Did you fly a skull/antlers home on Alaska last fall?

[MuleyFever]

I have been looking at options to get a Caribou home this fall from Fairbanks on AK Airlines. I know they say they will take a skull/antlers as laid out on the website. I have come across people saying its not as easy as it appears and they were left in a pickle last minute because the counter said they wouldn't take them.

If you successfully flew them home what exactly did you do?

If you were denied what was the exact reason?

 

[GFMThunter]

it has to have all the points covered in cardboard, then covered overall with sheet or blanket... also has to be wrapped inside with plastic. we cut little pieces of cardboard and taped them around the points of our moose, then bought a used sleeping bag at goodwill, unzipped it, wrapped it around the rack and taped the crap out of it with gorilla tape. when we were almost done checking in, the gal at the counter asked that it be wrapped with plastic too..... this almost cost me my flight, finally I found a janitor and got a giant garbage bag and cut/taped it around everything. she wasn't real happy with me all said and done, but I had followed all the website directions and damn near didn't get my flight because the gal at the counter wanted it wrapped in plastic and was throwing a huge fit. evidently, she said alaska air was recently sold or something and the only way they were allowed to continue shipping horns/skulls was if they had them wrapped for smell and bacteria for other customers. not sure how true, if we'd have known we needed to do the plastic as well it all would have been pretty easy, it was having to deal with all that at the airport and not having access to anything that really sucked.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Some guys put cut pieces of water hose or any plastic tubing that's about that size on each tip then tape it down before putting in a large plastic bag from AK Airlines. Pretty simple. Other guys tape cardboard on the tips, as long as they are not sharp and protected well it should be fine. Those last words are famous in AK.

Stop at Lowe's and get all your stuff before taking it in. watch that wilderness taxidermy video #3 on my youtube for what this looks like. Skip to the last 5 min or so to see all that shipping 411.

 

[cowdisciple]

Just take it to a taxidermist in Anchorage. They all offer custom box building and shipping and the fee is totally worth it.

Edit: this comment is dumb and I fail reading comprehension. But maybe there's a taxidermist in Fairbanks who could do the same thing.

 

[AKBorn]

Just take it to a taxidermist in Anchorage. They all offer custom box building and shipping and the fee is totally worth it.

He is not gonna be in Anchorage....

 

[Scottf270]

Shrink wrap is your friend.... seriously.

 

[GFMThunter]

doing exactly what we did, but using some sort of tubing from home depot instead of cardboard would be pretty simple. the rest is just having an extra large garbage bag or two wrapped around it, then the used sleeping bag ($10 @ goodwill in Fairbanks) and tons of tape, was pretty simple really. we just didn't know about the plastic until we were loading.

 

[bowonly]

I think the point here is not how to prepare antlers for checked baggage on Alaska Air. The real issue for me is their policy which states, as I understand it, they do fly antlers as checked baggage, but they can refuse to accept them based on that flight's baggage situation. Sure, they have to be wrapped to their specs, but you can get refused at the counter based on the room on that flight. I didn't want to risk that with no other options at that late stage. Either you don't take that flight or have someone else deal with them as a backup. I used an expeditor and Alaska Air freight, and it wasn't cheap .

 

[Bighorse]

I got approved as a “known shipper” with AK air cargo. I strap the rack meat and gear on a pallet and ship it keep frozen.

 

[bowonly]

Bighorse, could you explain the process of getting approved as a known shipper. I'm told they have to come to your house to see if it's a bomb factory and you are not a terrorist! I think I am joking.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Bighorse, could you explain the process of getting approved as a known shipper. I'm told they have to come to your house to see if it's a bomb factory and you are not a terrorist! I think I am joking.

They do have to come to your house, but they don’t come in or look at anything, just confirm address. You also have to pay for that visit, rate varies depending on distance if I remember correctly.

 

[Djacker]

You can also register your business as a known shipper. No cost, no visit.

 

[Hunthigh1]

Sounds like someone ran into a newer or disgruntled employee.

The first time I did it I was nervous and printed out Alaska airlines policy, and highlighted the details regarding antlers and firearms. Sure enough I encountered an unsure employee who wasn’t pleased about my awkward well wrapped (bubble wrap and tape) caribou head. I very politely showed them their own rule page and she found another employee who happily accepted my baggage with a smile.

It’s silly, but consider printing out the rules and carrying them with you. For what it’s worth it was a rare encounter and AK air rarely blinks an eye at this stuff.

 

[GFMThunter]

yeah, I felt the same way, although she told us she was old school. lol. my buddy up there who ships things all the time told her exactly what you said... "I do this all the time, this is how it's done and there's never been a problem. Do we need to find a supervisor, or whats the problem?" she said she was the supervisor, didn't appreciate his tone and deal with it. lol, I understand why she got mad, but at that point we were about to miss our flight after being the first ones in there that day and we were running out of options and also very frustrated.

 

[Buckshotaz]

Last year, flying out of Fairbanks, our group had three moose heads. All were wrapped as described above. First set of horns were checked in and when I went to check in, was told “We already have a set of antlers checked in so yours will be an standby, and could be arriving on a different flight.”
Luckily, all three made it with the rest of our luggage.

 

[Haro450]

I went to home depot and got cardboard , tap and shrink wrap. Made a custom box around the antler and shipped them home. Meat frozen in a ice chest also checked as baggage. Done it a couple time with out issue. The do sometimes only allow one set of antlers per flight. The extra baggage charge has increased but probably still the cheapest way to get meat and antlers home.

 

[benconfused]

I went to home depot and got cardboard , tap and shrink wrap. Made a custom box around the antler and shipped them home. Meat frozen in a ice chest also checked as baggage. Done it a couple time with out issue. The do sometimes only allow one set of antlers per flight. The extra baggage charge has increased but probably still the cheapest way to get meat and antlers home.

Do you remember how much the bag with the meat in it weighed and cost to check? What size bag/box did it take to get all the (caribou for me) meat in one container?

I'm set to go to Kotzebue in Aug.

 

[Haro450]

I would have to look back at the specifics. I use a Coleman extreme 60 QT ice chest with a ratchet strap keeping it shut. On the way up i pack the ice chest with gear. If you keep it under 100 LB it cost $150. The first time i went it only cost $100. I haven't looked at the baggage cost this year. One year a whole boned out Caribou fit this was a very small animal. Last year the cooler was over weight with all the meat and had to be divided up.

 

[finner]

Made it last year out of Fairbanks. One set of antlers got on, the other was put on standby and came in with the next flight. Definitely worth showing up early to the airport to beat the rush, we got there 5 hours ahead of time for a 2am flight and it worked out. Do whatever you can to get blood out of the skull, I rinsed mine out with a hose, took all the meat and matter I could off the skull and let it dry for a day and it still was leaking blood on the baggage carousel in Montana

 

[william schmaltz]

These road out last year. In 2023 we also checked antlers without issue. Call to see the earliest you can check bags in to your flight and be there at that time. In 2023, they actually unloaded about 4 sets of antlers off the plane.



Clean the skull as good as you can. Then wrap it in towels/shop towels and plastic wrap it until you think it’s good and then wrap it the same amount again and then a few more times to be sure. Add extra padding to spots on the skull likely to rub and break through the plastic (nose/teeth/base). We use pipe insulators on points and they also work along paddles. Tape them on well. Then we sometimes also add cardboard over that and then wrap it all again.

You’re spending the money on the trip. Appropriate meat and trophy care should be included in the estimated trip costs before booking. Don’t be the guy that ruins it for everyone with blood leaking and antlers poking luggage because you wanted to save $25 on some tape, towels, and plastic wrap! There already enough shipping companies that no longer take antlers and meat because a few lazy/cheap guys ruined it for everyone.