Best Snacks for the Whitetail Rut

Rut funnels, all day sits, and good setups are important when it comes to finding success in early November. But those things won’t do you a lick of good if you can’t stay in the woods. Sometimes, the key to killing a big buck has a lot to do with your gut. No, not your intuition, but what you put in it. That’s right, snacks might just be the difference in punching your tag or going home empty handed.

If you’re not prepared with enough grub to get you through the day, you’ll cave to that little voice whispering in your ear. Right around the time you should be focused on killing a cruising buck, that voice will convince you that you can still make it to the gas station before they quit serving the morning biscuits. Regardless of the time of day, it’s hard to focus on deer hunting when your stomach sounds like it’s trying to grunt in a buck.

I like to pack sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and some kind of fruit, but my secret weapons are no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. I’ve got a mean sweet-tooth, and these sit at the top of my list. I space them throughout a hunt and reward myself for making it to those odd hours of the day when I least expect deer to move. If that doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, don’t worry, I polled the MeatEater crew for their best rut snacks. These are foods that help them stay on stand and, ultimately, kill big bucks.

A Moveable Feast

“All-day rut sits are a struggle, so I always have plenty of candy, like Snickers and M&Ms. I like jerky, granola bars, turkey sandwiches, and lots of coffee. I usually have something extra to drink with some caffeine in it as well, just to combat the midday lull. I’ve learned through western hunts and all-day whitetail sits that I need to bring food I will actually want to eat, so I’m not packing salads if you get my drift.” –Tony Peterson

The Classics

“I’m big on coffee, jerky, and cheese crackers. I always take the crackers out of the original package and drop them in a ziplock to make less racket when snack time comes.” –Brent Reaves

For Sandwich Lovers

“Homemade egg McMuffin is my go-to rut breakfast (in the stand). I’ll have Usinger’s liverwurst and butter on Latvian sourdough for lunch one and two, Werther’s Original, Hershey’s with almonds, and round out the day with an apple. I also pack a pint of hot coffee and a liter of water to wash it all down and keep me hydrated.” –Janis Putelis

The Minimalist Approach

“Lara bars, pb and J, and fruit snacks. I can run off that all day.” –Clay Newcomb

Best for Peanut Butter Lovers

“My favorite snacks are a peanut butter honey bacon wrap, peanut butter snickers, nature valley wafers, cheese crackers, and an energy drink.” –Jordan Budd

An Apple a Day

“When I'm traveling for a rut hunt, I do the apple-a-day thing. They keep me regular and that's valuable. My other favorite rut snacks are jerky, meat sticks, granola bars, and muffins. And if I'm in the Midwest, I'll also be stopping at Casey's for a slice of pizza.” –Spencer Neuharth

The Good, the Bad, and the Better

“I like a mix of ‘good for you’ and just plain good tasting to get me through the rut. That means I'll have healthier staples like an apple, PB&J, mixed nuts, jerky, and dried fruit on hand. But I also make sure to have some rewards for the long midday hours too like Oreos, Snickers bars, and Dot's pretzels.” –Mark Kenyon

These foods won’t technically make you a better hunter, but they can keep you from cutting your hunt short. And if that’s what it takes to wrap your tag around a big buck, you better bring the groceries.

Let us know in the comments what foods keep you going during the whitetail rut!

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