Shipping meat and antlers from alaska

[Hessticles]

What is the best route you guys have found in shipping meat/antlers home? Where we are going I think some guys keep 100lbs as a check on and donate the rest, what have you guys done?

 

[Aeast]

Why on earth would you give away all that delicious meat? I see the merit in donating some but not most.

I'm hoping we can process ours up there which will vastly reduce the weight down to #250-#300lbs of meat. Plus antler and cape weight?

I've been doing a lot of research on this very matter and there are multiple posts on this forum about it. This is what I've found out and what your primary options are.

1. Carry meat/cape/antlers home as checked luggage on Alaska airlines. (Needs to be frozen I would assume)
- $30 for the first checked bag, $40 for the second and I believe $100 per tote after that up to 10.
- max of $50 lbs per tote and if its it's over they charge an additional fee.
- Antlers can remain intact up to 115 linear inches, the skull must be wrapped well and have no odor, the points must be padded and taped up in some fashion.

2. Ship meat home on Alaska air cargo. This goes by weight plus a fee per tote if I understood the representative correctly. I think the same weight and antler restrictions apply as with alaska airlines.
-Must register as a known shipper to use their service, this can be done online but takes weeks to accomplish.
- they keep your meat and everything frozen should the plane have a delay.

3. Alaska trophy express, a Wisconsin based service that hauls meat/cape/antlers in a refrigerated semi from multiple locations in alaska. They haul it to select locations in the lower 48 so you might have to travel to pick up your meat. Last year this was $850

 

[Jimss]

I brought 350 total lbs back with me last year from Alaska on Alaska Airlines. Each box can weigh 50 lbs or you will get charged extra. You can buy insulated 50 lb salmon boxes at Walmart for around $25 each. I saw a couple guys that were checking in moose antlers at the oversized line in Anchorage. Not sure how much they got charged?

 

[EasilyExcited]

we just came back from ketchikan with bears and 2 bags were free with 1st class tickets it was only a 100 upgrade and made sense since the free baggage almost paid for it. and it was 100 per box after that weather is was 50lbs or the heaviest box was 85 i think. just had to be under 100

 

[fmyth]

Get an Alaska Airlines credit card. You'll get 40,000 miles for signing up, a yearly companion ticket for $121 and your first checked bag is free. I just shipped 50lbs of fish from Wrangell AK to PHX for $85 as I was not going straight home and didn't want to pay for cold storage. Last year when I flew home w 3 boxes of fish the ticket agent told me the first box would be free and had to be 50 lbs or under, the second box would be $25 if it was 50 lbs or under but the third box would be $75 and could weigh up to 100 lbs. https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/optional-services-fees/fee-changes

 

[PMcGee]

Freeze it all and fly it home with you. It was $75 for 100lbs when I did it. I brought back 500lbs of meat and two racks for $450. Looks like it’s $100 for 100lbs now. There’s no way I’d spend all that money to hunt up there and only come home with 100 lbs of meat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Hessticles]

Freeze it all and fly it home with you. It was $75 for 100lbs when I did it. I brought back 500lbs of meat and two racks for $450. Looks like it’s $100 for 100lbs now. There’s no way I’d spend all that money to hunt up there and only come home with 100 lbs of meat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This is the route I'm leaning towards!

 

[Hessticles]

Freeze it all and fly it home with you. It was $75 for 100lbs when I did it. I brought back 500lbs of meat and two racks for $450. Looks like it’s $100 for 100lbs now. There’s no way I’d spend all that money to hunt up there and only come home with 100 lbs of meat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I dont fly alot but would you have to pay that for each connecting flight or is that the whole trip?

 

[Jim Flint]

That's for the whole trip, if each leg is with the same carrier.

I agree with the above posts. Freeze it, and then fly all of the meat back as checked baggage.

 

[PMcGee]

I dont fly alot but would you have to pay that for each connecting flight or is that the whole trip?

Yeah that’s the whole trip. My meat was still frozen solid when we flew into Philadelphia. Alaska Air was pretty easy to work with. Now Southwest flying out of Idaho that’s a different story.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[TreyPound]

I have researched this more extensively than anyone on the planet. Moving moose meat thru Canada is nowhere as difficult as some would make it out to be. I will have the USF&WS form 3-177 and the Alaska transfer of possesion forms. Additional, but not required legaly, I will have an inspector from USF&WS Anchorage branch inspect the loaded trailer prior to leaving Anchorage. This acts as a safguard in clearing customs. At the alcan/ca border, the agent(s) will place a seal on the trailer, then upon leaving Canada they will verifly it as intact, ensuring (themselves) that nothing came off the trailer in their country.

The above implies provided the trailer sells out and goes. Right now I have room left, so if you are interested in having your moose and antlers shipped to western/midwestern states, PM me your address and I'll snail mail you the details.

mudman, I think I get what you are asking, but no I really havent tried to set up for that.

 

[Hessticles]

These are our 3 flights

 

[AKBorn]

These are our 3 flights

The Alaska Airlines flights within Alaska are pretty accustomed to people flying meat and fish around. The AK Airlines people outside Alaska will have a littlle less experience, but typically more than other airlines. I would call United and ask about how meat could be shipped on your united flight.

 

[Ears]

More people have recommended this to me than any other. The Alaska Trophy Express originally said that they left Alaska before my hunt was even over, but I see they've updated the date to October 1ish. I may look into that a little more, but Alaska Air Cargo has been recommended multiple times.

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/cargo/ship-wild-game

 

[Ears]

Update:

I talked with Dave from Alaska Trophy Express and he was very helpful. Looks like $850 total per moose. They'll pick it up from about any freezer facility on their Alaska route and then they have a northern and southern route through the US with multiple stops where you can pick up your animal. I'm going to probably be using this instead!

 

[Chugaglug]

we brought back all the meat and 60" moose skull. we have become "known shippers" with Alaska airlines so we can use the freight desk. Then they also guarantee it will be in freezer facilities in the terminals with reasonable rates (clearly better than additional luggage) and no size/weight restrictions (within reason). Processed as much of the moose in AK as possible, then loaded in coolers and 50 lb fish boxes. Cleaned up the skull as much as possible, wrapped it up with duct tape and garbage bags, put rubber hose chunks on a few of the thinner points and it went in general baggage. Alaska airlines is pretty used to dealing with this.

 

[kipper09]

AK TROPHY EXPEDITERS

www.aktrophyexpediters.com

Not sure but I think these guys can help you maybe. Or at least have some ideas on how to help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Legend]

Alaska airlines "known shipper" is the way to go if they fly to your town. It is a commercial shipping license and is the only way to be confident your meat is handled like food and kept in cold storage. I have used it to send 2 moose and some salmon back to Montana. Only way to go if you want to bring it all home.

 

[Hessticles]

Alaska airlines "known shipper" is the way to go if they fly to your town. It is a commercial shipping license and is the only way to be confident your meat is handled like food and kept in cold storage. I have used it to send 2 moose and some salmon back to Montana. Only way to go if you want to bring it all home.

I checked into them and sounded like it would be anywhere from 2-3$ a lb? I think it would be about half but I would have to pay to get it to Anchorage also

 

[Kevin Dill]

This is a copy/paste of reply I posted on Bowsite. I'll put it here in case it might provide some answers.
___________________________________________________

I recently spoke to an Alaska Air (not Air Cargo) representative about baggage fees. Here's how it works:

First bag: $30 (up to 50 pounds)
Second bag: $40 (up to 50 pounds)
Third bag and thereafter: $100
Antlers: They count as oversized baggage and will cost $100 to fly. Read the restrictions.

The benefit here is that the 'third and beyond' bags can weigh up to 100 pounds AND be oversized (115" limit) but won't exceed the $100 fee. It means you are basically flying meat home at about $1.00 per pound. That's extremely close to what I've paid for Alaska Air Cargo meat shipping. And your meat gets flown all the way to your final destination home. If you can get your meat into boxes weighing 100 pounds and get it frozen in time to fly, this is the fastest and cheapest way for most guys to do it.

Beyond that it comes down to (either you or someone in AK) using Alaska Air Cargo to ship it down. Be aware that Air Cargo only flies to certain airports where they have a terminal. If your nearest terminal is 300 miles (like me) you'll be driving a long distance to get the meat.

And there are other options as well, like Alaska Trophy Express which will bring everything down for around $850. You'll have to arrange for pickup and drop-off of meat, antlers, etc. You'll likely have to drive a fair distance to meet the truck.

Be aware that one of the tougher and critical things is how to get your meat and antlers from the field.....then correctly frozen or prepared for flight....and then on to your departure flight home. There are just so many variables. You might kill a moose just before the end of the hunt. The airlines (or any plane) may not be able to accept your full load of meat, cape and antlers at the time you want. Freezers can fill up. Schedules can go haywire. That's why it makes sense to have a couple options and know how to switch gears quickly. You don't want to be dropped at your hotel with 500 pounds of moose and be trying to figure out what to do when things go off plan.