The Best Treestand Snacks

Every hunter should plan accordingly when they go out for an all-day hunt. It’s essential to bring emergency safety supplies, a first aid kit, flashlights, and a compass, as well as food and drinks to keep you properly hydrated and fueled. But what kind of snacks are appropriate for a treestand? There are a few things you need to think about, so we’ve got some tips on how you can choose your hunting day snacks to fuel your body without fueling the deer herd’s senses.

Avoid Loud Crunches

When you’re in a treestand, you’re out in the elements where the deer can see, hear, and smell you. So, you need to be mindful of the sounds you make from your stand. Avoid snacks with a really loud crunch. You don’t want to be chomping down on a carrot stick when a deer is within range. The crunching snap of a carrot could sound like the snap of a twig to them and put them on high alert. Try to choose non-crunchy foods. Jerky, sausage and other meats are a great choice because they’re full of protein, so they’ll be filling, and they don’t need refrigerated. Neither do apples, grapes, berries, or other fruits. Deer eat fruit naturally, so even if they smell your fruit, they’ll be drawn to it rather than repelled by it. Think of it as two birds with one stone! You get a snack and you get a deer call.

Avoid Strong Smells

A deer’s sense of smell is at least 1,000 times stronger than a human’s. The part of their brains that processes scent is larger than ours and they have over 800 times as many olfactory receptors in their nose as we do. On top of that, deer have an organ on the roof of their mouth called the Jacobson’s organ that allows them to sort out smells through their mouth. When you see a deer lift their head in the air and open their mouth in what looks like panting, they’re likely testing the air and analyzing what they’re smelling. Try to keep the smells coming from your food to a minimum. Something like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is perfect because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and it has a very mild smell.

Avoid Loud Packaging

You’ll want to make sure you can remove your snack from its packaging as quietly as possible. Don’t choose anything that would require a loud ripping sound to open the package or the sound of a can opening. If you need to, take the snacks out of their original packaging and put it in a new container with a quieter lid or a plastic bag with a zipper. A shelf stable smoothie in a pouch or bottle is a great choice, whether it’s a fruit smoothie or a veggie smoothie. If you pack some fruit, a veggie smoothie, and a source of protein in your bag, you’ll cover a good portion of your day’s nutrition even while you’re in the stand.

Stay Hydrated

Make sure you bring plenty of water with you. Bring as many bottles of water or as big of a container as you need to make sure you don’t lag behind on hydration.

What type of snacks do you like to take with you to the treestand on a hunt? Let us know in the comments below!