Field lunches, camp meals, trip dinners

J

jackrabbit

Active member
Thinking about some upcoming day trips in Minnesota and extended weekend trips to South Dakota, and thought I'm not sure if I've seen this topic covered on here. What do you guys like to bring along for meals?

I usually just pack a couple sandwiches and some snacks ahead of time and eat them while driving from one spot to the next. At the very least I grab a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and some bananas. I think I might bring my small portable gas grill for a long day trip next week and grill up some warm burgers or brats quick while sitting in a public land parking lot.

I take two trips to SD each year with two different groups, each is vastly different. One trip I am the youngest (27) and poorest (daycare is expensive...) and everybody else (Dad's friends, ages 50-65) want to eat out every meal. I am a bit of a health nut and penny pincher so I don't really enjoy eating out at all, especially 2-3 times a day for 4-5 days. This group stays in a cheap motel, and I'd like to pitch the idea to them of just planning ahead of time a bit and we can enjoy a lot of meals on our own with the grill at the hotel parking lot and hunting parking lots.

The other trip is all college friends. We rent an old farmhouse that is literally 15 miles from anywhere, and on the land that we get to hunt. Very convenient. We plan ahead of time with a list and each person brings a few things off it, and it pretty much all evens out financially. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast in the mornings. Lunch meat sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit in the afternoon back at the house. A few crockpot meals at night, usually a chili of some kind. If all goes well a fresh fried pheasant meal another night.

What are some traditions or meals that your groups enjoy?
 
jackrabbit said:
Thinking about some upcoming day trips in Minnesota and extended weekend trips to South Dakota, and thought I'm not sure if I've seen this topic covered on here. What do you guys like to bring along for meals?

I usually just pack a couple sandwiches and some snacks ahead of time and eat them while driving from one spot to the next. At the very least I grab a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and some bananas. I think I might bring my small portable gas grill for a long day trip next week and grill up some warm burgers or brats quick while sitting in a public land parking lot.

I take two trips to SD each year with two different groups, each is vastly different. One trip I am the youngest (27) and poorest (daycare is expensive...) and everybody else (Dad's friends, ages 50-65) want to eat out every meal. I am a bit of a health nut and penny pincher so I don't really enjoy eating out at all, especially 2-3 times a day for 4-5 days. This group stays in a cheap motel, and I'd like to pitch the idea to them of just planning ahead of time a bit and we can enjoy a lot of meals on our own with the grill at the hotel parking lot and hunting parking lots.

The other trip is all college friends. We rent an old farmhouse that is literally 15 miles from anywhere, and on the land that we get to hunt. Very convenient. We plan ahead of time with a list and each person brings a few things off it, and it pretty much all evens out financially. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast in the mornings. Lunch meat sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit in the afternoon back at the house. A few crockpot meals at night, usually a chili of some kind. If all goes well a fresh fried pheasant meal another night.

What are some traditions or meals that your groups enjoy?
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I can't recall this subject being discussed - good idea.

Years ago we had a group from my church that hunted together, group long since abandoned. We rented a farmhouse as you described, bought our own food, attempted cooking, including "mystery stew" and other assorted foods. Saturday in town for burgers and beer. We could eat lunch at the house, hence no need for pre-made sandwiches.

Now we are miles away and I pack sandwiches for 4-5 day's and bring them to SD. Wrap in foil, poly bags and frozen water bottle to keep things cool. Some elect to buy a Subway each day and others go without.

We stay at a Super 8 motel and they serve a breakfast...sort of. I usually pack hard-boiled eggs and pre-cooked sausage and micro when needed. Saves a $10 breakfast fee.

The expensive part of the trip is the evening meal - $15-20 per, depending on how much beer et al you consume or steaks one orders.

That's about it. These trips can get very expensive; license, gasoline, food in and out, motel, shells, trespass fees and some wear on one's vehicle.
 
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Depending on where we are , we almost never eat a traditional breakfast. Have a pop tart or granola bar and hit the road. If staying in town somewhere we may hit a gas station and get something. Usually always pack sandwich stuff and summer sausage for the day. At night if we are renting a house we will cook , otherwise find a cafe . The food side of it will definitely cost you hunting time and money.
 
For evening meals when living sort of primitive I usually bring stuff that's easy to throw together and cook, or make at home and just reheat. Last month I did an elk hunt in CO and 2 guys camped next to us, we were all tent camping at the truck. They fed me one night and I found my new go-to base camp meal, it beats what I've been doing: home-made burritos. Pre-made at home, and just reheat in a cast iron skillet over a flame, turning the thing over a few times to heat it up. The skillet does not even get dirty, it's filling and tastes great. He verbally gave me the recipe, I wrote it up like this:

Great base camp dinner meal, heat them in a cast iron skillet, turning several times. The skillet does not even get dirty.
Large tortillas
Green chilies
Shredded cheddar cheese
Eggs, scrambled
Potato chunks, pre-cooked (boiled)
Ham, or other meat
Salt and pepper to taste
Picante sauce, on the side
Cut potatoes into small chunks and boil them. Scramble the eggs. Onto a large tortilla place potatoes, green chilies, cheese, scrambled eggs, and ham. Roll the burrito up. My base camp skillet can fit a burrito that is 6.5” long.
 
Well, Jack, I usually cook some rabbit for dinner. Okay, poor humor!

I spend opening weekend out there, and a few more. I pull my travel trailer out there, and normally have a couple other mouths to feed. Lunches are normally meat, cheese, crackers (don't forget the mustard!), grapes. I also bring my pheasant sticks (like beef sticks, only with pheasant) and pheasant jerky.

Breakfasts are on my camp stove. Biscuits and gravy, or pancakes (I mix the dry into a plastic bag, and wet into another plastic bag at home [double-bag the liquids])(and heat the syrup), or potatoes-bacon-onion and fried eggs. I once did eggs Benedict, as a smart-aleck buddy said that's what he would like. He was blown away when I served breakfast that morning!

Dinners are hamburgers on the grill, or apricot pheasant on the grill, or shrimp gumbo with cornbread (don't forget the honey), or curry chicken (can be done in a crock pot, a kettle, or a Can Cooker). I come up with something new each year, but I usually have different people with me each time, so I can repeat a menu each season. I have a Can Cooker, which was given to me as a gift (by a hunting buddy). I use it at home, too, as it does a good job on many meals. They have recipes on the site, so you can get ideas for non-CanCooker meals, also.

Cooking it at camp is much cheaper than going out, that's for sure! And, it's really not that hard for me to do the cooking, as I have been camping all my life, and cooking on fires, grills, and stoves of one type or another. If staying at a hotel, though, cleanup would be the biggest problem. Pancakes don't make a mess, if you pre-mix into gallon bags. An electric skillet would work. Dinners, you could get the boiling-bags, and heat something you made at home, as someone mentioned above. Either of these methods will have no cooking cleanup. And, if you use paper plates, your dishes are done when they hit the trash can.

Enjoy!
 
I just bought a portable butane burner for my upcoming trip to MT. I dont eat a lot while out west. No big meals for me. Last few years Ive slept in the back of my truck to stay mobile and not tied down to a reservation somewhere. I usually pack a cooler with cheese and sausage and a loaf of bread with pb n j maybe. I hate having to drop a massive steamer in the middle of nowhere. Stay away from ruffage. Luncheon meats are great too. This year I will take frozen chili and probably dinty moore type stuff in a can to heat up. Im a simpleton
 
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Our son lives in Gettysburg so we either stop back at his place (his wife make a heck of a hot lunch) or stop for lunch at the many small cafes in which ever town we are nearby. All the café owners know my son so that makes the rest stop so much better. For dinner we come to his place for a wonderful dinner.

Where we live in No.MN when we are duck hunting we bring the Colman stove in the boat (16') and cook a heck of a breakfast after the early morning shoot is over. We are talking bacon, eggs and fried duck breasts.

When Partridge (Grouse) hunting we pull out the Coleman again and cook a nice breakfast. At our place it is wonderful to settle in next to the stove (pole barn) and have a nice bourbon after dogs, guns and game are taking care of. Whether the hunting was poor or great it all blends in to, did you enjoy the hunting and good friends and family?

Headed back out to SD for a long Thanksgiving weekend. I am very fortunate to have a son that is in contact with a lot of farmers and ranchers with his work. He has made a lot of good friends where he has access to hunt their land.

I am looking forward to participating in the December local Rooster Round Up that is held by a local group of landowners again. Lots of fun, cocktail hour later and a huge potluck.
 
Opening weekend the local EMS puts on a fundraiser lunch which we patronize - all homemade stuff. On Saturdays there's a little store that offers a hot lunch or sandwiches. I like some midday leg rest that comes with going somewhere for lunch.
 
On my first trip to South Dakota my brother and I made a tri tip (a California cut of beef), rice pilaf, and caramelized carrots for the group. The rancher who's place we were hunting was a beef producer and said he was going to ask his butcher for a tri tip from his next animal.
 
I picked up a dozen homemade tamales one time. Heated up before I left and wrapped up in foil. I threw them on the dash when we got there. The sun through the windshield kept them just warm enough. Man those were good.
 
Growing up opening weekend was always a production at the farm. Opening morning found dad making bacon, sausage, eggs, country potatoes (you could count on that breakfast menu for sure). Noon was always shredded beef sandwiches and assorted sides. And then it was always chili for dinner after the first days hunt. Second day we always had a Mexican food feast, tacos, enchiladas, rice, beans, green chili, churos.

Now that the farm is gone, dad is gone, and the hunts are now just me, its whatever I find in the pantry, some coffee and maybe a sandwich in the field. I need to find a group to hunt with to make those days afield the food event they used to be.
 
Schemy said:
Growing up opening weekend was always a production at the farm. Opening morning found dad making bacon, sausage, eggs, country potatoes (you could count on that breakfast menu for sure). Noon was always shredded beef sandwiches and assorted sides. And then it was always chili for dinner after the first days hunt. Second day we always had a Mexican food feast, tacos, enchiladas, rice, beans, green chili, churos.

Now that the farm is gone, dad is gone, and the hunts are now just me, its whatever I find in the pantry, some coffee and maybe a sandwich in the field. I need to find a group to hunt with to make those days afield the food event they used to be.
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I remember my Grandmother putting a whole spread for an afternoon meal including white tablecloths, crystal glass' and her best silver. One time really strikes home I had shoved my hands in my front pockets and pulled out a few feathers at the table. Grandma thought it was just fine.

I miss her and her cooking. She always had fresh donuts right out the fry pan for me and she told me to fill my pockets with them when we went out.

Good home cooking and bird hunting go hand in hand.
 
I make a traditional breakfast and the carry cheese and sausage for lunch with some dry baguettes if I can find them. Dinner is basically what's ever I want to make. Casseroles, crock pot dinners, spaghetti, or something on the grill.
 
Couple years ago my brother and I were deer hunting here in Indiana. We were on a "Draw hunt" and I wasn't fond of the area we were drawn for so after hunting till about 10am, I wondered out to the truck and began grilling some Brats on the tailgate. The smoke from the Brats flaming up on the grill (I'm laughing out loud typing this) was riding nicely on a 5 mph breeze into the timber where about 6-7 other hunters were in their trees. within 20 minutes or so, hunters one-by-one were following the aroma out to the road and gathered around my tailgate. It was classic! Made me think of the old commercial " MIKES COOKING JOHNSONVILLE BRAAAAAATS!"
True story. Nobody was hunting that area because they were all out there eating with me.
 
We used to hit a taco truck near the Grand Coulee damn, “Street Tacos” after a bird hunt were awesome. I’ve yet to see a “authentic” street taco vender in the Dakotas or MT near our bird hunting adventures. We (my dog and I) now hit Taco Johns, there is nothing authentic about it but it sure is good. Potato’s ole, get out of town.
 
Schemy said:
Growing up opening weekend was always a production at the farm. Opening morning found dad making bacon, sausage, eggs, country potatoes (you could count on that breakfast menu for sure). Noon was always shredded beef sandwiches and assorted sides. And then it was always chili for dinner after the first days hunt. Second day we always had a Mexican food feast, tacos, enchiladas, rice, beans, green chili, churos.

Now that the farm is gone, dad is gone, and the hunts are now just me, its whatever I find in the pantry, some coffee and maybe a sandwich in the field. I need to find a group to hunt with to make those days afield the food event they used to be.
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Hi Schemy
Funny about life we grow up and then we look back and long for the old days when life was simple and real.Your story reminds me of the movie
The river runs through it.
 
PTM said:
We used to hit a taco truck near the Grand Coulee damn, “Street Tacos” after a bird hunt were awesome. I’ve yet to see a “authentic” street taco vender in the Dakotas or MT near our bird hunting adventures. We (my dog and I) now hit Taco Johns, there is nothing authentic about it but it sure is good. Potato’s ole, get out of town.
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This just screams taking a VW size steamer 2 miles from the truck!! Noooo thx!!
 
We always make a crockpot of chili before we leave and then fill a thermos each morning. Makes for a nice lunch to fill and warm you up!
 
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