1st year Elk hunt, cooler size?

Just wanted to add, if you live in a state with legal weed, the dispensaries will often be selling big coolers on Facebook Marketplace for screaming deals. I got two of the 120-qt igloos from a dispensary for $40. I did have to let them air out for a week in the back yard, but other than that, they work just fine.
 
Depending on the weather and how far of a drive home you’ve got, you might not need a cooler. Please read the below before calling me crazy and suggesting this guy needs a Yeti 210 lol.

A few years ago my buddy got an Idaho Bull in 45 degree weather with about a 4hr trip home. We had the elk meat hanging for a full 2 days in the shade and with a breeze while we continued to look for deer.

He didn’t have a big enough cooler - for the trip home he ended up just using a couple BIG plastic totes like you could buy at Walmart that he used to haul in firewood. Dumped the rest of his ice in there and got it home just fine. Elk meat tasted great.

If it’s September that probably isn’t gonna work. This was the middle of October.

There’s ways to go about it without going out and dropping a shitload of money on coolers.
 
Depending on the weather and how far of a drive home you’ve got, you might not need a cooler. Please read the below before calling me crazy and suggesting this guy needs a Yeti 210 lol.

A few years ago my buddy got an Idaho Bull in 45 degree weather with about a 4hr trip home. We had the elk meat hanging for a full 2 days in the shade and with a breeze while we continued to look for deer.

He didn’t have a big enough cooler - for the trip home he ended up just using a couple BIG plastic totes like you could buy at Walmart that he used to haul in firewood. Dumped the rest of his ice in there and got it home just fine. Elk meat tasted great.

If it’s September that probably isn’t gonna work. This was the middle of October.

There’s ways to go about it without going out and dropping a shitload of money on coolers.
This worked late Sept in CO as well, 5hr drive home last year, we went one step cheaper and just wrapped the meat in a tarp after hanging for a day or so and laid the ice bags on top. It was a night drive so no direct sun but those quarters never saw the inside of a cooler and made it home just fine.
 
10 bucks, wow! Time to start crawling marketplace for coolers. This is my plan this year, I've been running shitty small coolers for years and finally got fed up last year after I couldnt even close the lid on a deer quarter...im planning to buy 2 of these for 1 elk, $100 a piece at Sportsmans so theyre not a terrible deal new either.
$10 sounds like a stolen cooler to me 😂
 
I use a 120 qt cooler full of frozen 1 gallon jugs and a 60 qt cooler with food or other supplies.

For anyone planning a hunt in MT, especially areas with high griz numbers…..Forest Service will give a warning and then ticket for any cooler is left outside (even in the back of your truck or open trailer). Coolers must be stored inside camper, covered trailer, under tonneau cover, or in pickup cab when you are not at camp. Some campgrounds are more relaxed, those near the parks (Glacier or Yellowstone) will give tickets. Come prepared if hunting in Griz country.

Not sure if the same rules apply in WY.
 
Don't worry about it until after you kill one. The meat will be find in good game bags with good air circulation, it is actually better to let them air cool for a while before putting them on ice, a good thermal or breeze will cool the meat really well.

When you kill it, if you're solo and in the timber make a small meat pole in the shade with paracord, hang each quarter as you pull them so they can start cooling. I don't even bag mine until I have them hung, then I will trim and clean the quarters and put clean ready to cut meat in the gamebags while hanging. If your in open country just toss the meat ontop of a sage brush or any bush that will allow air to circulate.

Once you make it back to your SUV, drive to town and buy either a big cheap Igloo or a couple small ones, most towns have a place with dry ice, place dry ice along the bottom and put the meat in and close the coolers, don't put it over the top of the meat or it will freeze it solid. If you can't find dry ice just cover them with ice and make sure you're constantly draining the coolers.

Wind if your friend when cooling meat, if you're planning on driving home right after you kill it you probably don't even need ice. Once you're out on the interstate you can toss the meat on the roof and it will cool nicely at 75mph down the road as long as it's not sitting right on the painted roof, it needs full circulation, if you stop at night just hang it from the roof rack over the side of the vehicle. I've left sevearl animals hanging off my spare tire and roof racks in motel parking lots over the years. If you have multiple days to drive home I would definitely get it on ice after you're on the road but if you can drive through the night I'd just toss it on the roof and not be worried in the slightest.
 
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