1st year Elk hunt, cooler size?

[wapitibob]

Just an fyi, if you separate the hind at the end of the Femur and let the shank hang loose, it's a lot easier to get into coolers.

 

[coy17]

Just an fyi, if you separate the hind at the end of the Femur and let the shank hang loose, it's a lot easier to get into coolers.

View attachment 913746

That's exactly what I had to do to make my first raghorn fit into 2 yeti 105's. That cooler combo fits great in the back of my 4runner next to the diy sleeping platform/drawer.

 

[OPSCWAL]

(2) 70L Coolers. You can go (3) for the insurance policy and not play Tetris

 

[thegrouse]

(2) 70L Coolers. You can go (3) for the insurance policy and not play Tetris

I have a 65 and I could get a 100 and fit both without too many issues. Do you need to bone out to get an elk in 2-70s

 

[ndfb35]

I have a 140 and 65 and its enough space for a bone-in bull. Dry ice is my favorite cooling method.

 

[OPSCWAL]

I have a 65 and I could get a 100 and fit both without too many issues. Do you need to bone out to get an elk in 2-70s

boned out.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Learn from me and don’t pack out bones! Debone and you can fit an elk in not all that much cooler space.

Fill the coolers the the brim with one gallon jugs. Pour some water out and freeze them. Have the ice jugs take up as much space in the coolers as possible. Then just leave 2 or 3 jugs in the cooler to keep the meat cold, set the rest to the side somewhere. The cooler will already be very cold and unless you are traveling very far, the meat will stay cool and dry.

You can re-use the ice jugs for other hunts and year to year.

 

[Tx270WT]

Good ol annual cooler thread. Take it for what it’s worth me being 0-4 now but the good old stand by igloo 120 is hard to beat plus it can act as storage if it doesn’t get used

 

[Neckbone]

My first and only elk was an adolescent bull 2x4. Bone in It took a 145QT RTIC a 65QT RTIC and a 48QT Coleman (Just what I had). There was room for ice and bone in meat. Drove it from WY to SW Florida in 3 days with zero spoilage. Drained and re-iced coolers daily.

This time I will be flying in to the same area. As always I will bring by 120qt coleman as checked baggage loaded with gear and my weapon as the second checked bag (Bow this year). Plan to purchase a second 150QT coleman and keep it in the cab of the truck. If I don't tag out I will return it. I will fill my 150QT with as many blocks of ice as I can fit and loose ice in between, duct tape it shut and not open it unless I tag out.

If I do tag out, all meat will get hung and cooled. I will split the ice between the 2 coolers. Debone the meat, bag in 2 gallon ziplocks labeled and keep them on ice. The day before my flight I will empty and dry the coolers, lay the meat on the bottom, cover the meat with a layer or two of reflectix and top cooler off with dry ice. Morning of the flight I ensure all dry ice is emptied, cooler is relatively dry inside and it will get duct taped shut.

Coolers can weigh no more than 100lb each total, so that is roughly 85-90lb of meat per cooler. I may need to purchase a smaller 3rd cooler depending on size of the elk. Can get a soft sided cooler and use as carry on/personal item.

 

[taskswap]

It's also fair to note that cooling type affects "effective capacity" in a cooler. You need a lot less physical volume of dry ice than water-ice. But bear in mind when shipping by air, AFAIK all air carriers require you to disclose that you have dry ice in the container, and the container cannot be sealed. You need to provide a ventilation hole or breather tube so the CO2 can escape.