot of alternatives that will pack way more calories per ounce than MH meals. The ultralight hiking crowd (think Pacific Crest Trail) have a lot of good discussions on high quality, high caloric, backpacking foods (http://sectionhiker.com/10-ultralight-backpacking-foods/). Go down the list and look at olive oil, 240 CALORIES PER OZ! That's the same amount of calories as one serving of MH! Take a small squirt bottle with you and put it on everything to boots your caloric intake and reduce the number of freeze-dried meals you need.

And most importantly, if you eat 18 mountain house meals in 6 days you better be prepared for WWIII on your guts!

 

[elkbowkevin]

Im with Flyidaho on this one. No way in heck Id attempt 18 mt house meals in 6 days. Id feel like a salted raisin by day 3. Entirely too much sodium in those meals for more than 1 a day for me.
This is why I call them Mt Deuce meals. Besides the gas,, whooo baby,,, I couldnt sleep in a tent after day 2,