I hunt OTC archery every year. I flew this year into Denver and got a bull. The year before, I drove out there and drove a bull back. Here's my take on it.
I pretty much live on the Atlantic Ocean. Western slope is a hell of a drive from here. I'm the type of guy that if a drive is all that's between me and elk hunting, I absolutely will not stop to sleep, eat, pee, etc. I will just hammer on the pedal like a psychopath until I get there. Acclimating isn't my game since I usually pull up, exhausted, and blast into hyperdrive since I'm so excited. This leaves me totally exhausted, dehydrated, and the sitting for so long is terrible for the legs. I have also had issues with altitude in the past since I'm usually hunting at 11k' my first day there - but every day counts. When I drove, I brought a truck full of stuff and coolers. I just put the meat on ice in the coolers and drove it back. Head came back too and taxidermist work was done here.
When I flew, I left my house at about 4:30 a.m., got a good enough night sleep, and was driving in the rental by about 10 a.m. That left me time to go check some cameras I put at lower elevations in the basin that I hunt while i was there in June and climb my way up to about 11k' where the elk were hanging, well before dark. That's a huge plus. I wasn't exhausted and I was hydrated. Another huge plus.
I'm not a gear guy. I packed my exo pack and my bow case and i didn't use half the stuff i packed. I always dayhunted from the truck which I think makes things immensely more enjoyable and easier - for me another huge plus.
As for the logistics of getting the elk back, I rented a tiny VRBO for my last night there and took the picnic table from outside into the living room and deboned everything. I threw it in coolers i bought out there and put dry ice on top of it. On the way to the airport, I dropped the head at a taxidermist. They crated and shipped it back. It was a bit pricy but let's be real - the whole elk hunting thing is pricy and that's why I work. I did 3-day ground for the shipping and when i packed the coolers - the meat was probably 50ish degrees. When I opened the cooler after they arrived to my house, the meat was mostly frozen and perfectly fine. the dry ice worked like a charm. It was $400 to ship all the meat and i think the coolers were about $130 for the 4 of them.
I will never drive again, I hope. There is no comparison for me. When you consider all the $ you spend driving, the time lost, and particularly the extra useless crap most people pack and buy if they drive - the costs are offset. I'm just going to have to find something to do with all these coolers in a few years.
