We shot our caribou last fall and it was pretty warm. We laid our caribou quarters in game bags near the river with a tarp over them for shade. They cooled nicely. We did not ship our meat home, we donated it to a food shelf in Fairbanks. Maybe they would help you freeze your meat in exchange...
We were able to leave our velvet on our caribou last year, but we weren't doing euro's. My buddy did a shoulder mound and I just did an antler mount with velvet on it. We took Velvalock with us and that did a great job of preserving the velvet. Here is a link to thier product...
A "Stay Sharp" guide and some diamond plates will save you a lot of gray hairs when it comes to sharpening your Iron Wills. And as the others have said, a little mineral oil will keep them looking new.
I've probably hit all of those stages at some time or another. I don't know that there is a natural progression from one to the next. I just want an adventure or to try something new. I usually have a freezer full of wild game, so I can't say it's the kill that drives me. I set new goals for...
I second that! You can get by with them seeing you as long as you're not moving. You can make some noise as long as it isn't a foreign sound, but if they wind you, it's game over!
We built a plywood box many years ago before the big cooler craze started. It's 2'x2'x4' and lined with 2" pink foam insulation. We pack the bottom full of frozen 1 gallon or 1/2 gallon jugs. We don't open that cooler for anything but putting meat in. We killed two bull elk on back to back days...
I've sold a few and don't usually miss them. I have a few that will never be sold because they belonged to my grandpa, dad, father in law.... I'll let my kids sort it out after I'm gone, unless one of them gets busy and gets me some grandkids, then that kid will be set.