I am hunting Kansas in 3 weeks.

The weather is projected by accuweather to be between 50-20.

I plan to stay in the deer stand most of the day.

My question is what do you take for food. Last time I spent a whole day in the cold in Nebraska I was cold and hungry.

Any have any tips for food drinks to take. I need to go buy Stanley/yeti thermos ect. Being from Florida most of my stuff is focused on making sure my eating and drinks stuff stays cool not hot.

I did buy a cool hand warmer with a clear plastic Cover that lets you use a phone and keep your hands warm.

I will be taking a phone, iPad and battery pack.

Thanks,

Mike

those things that keep stuff cold also work the other way around.

Days that I get to spend the entire day on a stand I usually just take two peanut butter sandwiches and a 20oz drink. Eat one about 10 and the other about 2. I do like to have some sort of trail mix too. Places I like to hunt are usually at least a 45 minute hike so I travel lite. Then again I thought you was talking about cold weather; 50-20 isn't really cold. Just kidding all depends on what you are used too!

God Bless, Louis

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
those things that keep stuff cold also work the other way around.

But my stuff is more like 48 ounce drink containers - the refillable ones that we were able to use before covid.

Mike

How long you can sit is a matter of comport. That's food. drink, clothing and the comfort of your chair. Warmth in cold temperatures means hands, feet, HEAD, body, arms and legs. Leak heat in any of those places and you have to replace it which means high calorie food and/or drink. High fat and low protein food is better because it requires less water. Protein has to go out through the kidneys Which is also a significant heat loss. Retaining heat is important. There are fur lined bomber hats that are decently insulated. They make it easier to meet the calories in requirement Something like peanut butter and honey sandwiches can provide the calories at low protein levels(relatively). A thermos full of hot chocolate can provide additional calories and energy (sugar). You can spend a lot of hours in much lower temps than 20 degrees and be comfortable if you use all the tools available. It gets much colder here in December. Over dress and over eat.

I've been taking the same foods for years now.
- water from a backpack bladder
- beef jerky
- trail mix
- Snickers candy bars.

Then, pig out at dinner in camp, in town, or wherever.

In my pack elk hunting I usually have
a big stick of pepperoni, or summer
sausage and couple rolls of RITZ
crackers.

You wouldn't need it, but, a Esbit stove
and can or two of chicken noodle soup
sure warms a person up when out in the
real Cold.

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
In my pack elk hunting I usually have
a big stick of pepperoni, or summer
sausage and couple rolls of RITZ
crackers.

You wouldn't need it, but, a Esbit stove
and can or two of chicken noodle soup
sure warms a person up when out in the
real Cold.

George

Hot soup is what in leaning todays. Make it in the motel microwave and put it in a thermos.

I would start a fire with a stove in a deer stand

Mike

Also take a pee bottle.

I pee out the door. Doesn’t seem
to matter, and a pee bottle is one less thing you will have to carry in and out, or God Forbid, spill. I take three sandwiches, apples, and plenty of water. To me, bananas, peanut butter, and coffee smell too much, as much as I like them. Anything with refined sugar will pick me up and put me down. That is, short term energy followed by a crash that makes it hard to stay awake if hunting is slow. Look up “Hot Hands” products. I use their handwarmers, keep them right in the palm of my gloves. For feet, I use the foot warmers and double up with the toe warmers. Open the foot ones and expose them air for 10-15 minutes before applying them to your socks and putting on boots. Buy a lot of them, we may need them if green new deal becomes reality

I bought a 4 - 9000 btu Mr. Heater for my box blind in TX. Start it, warm it up and give it plenty of ventilation so as not to gas yourself. Not that expensive.

Before you put your coffee or soup in the thermos, fill the thermos with hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes or so, then pour out the water and pour in your coffee or soup. This will preheat your thermos and keep the contents hot longer. Good luck on your hunt.

My son bought me a large stainless thermos cup with lid. I can fill it with hot coffee at 6 am and at 1 pm it's still steaming hot. Just need to be sure it's a very good quality cup.

50 shouldn't be too bad for an all day sitting I usually carry in a thermos full of tea. I always like a venison salami sandwich for lunch, helps keep perspective of why I'm out there.

quote:

50 shouldn't be too bad for an all day sitting I usually carry in a thermos full of tea. I always like a venison salami sandwich for lunch, helps keep perspective of why I'm out there.

50's would be down right warm in our part of county during deer gun season.

quote:

Originally posted by groundtender:
I pee out the door. Doesn’t seem
to matter, and a pee bottle is one less thing you will have to carry in and out, or God Forbid, spill. I take three sandwiches, apples, and plenty of water. To me, bananas, peanut butter, and coffee smell too much, as much as I like them. Anything with refined sugar will pick me up and put me down. That is, short term energy followed by a crash that makes it hard to stay awake if hunting is slow. Look up “Hot Hands” products. I use their handwarmers, keep them right in the palm of my gloves. For feet, I use the foot warmers and double up with the toe warmers. Open the foot ones and expose them air for 10-15 minutes before applying them to your socks and putting on boots. Buy a lot of them, we may need them if green new deal becomes reality

I pee in all the scrapes I find. I pee from the stand. I have had deer walk right underneath me through the place I just peed only minutes later and never pay any mind whatsoever. Bucks will come through a scrape line and pee in every scrape whether it's one they made or not. I have had cameras on scrapes I peed in and had half a dozen different bucks stop and peed in it after.

Mike,

I think most importantly don't put on your heaviest clothing until you are in the stand and starting to cool off. Walking to the stand and getting sweaty in your heavy gear is guaranteed to make you feel cold later on.

Mark

When I hunt in cold weather I carry: Dozen Slim Jim’s, 6 Snickers Bars, 3 Nature Valley granola bars . For drinks I carry 4 Capri Suns juice pouches. If it’s REAL cold, I’ll put the Capri Suns inside my insulated hunting coat to keep them from freezing.

Big thermos of chicken soup.


2-4 cliff bars/snickers/Reese’s cups.

2 big thick double decker PB&J sandwich’s which are probably 1500+ calories each.

Ham and cheese sandwich.

Sometimes I will toss in an MRE main meal and MRE heater.

Sometimes some MRE snacks like the cookies or brownies.

Several water bottles of course.



One thing I really love when I come in from a cold day in the field is a mug of hot stew. Even if I have to nuke some Dinty
Moore it really seems to warm and revive me.

If am in an enclosed stand or on the ground watching at a distance I bring an MRE. They come with a heater (just add water) and have 2000 calories. if I am going several miles on foot I will bring 3 in case I have trouble. They are easy to pack, sealed very well, and most of them are pretty tasty. I lived on MREs for years and always thought of them as fine field dining. Water to drink just because there is no better liquid to keep you functioning and sharp. The MRE will also have instant coffee, maybe cocoa, and some kind of energy drink/cool-aid powder. I leave for a western South Dakota deer hunt Friday and have 2 cases of MREs in the truck.

Trail mix and water. Mre just in case. I never sit for long. Daylight sundown and along the way as desired. I’m a wanderer. Where are you hunting in ks?

https://www.thewarmingstore.co...U-ImFWBoCE5YQAvD_BwE

For cold weather stand hunting. Jim Shockey approved!


For all day on the stand chow, MRE's are hard to beat.

Well the forecast here is going to give you a chance to test your clothes and food against mornings in the 20’s with moisture and wind. The Kansas wind brings a game. I pity those in tree stands that are not covered. Good luck and happy hunting.

I am going out with the muzzleloader this morning.

Temp right now is a balmy 10f.

This going to be a still/two person leap frog hunt.

Hand and foot warmers, water bottle hunt for a few hours. Might take a energy bar.

Otherwise a bacon eggs breakfast will have to hold me over.

This is what I do when it is cold. Cold to me is high of 20 throughout the day.
Buy you a big thermos. Fill with boiling water the night before. That morning dump out water and fill with a boiling soup of some sort. Take some crackers with. I also take another thermos that I take that is filled with boiling water to make hot tea with throughout the day.

Something warm to eat or drink will make your day. Most important thing that I have found in cold weather is tosty toes. They have made cold weather much more enjoyable.

quote:

Originally posted by Biggs300:
I've been taking the same foods for years now.
- water from a backpack bladder
- beef jerky
- trail mix
- Snickers candy bars.

Then, pig out at dinner in camp, in town, or wherever.

Exactly this.

If you're hunting from a blind, buy a buddy heater and plan 2.5 canisters per day.

If you're hunting from a open stand, bring duck hunting gear such as a heavy parker, insulated over pants, insulated over boots and a hand muff.

As per food, I like to pack some kind of granola or power bars, summer sausage, crackers, cheese, a sammich, 2 bottles of water or 1 large nalgene, and a stanley thermos of coffee.

if you're in a tree stand you'll want a day pack that has a strap at or near the top to anchor it and a top panel load system thats easy to get in to without accidentally dumping your contents.

If you're driving there, PM me and stop by. I'd be happy to loan you whatever gear you you might need for your hunt.

Some parts of KS get some wild temperature swings this time of year and the wind can get pretty vicious too.

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by TREE 'EM:
If you're hunting from a blind, buy a buddy heater and plan 2.5 canisters per day.

If you're hunting from a open stand, bring duck hunting gear such as a heavy parker, insulated over pants, insulated over boots and a hand muff.

As per food, I like to pack some kind of granola or power bars, summer sausage, crackers, cheese, a sammich, 2 bottles of water or 1 large nalgene, and a stanley thermos of coffee.

if you're in a tree stand you'll want a day pack that has a strap at or near the top to anchor it and a top panel load system thats easy to get in to without accidentally dumping your contents.

If you're driving there, PM me and stop by. I'd be happy to loan you whatever gear you you might need for your hunt.

Some parts of KS get some wild temperature swings this time of year and the wind can get pretty vicious too.

Good luck!

Thanks for the offer.

It was relatively warm when I hunted.

I like the buddy heater and bought a small one at tractor supply.

Nice to warm up the stand and keep the feet warm.

What I figured out was I need to wear heavier base on legs than on chest. It’s easier layering the chest/upper body than legs.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
https://www.thewarmingstore.co...U-ImFWBoCE5YQAvD_BwE

For cold weather stand hunting. Jim Shockey approved!


For all day on the stand chow, MRE's are hard to beat.

OK, those pictures made me laugh. Fat boy stuffed into his snuggly bag but wearing a ball cap? Seriously?

I have stalking clothes and stand clothes.

My stand clothes are very similar one is a Browning or Cabelas wool fleece camo bib, and I have a huge overly padded orange fleece and heavily insulated jacket to go with it. I have another set of green bibs that are very similar to the first that I bought in Germany.

I wear a orange Stormy Kromer hat in the stand, as it is wool and heavily insulated. But if you like watch caps then do that.

I find if I wear a warm hat, I don't need the same level of weather protection in boots.

But that is not what you asked about.

I try to limit the amount of fluid and food I bring to the stand. That way I don't over stuff myself and have to poop and I don't have to urinate every hour.

I usually keep a gallon or half gallon of water with me, but I leave it in the day pack so I am not bothered by it.

Cold iced tea or hot tea is what I drink all day long, so I am going to drink the same thing in the stand.

For food I think some dried sausages and cheese sticks work well. As they are filling and keep you from filling up on carbohydrates and having to use the bathroom.

For cold weather hunting, I carry a thermos of hot water and packets of cup of soup or a canteen stove and water or melted snow and cup of soup packets. I carry some tea bags and sugar, too. I also carry a pair of sandwiches made of pancakes with peanut butter and bacon (northern guide approved, by George Herter) and a couple slices of fruit cake. That is for seriously cold weather. I find the making of tea and soup helps warm me up. For milder cold like the original poster referenced, a thermos of hot tea or coffee and a sandwich or two and some Christmas cookies. Toasted cheese sandwich over a little fire can really perk up a cold damp day in the woods. A good attitude and still hunting is a great warm up from sitting in a tree stand.
Bfly

You've been given some good advise. Especially preheating thermos and buy a bunch of the hot hands and toe warmers. Get the larger hot hands they produce more heat and last all day. A sandwich is good but snacks are where its at because you get bored. I've spent many days in the stand late season in Alberta. Stay warm,hot beverage,and snacks,and some good binoculars. Good luck

Great advice from all. I refuse to be miserable if it not necessary. I have a small propane heater and always carry some snacks, Werther’s butterscotch candy, water, a big thermos of hot water and “la yerba” Mate.

Stay warm, safe hunting and Happy Christmas!

From my earliest days of hunting with my Dad, I have been a wanderer. Still hunting describes the technique but for me, I follow my feet. With that in mind, there is nothing better than a little “toe” fire and lunch to renew and warm the body and soul. I can still see the little toe fire my dad first built for me on my mind.
If I were sitting in a blind, a buddy heater to replace the heat source and to refresh the memory would be on my list.
Our New Year’s Day hunt this year with a high of 35, hunting with my son will very likely include a toe fire at lunch. I have passed it on.
Best to you all.
Dmw

https://www.frankonia.de/ansitzsack/shop.html

Here is the German version of a stand sack to keep your sack warm.

When I was a kid deer hunting, we would take a coffee can (steel back then) and push a roll of toilet paper in it and pour a cup or more of alcohol in it and cover it. Once on the stand we would place it on the floor between our feet and light it. You had to be careful not to knock it over plus the alcohol burned with a clear flame. It did keep you warm though. Don’t think I would try that now!

I hunt in Western NY and NW Pa. often the weather can be severe and very cold I have found that as time goes on I only enjoy the hunt from a stand as long as I can stay warm and comfortable. For me, after some 50 plus years of this type of hunting I find that using a folding chair is most comfortable. For warmth, I wear pack boots that are sub zero rated as there is little walking and if still hunting sometimes lighter boots. A double knot hat, long johns, layered clothing with gortex outerwear, a neck gaiter and light gloves and a hand muff. I bring food, thermos of hot coffee., candy and a bunch of disposable hand warmers are placed in the hand muff and later in the boots, inner layers and between the hats if needed. I generally place my chair and shooting sticks at my place of stand days before the hunt so I can carry less out. This setup has given me most comfort and success over the years and afforded me the option of less movement as I am comfortable even often to the point of dozing off on occasion. Layered clothing is important so you can add or delete items according to your activity, temperature and other factors. Hope this helps. Food is generally sandwiches, jerky, cookies, candy, cheese, nuts etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
https://www.thewarmingstore.co...U-ImFWBoCE5YQAvD_BwE

For cold weather stand hunting. Jim Shockey approved!


For all day on the stand chow, MRE's are hard to beat.

OK, those pictures made me laugh. Fat boy stuffed into his snuggly bag but wearing a ball cap? Seriously?

Yes. Seriously.

It's not a fat suit, it just looks that way. The idea is to carry it to the stand, then get into it so as to not work up a sweat on the way in, but keep you warm on stand when you aren't doing any activity to keep body heat up. I do believe it has a hood so a ball cap would be fine.

When game arrives, you slip out of the top portion enough to shoulder a rifle or bow. They really are the cat's ass for staying warm on stand.

Here is a review on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQAyWBnPTp0

I wouldn’t worry so much about food, as BWW pointed out, you may need to have a “sit down.” There is not a lot of fun in that situation if you’re all bundled up and then have to drop trou. It also will affect your hunt more than a whiz. Trust me, I know...

Protein bars, shakes might help. Jerky.