Don't forget the Beverages:
If you are going to eat like a king while hunting you might as well drink like one too. Today's Breweries have been canning their hand crafted beers to meet the outdoor enthusiast needs, you no longer have to worry about breaking or disposing of those heavy bottles.
As a chef you can have fun and pair your beverages with dinner. Having a spicy Mexican food or some deep fried walleye? Pair it with a delicious IPA. How bout that lobster? Enjoy it with a beautifully brewed pilsner. Marzens and Octoberfests go really well with chicken or pork. There are many ways to pair your food with any type of beverage you or your hunting buddies prefer. Just remember, have fun and don't drink too much, you have to wake up early for that hunt in the morning.

Best Cooking tip for the field? KNOW HOW TO USE YOUR DUTCH OVEN. From experience, there are few things worse than looking fowared to buiscuits or a cake, only to find out that the cook didn't know how many coals to use in his Dutch oven.

My tip is simple. I've had an issue in the past with forgetting one item or another. Salt this time, a spatula the next,... So, I use a fishing tackle box to keep all my cook gear in one place. I remember the box and I remember everything.
Obviously, everyone's needs differ. Fortunately, these fishing tackle boxes come in all sizes. The one I use when I camp is a lot bigger than the one I haul to the blind. Its a simple task to make sure that the cook box is up to snuff.

Camp cook essentials include a small, well-sealed jar of pork lard and a small jar of kosher salt (preferably in shatterproof containers. Not only can you season just about anything with pork fat and salt, but these are the only tools that you need to do the dishes. Scrub your cast iron with a paste of kosher salt and lard. This will clean and season your pan.

You can wash other items with a mix of campfire ashes, lard, and water. The small amount of lye in the campfire ashes blends with the lard to make a backwoods soap, which is sufficient to remove the dishes from most non-cast iron dishes and food containers.

Pre seasoning everything you plan on cooking in the field. Also bringing along lots of plastic bags to throw trash and food scraps/leftovers is key. The ones from the grocery checkout line are the best as they pack away very easily.

I always pack a gallon zip lock bag with Match Light charcoal. Easy to get a cooking fire started and the charcoal burns long. I always add some real wood for some smoky flavor or to turn up the heat.

A good way to store your seasoning for hunting trips is using a drinking straw. They store easily and you can actually carry them with you since they don’t take up much space. Take any kind of straw, using a lighter or matches, heat and seal the bottom of the straw by pinching and folding it after it melts a bit. Pour in whatever kind of seasoning you like then seal the top of the straw in the same manner as you did the bottom.

Cooking and eating are the fun parts, but cleanup is just as important even if not as fun. The four cleaning tools that enable you to clean anything are dish soap, vegetable oil, paper towels and water (this is a given no matter what you're doing). Have plenty of these on hand and no dish stays dirty. For really tough, cooked on food, use some ashes from the campfire or sand from a creek/lake mixed with dish soap.

A simple tip. If you're heading out in the field to fish or hunt, don't buy something to cook, open up the freezer and bring out the bounty of a prior trip. The fish or game is bound to be appreciated by a group of fellow outdoorsmen, and they of all people should be understanding if it ends up a touch tough or gamey. Mostly it just always seems like good mojo to be eating game the night before a hunt.

Precook some of the stuff if possible and store in plastic containers to reheat.

When making pancakes or anything with dry mixes mix before you leave and put in bags or containers so all you have to do is add the wet stuff at camp.

PLAN THE MENU. Once my dad, grandpa and uncle all agreed to bring one nights meal for their hunt. As things might go they all had a great reciepe for Chili Beans. It was a long and loud three day hunt.

Plan simple meals that can be cooked quickly. Then plan one big great cookout for the last night in camp. We always had steak. That was the night most were back a little early. Good times and stories were shared those nights.

Last but not least camping and hunting is about good friends, family, the great outdoors and excellent food.

The best tip I can give it to do as much food prep at home. Cut up your veggies and other items at home and then put them in zip lock bags. when you get in the field and its time to cook you cut the time by 60 percent. GOOD FOOD AND FRIENDS ARE THE BEST

My tip is always pack your ingredients so they stay dry. It can be a challange. No one will wnat to eat if it gets soggy before it's ready to eat.

Love is like multiplication, one zero, the result is always zero ...

I love "stuff" and gadgets but recently have been down sizing and multitasking my outdoor equipment, this includes my cooking. While many love cooking, and all love eating nobody loves clean up! The small to medium sized mesh bags help with this. When finished we put utensils and plates in these bags. Water for washing is heated in the pot or pan we cooked in. When warm put in the soap and the bag or bags. The mess can be rubbed on the utensils and plates to remove stuck on food. Simply dunk bags in clean water to rinse and hang to dry. When dry your bags are just put away in your tote or mess kit. I also like the mesh plastic type scrubbers because they will dry out faster then a sponge. Also the small film canisters with snap on lids make great spice containers. You can just fill from your wife's cupbard instead of spending money at the store on bigger containers then you need.
Best thing I do is practice some meals with my dutch ovens in the backyard for friends and family. Makes things easier when I am in the field if I have done them once or twice.

I like to keep the small salt and pepper packets from fast food places, and use them while cooking in the outdoors. They pack really easily, allow you to easily control how much you use, and you don't have to worry about a full conainer of salt spilling in your pack. Best thing is that if I forget them then I can just stop at a fast food place along the way and pick up some more!

Diane Boyle-Mather
Could you elaborate a little more on the mason jar meals. This sounds like something that would be great for when I take the kids fishing or when its just me and a buddy out hunting or fishing!

this is for casey walker i got basic directions from a site canning jar camping meals : At home, you can place everything from soup to omelette ingredients in the jars. First, spray the entire inside of the jar with non-stick cooking spray and allow that to sit for a minute. Now fill the jar with virtually anything you want. If you want omelettes, break a couple of eggs, put in cheese, ham, onions or other ingredients. Place the lid on the jar but not too tight. If you want burritos, fry the hamburger, drain it, then put it in the canning jar. Add refried beans, cheese and any other ingredients you want. Simply set these prepared meals in a cooler and take them with you on the camping trip.

There are certain things that you won't want to put in the jars ahead of time. For example, if you're making burritos, prepare the jarred food at the campsite, but serve the warm tortilla shells on the side. After heating the jar burritos eaters can tear the tortillas and drop them down in the jar or can place them on a plate and pour the burrito concoction over them. Rice is another such food. It can get mushy after sitting for awhile, so instead, use boil-in-bag rice, and when it's done you can simply open it and pour it over the cooked, jarred burritos.

To prepare the meals-in-a-jar start with a large pot of water. Place something in the bottom of the pan to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pot. You can place Ball jar rings in the bottom or even clean rocks. However, the jars should sit upright and not lean while cooking. Also, as the jars are lowered into the pan of water don't allow the water to rise up above the lid. In fact, add or take away water so that it stays at least a couple of inches below the top.

The average jar meal takes about 10 minutes or so, after the water starts boiling, to cook it through and through. Some dishes, like eggs, can take a shorter amount of time. To remove the jars from the water, first remove the pan from the fire, then use canning tongs or oven mitts to retrieve the jars. Set them off to the side for a few minutes just to allow a little cooling time.
Sorry this is so long long but i didnt know where else to answer the question

Camper Pie Irons! Pass on the Al models and get cast iron (Rome). Keep it in a grocery sack to keep from soiling anything. Get the single unless you pump iron regularly.

Cut slice of bacon in half lengthwise. Preheat iron, put 2 slices in each half. Next put a slice of bread and press in center to make a crater to hold slice of American and cracked egg. Cook till bacon is done, slice on bias and let cool. Don't forget the glass of OJ.
Lunch make pizza pies, I find sliced cheese is much easier than shredded along with squeeze bottle pizza sauce.
For dinner, get sliced corned beef in deli along with some swiss cheese slices. Drain a can of kraut and put in Tupperware. Get marbled rye and squeeze bottle of 1000 Island. Use cheese to keep bread from getting soggy. Use stick of butter with wrapper folded 1/2 way back to quickly coat preheated pans.
Can of apple or cherry filling makes easy late night snacks, just be sure to cool them to avoid burning the roof of your mouth which is about as much fun as petting a porcupine. I have never cleaned a pie iron, but every time it goes in the fire it gets sanitized. Cooking a burger inside will also season it.

Diane Boyle-Mather, Thank you for the info. I have done something similar for breakfast. I crack eggs into ziplock bags and let everyone put their own "extras" in their bag to their liking. I boil them up and the eggs can be eat right out of the bag with making clean up easy. Thanks again.