Getting meat home

[Morrid7]

I hate long drives.


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I do too. I’d fly before I drove 23 hours each way. Needing to ship meat home is a good problem to have. Good luck.


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[traviswdalton]

I’ve flown with meat in coolers and carry on. Freeze it solid at the meat processor or a hotel with a walk-in cooler. Check your airline, but for American Airlines it was cheaper to fly first class, get an extra checked bag for free and increase the max weight to 70 from 50 (otherwise that’s around another $100 per bag). Pay the additional 200 or something similar for the third bag. Then, pack 60 pounds of meat per cooler and carry 50 with you in your carry on. I had a gun so my 3rd bag was the rifle. Shipping a bow is much easier so you may want to do that if you’re bow hunting. That put me at 180 which was enough for my processed elk. FedEx your gear for around $300. The real trick is getting the head gear home. That’s another issue all together... it’s not cheap and it’s not easy but if you’re like me and not going to spend 4 extra days of vacation driving, that’s what it is unless you can find a processor close enough that has a shipping rate that’s not astronomical.

My son is traveling with me so I’ll have extra checked bags available. I don’t think I’ll have to ship gear back. The cape and antlers is my second issue. Any idea what having a mount done in NM then shipped would cost?


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[Landiswood]

I did a skull mount. Mount = 160. Shipping =350. I got the mount done at a small shop and they didn’t have any shipping experience so maybe somewhere with more traffic has a better shipping method? Shipping is the rake. Also, I love the positive attitude If you get one you’re ready to shoulder mount that should take some of the sting out of the shipping cost.

 

[Landiswood]

That was out of Montana as well.

 

[traviswdalton]

I did a skull mount. Mount = 160. Shipping =350. I got the mount done at a small shop and they didn’t have any shipping experience so maybe somewhere with more traffic has a better shipping method? Shipping is the rake. Also, I love the positive attitude If you get one you’re ready to shoulder mount that should take some of the sting out of the shipping cost.

I just like being prepared


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[Wrench]

You're looking at 120-150# of boned out meat. 50# fits in a 48qt cooler. With little spare room. If you go 1# over the limit.....you might as well go to the max....cause it cost the same.

 

[spike camp]

Be prepared for TSA to open your coolers, they’ve done it every time I’ve flown with meat.

 

[traviswdalton]

For those that have flown with meat do you put locks on your coolers


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[cnelk]

Do what the guys who hunt Alaska do...

1- Ship your gear to your destination. Send it to yourself using General Delivery to the nearest post office. They will hold it for 30 days. Need your ID to claim

2- In your gear boxes have pre-made labels and tape. Ship all gear back home after your hunt.

3- Buy coolers AFTER you are successful. Freeze meat and take on plane. Its easier just to load up the coolers and pay the extra weight charge. Sell or keep the coolers when you get home. [No dont lock coolers - just duct tape them up]

4- Buy a one-way ticket for the trip there. Use miles/rewards for the return trip since you may need extra time if successful and you dont want to be rushed.

5- There is no weight limit for carry-on. Load that bag up

 

[FlyGuy]

I did this last year out of Idaho with moose and bear meat.

I got lucky and found a processor that turned it around in just a couple days. Fully processed, packaged and frozen. If you don’t have a processor you can do most of it yourself with ziplocks, sharpie and a knife. Hopefully you can get it frozen before travel to make it easier but not a deal killer.

Once I had all that picked up dry ice at a grocery store and then went to a local fedEx shop. I had them ship all my gear home, ground. Then had them box up the meat and dry ice in those insulated shipping boxes, and weigh each one out to ~ 49lbs or less per box to keep the checked bag cost down. Any FedEx store in a small mtn town is going to be very familiar with all this and can be extremely helpful.

I had pre-bought a 1st class ticket for the 1st (short) leg of my return trip (only) for like $80 extra, so the baggage fees were minimal. At the airport I just checked the boxes as luggage with no problem at all. To overnight the meat home by FedEx was going to something like $1000 bucks. This was a little stressful to pull together, but it worked out great. One suggestion is that you might want you last of your trip to be on a weekday. We were flying home Sunday, and all the shops, taxidermist, etc were either closed or closing early on Saturday, so that made for a mad scramble. Worst case though I would just stay an extra day and fly home on Monday. Still way worth it.


Before you leave, just locate a few processors, FedEx stores, cold storage, groceries with dry ice, etc; and save all that in your phone/map. You will be tired at the end of a trip so best to have much of it planned out ahead of time.





You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[sneaky]

Be prepared for a lot of the places to run out of dry ice right when you need it. I'd rather drive it back than fool with shipping gear, buying coolers, etc etc. If you don't like long drives I'm of no help because that's just a reality of western hunting.

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[Jacack]

I live in sw fl so about as far from anywhere west. Driving is the only way for me. I can take everything I need or might need and don’t have to worry about getting meat home. I take my time on the way out and go hard on the way home, surprising how easy the ride home is with a bunch of meat and antlers. The drive home with empty coolers sucks.

This year I will drive to Wyoming for archery elk and hopefully to Colorado fir 3rd season deer.

Flying is a pia with hunting gear and meat.

 

[nursul]

Check with meat processors around the cities, ABQ and PHX or whatever. Often they have cargo shipping contracts with the airlines. You pick it up at an airport near you. From what I've looked into its significantly cheaper than FedEx.

You can do the checking coolers rigmarole and ship your gear home. I haven't really priced that out to me it's a lot of hassle and lot that can go wrong.

I've been planning my next trip I think I will fly out West, and if I'm successful I'll just drive the rental car home with the meat and eat my plane tickets. If I don't kill I fly home. I think I can do that a bit cheaper than shipping it cargo and I still get to cut the meat up myself which I prefer.

Awesome info...thanks.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I live in sw fl so about as far from anywhere west. Driving is the only way for me. I can take everything I need or might need and don’t have to worry about getting meat home. I take my time on the way out and go hard on the way home, surprising how easy the ride home is with a bunch of meat and antlers. The drive home with empty coolers sucks.

This year I will drive to Wyoming for archery elk and hopefully to Colorado fir 3rd season deer.

Flying is a pia with hunting gear and meat.

I'm in the same boat and usually drive as well. I agree, key is if you have the time, take it easy getting out there. I usually shoot for 10 hr drives a day but if I do have to push it and put in 15-16 hr consecutive drive days, I try to plan it where I can do one extra night in hotel before hitting the trail to recharge. Nothing worse than hitting the mountain already strung out because of 2-3 days of straight 15 hr driving. I will fly out occasionally for pronghorn since I can fit an entire boned out buck in one yeti soft cooler, but elk/deer/bear always drive.
Might lose some hunting days on the drive but found it worth it having all the gear I need, coolers, own vehicle, etc. Usually means I can access more places and spend more time hunting having those things.

 

[traviswdalton]

Thread seems to be getting sidetracked into driving vs flying. I’m using an outfitter so the only gear I need is a bow and clothes so gear isn’t an issue. I’m not even considering driving. Has anyone had their meat shipped? I’m leaning towards flying back with it in coolers.


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[Mosby]

If you are using an outfitter then they should have experience with local processors that will ship the meat back and have an idea of what they will charge or get the name and call direct. If your are flying it back, take a couple of rolls of duct tape with you to seal the coolers after inspection at the airport. Find out where to get coolers and dry ice locally and make sure they have it in stock before you finalize your decision to take it on the plane with you. If you can't get coolers or dry ice, you will have to ship it. I would use more smaller coolers than a really large one and flying Southwest might save some money on luggage fees compared to others.

 

[Labdad]

I don't think airlines allow dry ice.
Meat frozen will stay frozen from AK to CT without any ice. With One stop in MN

 

[traviswdalton]

I don't think airlines allow dry ice.
Meat frozen will stay frozen from AK to CT without any ice. With One stop in MN

They allow 5 lbs but container must be vented.


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[traviswdalton]

If you are using an outfitter then they should have experience with local processors that will ship the meat back and have an idea of what they will charge or get the name and call direct. If your are flying it back, take a couple of rolls of duct tape with you to seal the coolers after inspection at the airport. Find out where to get coolers and dry ice locally and make sure they have it in stock before you finalize your decision to take it on the plane with you. If you can't get coolers or dry ice, you will have to ship it. I would use more smaller coolers than a really large one and flying Southwest might save some money on luggage fees compared to others.

Yep I’ve already talked to outfitter and he gave me a recommendation for a processor. Unfortunately they don’t open till August.


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[N2TRKYS]

We flew back with meat and my buddy got his elk shoulder mounted locally. We'll never do that again. I'll be driving it home, if I'm successful from now on. It's WAY cheaper that way.