Cooler Space for Quartered Elk

[jmichaelberg]

Adult onset elk hunter here. First elk hunt last year but ate tag soup. Had a plan for meat that didn't involve coolers. Next year's hunt, limited local processor capacity and what I'm hearing is either needing to leave elk with processor and have meat shipped home or haul it home or to processor closer to home. If I don't debone the meat, what size and how many coolers would I need for the quarters?

 

[BuckeyeRifleman]

I take a 150qt and a 110qt.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I take a 150qt and a 110qt.

Sounds about right
150= 2 hind quarters ,backstraps+ ice
100-120 forquarters, neck , ect + ice

 

[rambo2345]

Yes 2 big ones when iced

 

[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

I'm also an adult onset hunter. This is what I used last year:
Coleman 150 for both hind quarters and trim meat, organs, etc and frozen milk jugs
Coleman 120 for both front quarters and backstraps with frozen milk jugs

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I pack my grizzly 165 to the brim with milk jugs and some 4" pvc pipe plugs I filled and capped, they're the exact length of my 165 and make some room for blood and condensation to drip down without the meat sitting in that crap. Drive cross country 2 days, then put dry ice on top at the last grocery store to refreeze it all. When something gets killed, I move ice containers and meat as necessary between the 165 and a Coleman 110 that is otherwise empty. I'll typically try to add dry ice within 24 hours of the kill and then every 3 or 4 days until I get home, which has been up to 9 days later.

If we get 2 this year there's going to be an emergency trip to Walmart for more cooler space.

 

[5MilesBack]

It depends on the size of the elk. A few years ago I could get the hind quarters of a bull into my Coleman 120qt Extreme 6, but the lid couldn't close. But that was OK, as I was just transporting it all back to base camp and then into my 200qt roto cooler. They still needed to be angled to fit in that one, and it was still a tight fit trying to close the lid.

 

[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

I pack my grizzly 165 to the brim with milk jugs and some 4" pvc pipe plugs I filled and capped, they're the exact length of my 165 and make some room for blood and condensation to drip down without the meat sitting in that crap. Drive cross country 2 days, then put dry ice on top at the last grocery store to refreeze it all. When something gets killed, I move ice containers and meat as necessary between the 165 and a Coleman 110 that is otherwise empty. I'll typically try to add dry ice within 24 hours of the kill and then every 3 or 4 days until I get home, which has been up to 9 days later.

If we get 2 this year there's going to be an emergency trip to Walmart for more cooler space.

I like the idea of using 4" pvc pipes to freeze and to elevate the meat! I already have left over pipe from my yard drainage project.

How many pounds of dry ice does it take to keep the milk jugs and pvc pipes frozen?

When I load my coolers for a trip I have been splitting the milk jugs between both coolers but your method of putting them all in one and leaving the other one empty makes sense.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Yeah, I try to conserve the heat sink in my best insulated cooler. I buy whatever amount of dry ice is available, or what looks like it'll fit in my cooler, whatever is smaller. Normally like 10-20#.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

If you or anyone else tries to do the pvc pipe tactic, put a solid cap on one end and put a threaded cap on the other, otherwise the locked in air pressure creates pinhole leaks at the seam.

 

[yfarm]

If you use dry ice, put it in the bottom of the cooler. Used 160 qt yeti and igloo coolers last year for 2 bulls. Meat was cool when it went in the coolers after hanging at 10.5k ft,30s at night, 50s during the day. Took 5 hrs of travel to get to dry ice seller. Dry ice on the bottom with plastic between the game bagged quarters and dry ice. Day and a half travel home and meat was frozen when I got to the processor. Year before put wet ice in at the 3hr travel point then dry ice later, made no difference. As an aside, processor in Austin, Hudsons Meats told me not to debone, said they see more spoiled meat which has been deboned. Found this interesting as I was concerned about bone souring.

 

[wyogoat]

One question and I don’t mean it critical but why not bone it out?
I’ve found this simplifies a lot of things and doesn’t take much time.

 

[Sanchez]

I have a six foot Reliable (brand name) insulated fishbag. Easily holds elk hind quarters. By placing the drain plug near my PU tailgate I can drain excess water. By adding ice and salt I can maintain the temperature in low thirties. Folds up for easy storage and transport.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I have a six foot Reliable (brand name) insulated fishbag. Easily holds elk hind quarters. By placing the drain plug near my PU tailgate I can drain excess water. By adding ice and salt I can maintain the temperature in low thirties. Folds up for easy storage and transport.

Yep a fish bag is awesome, roll it up and tuck it away till needed then just keep ice flowing till you reach the butcher table

 

[Wrench]

Is there a reason for not boning it out? I bone a hind in about 2 minutes with one slice and a bit of filleting. The fronts are gonna be ground anyway. You can fit a whole bull and ice in a 150 with ease....heck maybe even two.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I find it easier to get good drainage bone in. We also make bone broth, which requires bones/joints.

 

[Longtine]

I carry one of the half size deep freezers in the back with a generator. When I down an elk I turn in the generator to cool it off. When I’m done it’s about 4” from the top with meat. On the trip home the generator will run all the way home with out running out of gas.

 

[cnelk]

This bull fit in 2 coolers - bone in quarters with frozen ice jugs

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Bone it out and you can easily get in one 150 qt. with ice layered. Put wire rack in bottom to keep meat out of water, or leave drain open if that is possible, as in back of pick up.

 

[intunegp]

You've gotten plenty of cooler advice, but depending on where "closer to home" is you might be legally obligated to debone the meat because of CWD concerns. Do some research because if you show up to a processor with bone-in meat in a place that doesn't allow it you could find yourself in hot water.

For example:

Georgia hunters that hunt out-of-state may only bring home boned out meat, hides, skulls or skull caps with antlers attached and all soft tissue removed (velvet antlers are okay), jawbones with no soft tissue, elk ivories, and finished taxidermy mounts. All other carcass parts must be left behind.