Cooler Space for Quartered Elk

[jmichaelberg]

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

Good thought but not an issue in my home state or state I have to pass through.

 

[jmichaelberg]

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.

Not that I'm aware of and cetainly a possibility but I'm a belt and suspenders guy so I'm considering all contingencies.

 

[CobraChicken]

I can fit a deboned bull in 3 77 qt lifetime coolers with plenty of room for ice.

I've found my limit for moving a cooler full of ice and meat is around that weight. Anything bigger would take a few people.

 

[wind gypsy]

Coleman 150 and 120 here as well.

 

[Laramie]

I use 2 large coolers per elk. Instead of milk jugs, I use frozen 20 oz bottles. In a sealed cooler packed full of them, those last well over a week for me. When I kill, a layer of the bottles goes on the bottom of the empty cooler. That keeps meat from sitting in any drained fluids. Then about 1/2 the meat, then more bottles on top. Repeat for cooler #2. If the meat is properly cooled down prior to packing in the coolers, this will keep for a week easily.

 

[butcherboy]

A couple of big coolers will work. Bring one empty and one full of frozen bottles or pvc sticks. I use both. Have the one completely full and it will take a lot longer for any ice bottles to thaw. I’ve never ever heard of deboning meat causing it to spoil. If meat spoils it either happened in the field because it wasn’t properly cooled or it was deboned and placed into a cooler while the meat was still hot. Let it cool first before putting it into any closed container. The ice in the cooler might help hot meat but the heat has no wear to escape to so now the meat might be lukewarm.

 

[Elktipper]

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.

I do the pvc pipes. Haven't had that problem yet. I did fill them with water with room to expand and froze them standing up on end. Capped after froze solid and ice flush with top. Maybe that prevented this?

 

[wapitibob]

I've put bone in meat in two 120qt coolers for decades. You can remove the lower bone off the femur by cutting thru the Cartlidge at that joint. The shank will hang free but you'll remove about 12" of length.

 

[LongWayAround]

I can fit a deboned bull in 3 77 qt lifetime coolers with plenty of room for ice.

I've found my limit for moving a cooler full of ice and meat is around that weight. Anything bigger would take a few people.

I like this idea. The 120-150 coolers are a pain to move when they're full and just to shuffle around when they're not. The lifetime 77qt seems like a really solid cooler.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I do the pvc pipes. Haven't had that problem yet. I did fill them with water with room to expand and froze them standing up on end. Capped after froze solid and ice flush with top. Maybe that prevented this?

If you trapped room temperature air the ice probably chilled it and allowed it to compress without building pressure. My pvc pipes are too long to freeze upright.

 

[jmichaelberg]

Thanks for input folks.

 

[2rsquared]

Lifetime 77 Quart High Performance Coolers are $184 at Walmart right now.​

Walmart Link to Cooler