Shipping meat back

[Ghetto]

What is the best plan of action for taking care of meat and getting it back home on an elk hunt where you fly?

I live in South Carolina.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Are there any processors near where you are going to be hunting, or fly in/out of? And if so, do you know if they have the ability to ship meat to you, and if so, what the approximate cost is? If no processors are around, is there a UPS or FedEx location?

Either way, I would use 2 large coolers as luggage on your flight on the way out. Put your clothes and gear in them with empty duffle bags. On way back the coolers have meat in them, and your clothes and gear go into the duffles and become extra luggage.

But 2 70# coolers are not going to hold an elk. The answers to the questions above should help guide your plan for getting the rest of it back.



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[TNKnoxville]

We looked into it last year for our hunt in CO. We live in TN the estimated cost for the 200 +lbs of meat we each had was over a $1,000! One of the guys shipped his back to CA and it was $1,500. We decided to drive!!!! We had it processed and flash frozen at a local place.

 

[Dcoryn]

I shipped two 70 pound coolers loaded with frozen meat to my hunting partners from Wyoming to Virginia and new york for 120$ each, Id say it would take between 3 and 4 of those depending on the size of your elk and how shot up it is by the time it gets to the butcher

 

[Dcoryn]

fedex and UPS were over 350$ each for the same size cooler, we shipped with USPS

 

[sasquatch]

Been looking into this because I’m debating flying instead of driving for now on.

Best I can come up with is, if ya kill just skip ya flight home and drive a one way rental car with the meat


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[ScreamingPotato]

You'll want a private courier service of some sort, don't think you're going to be happy going UPS/FedEx type route for stuff like this. Since you're going to the airport anyway, you may look at air freight. I think most of the airlines have some sort of cargo service. I used to order hundreds of lbs of live rock (aquarium stuff) regularly and always picked it up at the airport cargo. Shipping would only be $80 or so for the first 100 lbs and then was pretty cheap after that.

 

[Indian Summer]

Ship your clothes and gear home because you won’t have to pay for 2 or 3 day shipping. Take coolers of meat as luggage on the plane. Don’t go over 50 pounds so you don’t get robbed for the overweight fee. Instead take a 3rd cooler and pay for an extra bag. You could even squeeze some into a soft sided cooler as a carry on to keep your luggage at 3 pieces.

 

[traviswdalton]

Just shipped 240lbs from New Mexico to SC cost $850 shipping. Coolers cost $250 and processing was $300. Plus $200 to ship cape and antlers to taxidermist. I don’t know if getting a rental and driving back is any cheaper after you figure gas motel food and time. You still have to pay for coolers and processing. Next time I’m going to book my return flight first class and fly back with the meat. You get 50lbs extra free and you can change departure time without penalty.


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[isItFallYet]

Killed a big 6 point bull and dropped off at processors (Deemos Ennis, MT). Arrived today via Fedex. It came in 4 large boxes and frozen solid. Cost for shipping and processing to Knoxville, TN area was less than $600. Very impressed with the quality of processing and price point.

 

[sasquatch]

oh I don't think itd really be any cheaper, just less to deal with if its toward the end of your trip and stuff. Just seems like easier logistically

 

[Jimss]

I had 4 x 50 lb salmon boxes back from an Alaska trip and it was around $200 total on Alaska Airlines. I believe your first 2 x 50 lb bags are free on both Alaska and SW Air. Each additional bag is around $50. It's likely a chunk cheaper to fly with your meat. Depending on the time of year and location you may not need dry ice for the trip home. Make sure to bone the meat so there is less weight. As mentioned above don't pack each container with more than 50 lbs or the max weight allowed/bag so you aren't charged extra. Not all airlines are created equally and extra bag charges can add up quickly....shop around!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

We drive from California to Minnesota every whitetail season and bring the meat back with us. We butcher it and pack it ourselves. Freeze it and then put it in coolers for the 30 hour drive home. Driving is something to think about.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Air Cargo by Southwest Airlines-Same Day Cargo and Freight

www.swacargo.com

Rates for perishables (meat): https://www.swacargo.com/swacargo_com_ui/content/ship/assets/pdfs/SSMeatPoultryFood.pdf

 

[zm378205]

When flying I find that the Yeti Hopper (or similar) is the best way to check meat on the plane. This allows for the greatest meat to cooler ratio. But also if driving is an option then sometimes that makes the most sense as well.

 

[Jorge400]

Good info in this thread thus far. Just for comparison purposes, below are Delta's baggage fees. We looked into this last week, along with shipping UPS, USPS, etc. before we said the heck with it and drove home:

1st checked bag - $30
2nd checked bag - $40
3rd checked bag - $150
4th checked bag - $200
overweight 51-70 lbs - $100
overweight bag - 71-100 lbs - $200

 

[Heathashburn]

I’m doing a Utah trip in the next few years from Georgia. Haven’t even thought about this part yet. Good question. I’ve checked salmon and halibut from Alaska on the plane, but not near as much meat as an elk will be.

 

[upnorth452]

You'll want a private courier service of some sort, don't think you're going to be happy going UPS/FedEx type route for stuff like this. Since you're going to the airport anyway, you may look at air freight. I think most of the airlines have some sort of cargo service. I used to order hundreds of lbs of live rock (aquarium stuff) regularly and always picked it up at the airport cargo. Shipping would only be $80 or so for the first 100 lbs and then was pretty cheap after that.

This.

 

[Ynothunt41]

I just drive and save a lot of money.

 

[grey12345]

What is the best plan of action for taking care of meat and getting it back home on an elk hunt where you fly?

I live in South Carolina.

Where did you shoot the elk? I drive through CO on my way to KY for Christmas. Not the first time I've transported elk back to the east for someone.