Dried sausage and cheese, Vienna sausage and crackers. sardines and crackers or trail mix.

The new mre's are pretty damn good. I just got out of the army not too long ago and I have to say I enjoyed my share of mre's.

The vegetarian ones are the best by the way!

On the way out to the lease, I'll normally stop at McDonalds on a Friday night and grab a few extra double cheese burgers for the weekend in the stand. They probably aren't real meat and will keep for a few days. Better than an MRE IMO. If you want them warm, fire up the Mr. Buddy and set it on the grill front and let er toast a little.

You guys look like you're posting stuff from the Korean War or something. I'm talking about current stuff probably like Deft mentioned. I bought a new one and will come back here and do a review for you with pics and all.

Charlie

I have current MREs. They will do in a pinch. But the chemical heating wouldn't be something I would recommend in a blind.

I'm not much for eating in the blind unless it's an all day sit during the rut.

I can climb down the ladder of my tower blind and go straight into the house...hot meal in a few seconds in the microwave. Now that's an idea...microwave in the blind, refrigerator. I already have the TV and electric heat. Tough life. I had 54 dear at that blind last year on one afternoon. This hunting stuff has gotten tough.

Now that's a deer stand or boat meal. I like your style!!

I've kinda become fond of those little do-it-yourself tuna salad and chicken salad kits (crackers, can of chicken/tuna, relish, mayo and maybe mustard. Two of those, two bottles of water, two airplane bottle of Jack and I'm set for a night of hog hunting. If its really cold, I might throw in a thermos of hot chocolate.

Only think I take to the deer stand is jerky or dukes dried sausages and some water or maybe a Mountain Dew. A lot of times I never eat anything bc I don't want a potential buck to smell it

If the favored meal of choice is pounding down Pork and Beans and BBQ Vienna sausages, I'd say the deer aren't smelling anything.

Here's a Youtube video I found of the MRE I bought to try. Skip around and you'll get the point. You only use the slightest amount of water to start the "heater" and water to make the coffee. Everything else is made, no rehydration, just warmed up. I looked at two different videos and they both thought they tasted good.



Charlie

in Iraq you didn't need an MRE heater just set the meal in the gunner turret and it was hot in a couple minutes trust me it works.

It's all fun and games till that MRE hits your backside during a hunt. Sure, they'll stop you up for a while, but once the levy breaks...

The other problem with MREs is the smell. IME, every offering has a very strong aroma and that heater stinks to high heaven. To me, that's just too big of a risk in a deer stand.

my dad used to frequently go to the Army Surplus store on base at Fort Hood and buy all sorts of stuff (office furniture, shotgun shot, chairs, jeeps, C & K rations, etc.). He would buy dozens of cases of the C and K rations, WWII, Korean, Vietnam vintage (nothing had a date stamp back in those days). He could buy a case (12 or 24? pack card board box) for $1-2 a case depending on how many they had in surplus. Besides the food, each contained a small 4 pack of name brand cigarettes, a stick of gum, some cardboard tasting crackers, 4 pack of matches and a P-38 can opener. I think dad bought more for the cigarettes than the food. He kept these cases back in his shop and was easy to pick up a case when heading to the deer lease or camping. I think I have eaten just about every type available of those old kind. Most were not to bad.

I usually eat before or after going to the stand unless all day hunt, then dried sausage, summer sausage, jerky ...

Can of snuff and a few bottled waters. I don't camp out all day in my blind

I'm not sure that a deer would equate the smell of Vienna sausage or beanie wienies to danger. With that said, around 1 o'clock in the afternoon , Vienna's taste like steak to me. I can't sit all day and not eat. I do like to take fresh fruit to the stand with me sometimes. Pears and apples are refreshing and I then throw the core out the window just for a little added attractant.

My comment was around the likely post-consumption aroma and sound.

I'm big on the warm meal idea as towards the end of last season, I started sleeping in my blind, so when I go in, I'm usually there for 24+ hours. You can't hunt from the trailer. 5x7 box blind, hogs with NV when the sun's down and whatever during the day. Cot to sleep on, Ipad for movies or TV shows, driveway alarm on the feeder to wake me for visitors while I'm sleeping. It just doesn't get any better...

Charlie

Ya Charlie, they taste good to me as well. I served and have eaten way more than I'd like to brag about.If they were easier to get and less expensive, I would eat them as well. With everything that you get in them, I could have breakfast and lunch out of the same bag.But viennas and beanies are cheap,pack well and are easy to deal with. Season can't get here soon enough for me. I actually get excited when I have to start shopping for and packing my hunting backpack with the "Essentials" for a good hunt. One of the only times I enjoy shopping.

Deer don't eat Vienna Sausage or Beanie Wienies but they can associate that smell with those who do. Eat something before going to the stand and take water, we're not going to starve to death in 4-6 hours. We don't have to eat 3 meals a day, hell we don't have to eat everyday but we do have to eat. Water is a different story. Theres a reason the human body stores energy in the form of fat. To be consumed later!

Eating something hot in cold weather can help keep you on the stand. It's probably not as applicable in Texas, but here in MN the overnight lows are often in the teens during deer season, add in wind chill and it can get pretty tough to stay on the stand. I had one year where the overnight lows were below zero opening weekend.

Sausage and Jerky

Snickers bars, jerky, Gatorade, sometimes cliff bars, sandwiches, things that are easy are what I go for.

Some sausage sticks and coffee is it for us. Maybe some muffins for the kids. I eat at camp normally. I could go all day without eating in the stand if need be. No energy being burned just sitting there.