Need some new hunting foods

[Ben Lamb]

Alright,

My wild living finally caught up to me & the doc says no more bourbon & sausage & cheese & bacon. I'll be fine without the liquor, but the processed meats, sausages, bacon & cheese is going to be tough to leave behind.

I'm thinking through options for hunting food that I can have that will be calorie-dense, low fat, high protein & still provide the necessary savory awesomeness that Ham, summer sausage, massive chunks of cheddar, chorizo breakfast burritos, etc bring every fall. Anybody else on a restricted diet? So far I'm looking:

1.) RX bars
2.) Trail Mix
3.) Smoked salmon/Tuna
4.) Mozzerela Cheese (Soft, white cheese in low quantities is ok)
5.) Hard boiled eggs

Camp dinners will be protein heavy, with enough roughage to fill it out, but I have to keep it low-carb & low-sugar. I'm less worried about those meals than the stuff I'm putting in my pack & walking around with.

It's hell getting old, but the alternative isn't any better, so here we go on the new diet. Nothing processed, no powders or supplements, etc.

 

[BigHornRam]

Find a new doctor.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Find a new doctor.

Took me 47 years to find one I like. Not gonna trade her in.

 

[Ben Lamb]

When I was a kid, back when stamps were a nickel, we used to always take a big can of beef stew for the first night even when backpacking. Might be too many carbs I don't know. Good stuff. Not light.

I did the same. Dinty Moore was the stew of choice. Now, it's out due to chemicals & sodium. I'm thinking about canning some soups to take with, so I can control what's in it better than pre-made stuff. I've done that before with Turkey-Noodle soup & it worked out well.

 

[onpoint]

Wow, dead man walking.

 

[Irrelevant]

Straight up fancy mixed nuts with some dates.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Wow, dead man walking.

Could be worse. I could be involved in either the weed of WY Wilderness threads.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV, but from my understanding, unless you are talking diabetes or some type digestion problem (shortage of bile, lactose intolerance, Chron's etc.) diet is more of a longer term issue - so taking a sausage holiday for 2 weeks during hunting season shouldn't be a problem if you are good the other 50.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Man, no chemicals or sodium................... Jerky, as in dried meat, the way my dad used to make it.

Doctor's orders were: "If you can kill it, pick it or grow it, you can eat it."

Jerky is on the agenda if I harvest this year. We got a foodsaver at a steep discount, so I'll be able to freeze some it. I suppose I could sacrifice the last of my pronghorn from last year & make some. Still have about a 1/4 & some shanks left. Think I'll do that this weekend.

 

[onpoint]

Let us know how dealing with fellow/adversary lobbioids, legislators, the endearing public, MFWP bureaucrats, internet intellectuals, etc.. etc., works out without alcohol. I got out of the game. Best life ever.....

 

[Irrelevant]

How To Make Pemmican: A Super Long Shelf Life Protein

Learn how to make pemmican with this step-by-step guide. Plus, find out how long our pemmican recipe lasts and how it tastes.

www.skilledsurvival.com

I haven't tried it but if you do report back.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV, but from my understanding, unless you are talking diabetes or some type digestion problem (shortage of bile, lactose intolerance, Chron's etc.) diet is more of a longer term issue - so taking a sausage holiday for 2 weeks during hunting season shouldn't be a problem if you are good the other 50.

Yep. Not diabetic or digestive - just too much hard living. The lifestyle has to change. Therefore cold turkey on the processed meats needs to happen in order to get over the hump. Meeting with a nutritionist this week to get it all sorted out.

 

[VikingsGuy]

For backpack hunting lunch I have gone almost exclusively to Salted Nut Rolls. Cheap, super simple, lightweight and plenty of calories and protein for mid-day. Not exactly a health food, but other than salt, not that bad in the big picture when you compare to a sausage/cheese/bread/mayo sandwich.

 

[Tiredofthebickering]

What about something like smoked salmon? Maybe keep the brine on the light side of things.

 

[Ben Lamb]

What about something like smoked salmon? Maybe keep the brine on the light side of things.

Yep. Smoked fish is ok. It's pricy but worth it.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Took me 47 years to find one I like. Not gonna trade her in.

I married mine... we had the red meat talk about a month ago.

As for lunch meats, I make my own, if you do it that way you can dramatically cut down on the salt. I make a big roast, slice it thin then portion it out and freeze it.

I think your initial list of snacks is a pretty good one though.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I married mine... we had the red meat talk about a month ago.

As for lunch meats, I make my own, if you do it that way you can dramatically cut down on the salt. I make a big roast, slice it thin then portion it out and freeze it.

I think your initial list of snacks is a pretty good one though.

I'm ok with limited amounts of red meat. Not a 16 ounce porterhouse, but a 6 ounce sirloin will be on the menu. Low saturated fat is the biggest key. Portion size is tough, so I need to pack in a lot of flavor & calories in small packages.

I'm toying around with making my own lunch meats. The nitrates & sodium are crap, but the meat itself from large packers is problematic, so going local is going to have to be an option too.

 

[Khunter]

not for backpacking but look at the thread where folks made quality food and froze in foodsaver bags and then take to camp frozen. For 10 day truck camp hunts I do that all the time and know EXACTLY what is in my food and can ensure it is healthy delicious, filling, and gives the energy I need.

You can do healthier burritos. Not sure I could hunt without my burritos.

You can make something akin to fajita meat and hold the sodium and double the spice perhaps and have soft tacos for lunch while hunting. Way healthier than processed meat product.

Every year use various wild game, elk/deer/mulie/whitetail/pronghorn/moose this year, to make up a BIG pile of breakfast burritos, red chil, green chili, stroganoff, meaty veggie stew, and some other pasta with lots of meat. Do thisa in very large quantity and each hunt and grab a selection and toss in 25 quart yeti and pull out a couple each day to heat up.

 

[HSi-ESi]

I've made lox out of Costco salmon a few times. It's my favorite way to eat salmon - and you get a little butchery fun in if you buy whole. Plus you can use trimmings to make stock. Probably not something for out hunting - but it would keep in a cooler at base camp.

Late in the year, but I love the CSA options here in Missoula. Great variety of fresh veggies for the summer months.

Good luck. I would be carefully considering a home distillery - although that is most likely outside of the bounds of the diet - but you could control all of the inputs

If you are running low on raw meat, PM me. I could get you some for extra jerky or home meals.

 

[Bambistew]

Yep. Smoked fish is ok. It's pricy but worth it.

depends... let me know if want a recipe, the one I make has very little salt in it. Easy to make, works with trout as well.

Jerky is the way to go, lots of ways to make it. Also look up Biltong. Easy to make and very tasty.