The prime hunting stretch of the calendar gets underway in absolutely no time, with plenty of bowhunters already preparing for the late-summer backcountry and the fall firearm seasons rapidly approaching. Sure, there’s the thrill of the chase, the much-needed escape from frenetic modern life into the wilds, and the pleasures of camaraderie with good friends and family. But, let’s face it: Part of the joy of hunting camp is the food!

And from that essential morning fuel you need for covering ground and pursuing game to the warm, hearty dinner at the end of a long, tough day, it goes without saying that your camp cuisine is critical to pulling off a rewarding hunting trip.

Easy-to-prepare meals tend to take center stage in the hunting larder, whether made in advance or whipped up with minimal time and effort required. The following suggestions for hunting meals highlight quick, low-hassle cooking—or no cooking at all!—and include options suitable for just about whatever your hunting camp looks like: from a cabin or RV site to boondocking setups and platform tents out in the backwoods.

The Benefits of Quick & Easy Hunting Meals

Don’t get us wrong: It can be a lot of fun to play around with more elaborate cooking projects in a rustic or even wilderness setting. But hunting camp usually doesn’t lend itself to that sort of thing, with crack-of-dawn wakeups and long, exhausting days in the field.

That’s why simple, quick meals that balance convenience, minimal cleanup, and plenty of flavor should form the backbone of your hunting-trip menu. You’ll want options that keep energy up and can be enjoyed both in the field and back at camp.

Another advantage of easy meals is how well they lend themselves to planning as a group. When camp members divvy up meals ahead of time, everyone shares the load, no one gets stuck cooking all the time, and each dish becomes part of a bigger, heartier spread that the whole crew can enjoy together.

So, dishes that can be made ahead of time (say, before the trip, or the evening or morning before your day’s hunt), are easily prepared over a campfire, or those that don’t require cooking are truly tailor-made for hunting season.

What Makes a Good Hunting Camp Meal?

Ease of preparation and quick and unfussy cleanup are important, but, as we alluded to above, you also need to make sure your camp cuisine adequately responds to the intense energetic demands that hunting entails. High-calorie, protein-rich, and nutrient-dense ingredients should be staples.

Storage capacity, of course, varies widely depending on the nature of your hunting trip and your camp situation, but generally speaking, you want meals that are easy to pack and store, with vacuum-sealed, ready-to-heat, or freeze-dried pouches all being great examples.

No-Cook & Make-Ahead Meals for Hunting Camp

No doubt about it: Some of the best hunting meals are those you either make ahead of time or that don’t really need any cooking whatsoever.

Crockpot Meals

A slow cooker can be a hunter’s best friend when it comes to making hearty, warming, flavor-packed dishes ahead of a hunting trip. If you have electricity at camp, you can even prep them the morning before you head into the field and simply warm them up at mealtime.

Classic crockpot meal ideas for hunting camp include: 

• Chili: A hearty, protein-packed meal that's easy to make in bulk and tastes even better when reheated. 
• Soups: Easy to make in large batches and reheat quickly for a warming, one-pot meal. Classics like chicken noodle, corn chowder, and taco soup are filling and comforting.
• Roast: Slow-cooked with potatoes and other veggies, a roast makes for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal that feels like a feast back at camp.
• Tacos: A versatile option that can be prepped with beef, chicken, or pork in the crockpot. Just pack your favorite fixings, including tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and salsa, for an easy hunting camp meal that everyone can customize.

Casseroles & Lasagna

Casseroles are a hunting camp classic because they can be made ahead, portioned easily, and reheated with minimal effort. Breakfast casseroles such as sausage, egg, and cheese bakes or hash brown casseroles give you a hearty start to the day. Dinner casseroles like chicken and rice or creamy tuna noodle provide comfort food that feeds a group with ease. 

When it comes to baked meals, lasagna is always a crowd favorite. Offering rich layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese, this meal feels like a campfire feast. For a simpler alternative, you can skip the prep and pack a Mountain House Beef Lasagna pouch, an easy and lightweight option that delivers all the same comfort without the work.

Freeze-Dried Hunting Meals

From the cabin kitchen to a remote backcountry saddle, freeze-dried foods deliver ready-to-eat convenience. They save time, conserve fuel, and eliminate cleanup. 

The freeze-drying process preserves nutrition and flavor to an awesome degree, and can produce a sky’s-the-limit variety of meals that can quickly be reconstituted with boiling water.

Here at Mountain House, we’ve been keeping hunters well-fed and happy for more than half a century, and our hunting-and-angling collection includes a blend of tried-and-true classics and innovative new dishes we regularly debut out of our busy—and creativity-fired—kitchens.

Mountain House freeze-dried hunting meals have you covered, from a perfect breakfast such as our Breakfast Skillet or Biscuits & Gravy to the magical makings of a midday or evening feast with our Beef Stroganoff, Cheesy Beef Enchilada Bowl, Pasta Primavera, and other lunch/dinner entrées.

Sandwiches & Wraps

When it comes to easy hunting meals for lunchtime, of course, it’s hard to top the simplicity, variety, and straight-shooting tastiness of sandwiches and wraps. For tomorrow’s lunch, just fill a wrap or sliced bagel with fixings—salami, ham, veggies, cheese, spreads such as hummus or mustard, etc.—or use a loaf of bread to load up a large sandwich that can then be sliced into individual-sized sammies for the whole camp.

Burritos are another great choice for any meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can premake them and then wrap in foil to be reheated via skillet, grill, or campfire coals.

Make-Ahead Meal Staples

Here are some other solid ideas for make-ahead hunting eats:

• DIY Jerky & Trail Mix: High-protein, non-perishable, and customizable, this is a great go-to for snacking throughout the day, including out in the elements.
• Instant Ramen With Protein: Bring beef jerky or venison to gussy up that ready-in-a-flash instant ramen.
• Overnight Oats: Soak rolled oats in a jar, add whatever toppings you’d like—dried fruit, honey, peanut butter, spices, etc.—and stick in the fridge or cooler overnight for a hassle-free, and energy-rich, breakfast.

Hunting Meal Ideas for the Campfire

The convenience of make-ahead or no-cook meals is indisputable, but for many hunters, campfire-cooking is part of the tradition as well. A lot of good conversations and happy memories—and a whole lot of mouthwatering aromas—tend to be generated when you’re whipping up something delicious over the fire. Here are some possibilities that still emphasize ease and efficiency!

Campfire Breakfasts

• Campfire Breakfast Skillet: Toss eggs, sausages, hash browns, peppers, onions, and spices together in a skillet: easy-peasy and delish. Just cook it over the fire until the potatoes are golden and the eggs are set.
• Campfire Pancakes: Flapjacks over the fire? Straight-up iconic! Mix your batter ahead of time or bring a dry mix, then pour it onto a hot griddle for fluffy pancakes in minutes.

Hearty Lunches & Dinners

• Campfire Venison Stew: Let that tender venison, root veggies, and hearty premade broth simmer over the flames while you kick back and savor the hunting-camp vibes.
• Grilled Elk Burgers: What could bring you better big-game mojo than grilling last hunt’s elk patties over the campfire coals?
• Taco Night Around the Campfire: Here’s another good use of a previous hunting bounty: Venison or elk make a great choice for the ground meat going into tortillas with veggies and cheese.

Packing & Storing Your Hunting Meals

Take the time to think through your strategy for packing provisions so that meals are well-organized and easily accessible—and stay fresh—during the trip. Planning with your fellow camp members ahead of time also helps balance the load, making sure no one overpacks and everyone brings something useful to the table.

• Storing meals in vacuum-sealed bags saves space and prolongs freshness.
• Keep snacks such as granola bars, protein bars, jerky, dried fruit, and trail mix in easy-to-reach pouches for on-the-go eating.
• Store make-ahead meals such as overnight oats or sandwiches in resealable bags.
• Keep any perishables in a cooler with ice packs (or, obviously, in the fridge or freezer, if you have access to one).
• Waterproof pouches protect freeze-dried meals from moisture.
• Small plastic bottles are great for storing olive oil, butter, homemade spice blends, and other cooking essentials.

Fuel Your Next Hunting Camp With Mountain House

Freeze-dried Mountain House meals, which are supremely packable, lightweight, and boast an incredible shelf life, are perfect choices for hunting camp, with a wide variety of different recipes that deliver big-time flavor and energy. 

Explore our full collection of hunting-and-angling fare and stock up for this year’s adventure!