Shipping meat from Alaska to lower 48

[bryan_arnett]

Hi I am currently looking at hunting caribou in fall 2018 and have pretty much narrowed down my transporter to Books Range Aviation. Here is what gets confusing to me because I have never flew before. I have been trying to figure out the best companies that can do shipping to Kentucky. I have looked at a couple shipping companies and I don't know how big the wax boxes will be or what they will weigh per box to get a price estimate. When I do a google search, Alaska air are the first ones that pop up. On their website they have a place for pickup but the closest air port for drop off is 3 hours away. I don't care to drive 3 hours to pick it up, it would just be more convenient to pick it up closer to home. Does anyone know of any other air shippers that can ship to Kentucky or would Alaska air be the best? Where or who would be the best to talk to? This would be my first time out of the lower 48 so all of this is new to me. Would UPS be good to use because they have a large warehouse less than an hour from me? Sorry if I'm rambling, I just don't know much about shipping meat due to me driving with coolers. If someone that has already done this, or knows about all of this, please chime in or p.m. me some info on where to look and talk to I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Bryan Arnett

 

[realunlucky]

Who are you flying with? I'd think if you booked all airfare though Alaskan air once you checked your meat in Alaska they would keep putting it on your aircraft all they way home. I'll measure a box for you shortly. I flew Alaskan air the whole way and changed planes 3 times with no issues. We put 75 lbs in ours and payed oversized fee

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[realunlucky]

27 1/4 by 14 wide by 8 1/2 tall. We flew one at 50lb and as you can see this one was 72lbs and since it was already extra it's was no cost increase up to 75lbs. We also had to box our antlers to get on plane and payed a premium just for the cardboard box and i don't remember what the cost was to get it on our plane. I went with a couple buddies and we bundled our gear and meat and stacked all antlers together to save on costs. Wish I would of taken a picture of us in line trying to check everything

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[bryan_arnett]

I haven't booked anything yet but I'm wanting to use Wrights Air to BRA. Yeah I would hope so as well, I'm going to give them a call in the next few days to double check--the 3 hour away destination part had me worried a little. Thanks for measuring that box, that will help me a ton. I can see where bundling would save a ton. I will definitely keep that in mind. Now I've gotta find someone to go with me! Lol


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[Ray]

It's nearly always cheaper to shop it as checked baggage and pay the fees. Getting it frozen in AK may be the tougher thing to accomplish .


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[elkeaterco]

Try to get a "Known Shipper agreement" from Alaska Air. Its roughly 80 cents a pound plus Sq ft. We shipped back 2 moose heads (71" & 66") 2 Caribou heads (big) 300 ish lbs of meat, and a 25 lb raft for $850 dollars in a refrigerated container. Best deal out there I could find.

 

[bryan_arnett]

Try to get a "Known Shipper agreement" from Alaska Air. Its roughly 80 cents a pound plus Sq ft. We shipped back 2 moose heads (71" & 66") 2 Caribou heads (big) 300 ish lbs of meat, and a 25 lb raft for $850 dollars in a refrigerated container. Best deal out there I could find.

Awesome! I will definitely look into that. Where was that shipped to?


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[bryan_arnett]

It's nearly always cheaper to shop it as checked baggage and pay the fees. Getting it frozen in AK may be the tougher thing to accomplish .


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Wow I hadn't realized that. Thanks for the heads up!


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[mtluckydan]

Hunted with BRA in 2016 and flew with meat in action packer - entire caribou boned out fit in one action packer. I will agree that the hardest part is getting the meat frozen. Unless you are staying several days in Fairbanks after the hunt you are unlikely to get the meat frozen. Some other hunters sent a vacuum sealer to BRA and processed their meat after the hunt. That definitely cut down on the weight going home. We flew with boned out meat but unprocessed. We did not have a scale to check final weight before getting to baggage check in and had to scramble a little with one container slightly over weight. Otherwise, all went well. We were at the maximum amount of checked bags per person because we didn't ship any gear. We chose to fly with everything. Logistics of keeping it cold at the BRA hanger was the hardest part of the process. They are not really set up well to cycle large numbers of hunters with meat through the facility. Most of their freezer space was taken up with meat people donated and left behind.

 

[stratofisher]

Buy a 19.00 48 qt cooler. Put in your 46 lbs of meat frozen and two pounds of dry ice. Perfect fit and weight for checked baggage. Just have to freeze the meat first. Good to still have friends up there.

 

[bryan_arnett]

Hunted with BRA in 2016 and flew with meat in action packer - entire caribou boned out fit in one action packer. I will agree that the hardest part is getting the meat frozen. Unless you are staying several days in Fairbanks after the hunt you are unlikely to get the meat frozen. Some other hunters sent a vacuum sealer to BRA and processed their meat after the hunt. That definitely cut down on the weight going home. We flew with boned out meat but unprocessed. We did not have a scale to check final weight before getting to baggage check in and had to scramble a little with one container slightly over weight. Otherwise, all went well. We were at the maximum amount of checked bags per person because we didn't ship any gear. We chose to fly with everything. Logistics of keeping it cold at the BRA hanger was the hardest part of the process. They are not really set up well to cycle large numbers of hunters with meat through the facility. Most of their freezer space was taken up with meat people donated and left behind.

I see. I'll keep all that in mind. What is an action packer? Is it like a cooler or a tote? I googled it and all I could find was a Rubbermaid storage tote


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[bryan_arnett]

Buy a 19.00 48 qt cooler. Put in your 46 lbs of meat frozen and two pounds of dry ice. Perfect fit and weight for checked baggage. Just have to freeze the meat first. Good to still have friends up there.

It sure sounds that way lol. Average how many of those 48 qt coolers would I need? I guess what I'm asking is, roughly how many lbs of meat should I expect to get off one?


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[mtluckydan]

It is a tote. Coolers are heavier and have less space. Action packer was the best choice to fit an entire caribou in with one container and they are tough enough. Also, relatively inexpensive. There is a Fred Meyer store not far from the Fairbanks airport which is where you can buy just about anything. Alaska air will let you fly with up to 100 lbs in one container. I'm not sure about other airlines. We fit two caribou into two action packers with just a little extra meat that we put into another piece of luggage. If we had a way to check weights before going to the airport we would not have had to move meat at the airport. Even if you get the meat partially frozen before flying it will be fine for one day of travel. If you are traveling for more than a day it may not work. With de-boned meat there is enough mass to keep it well chilled for a day of travel. We did not use any ice. If traveling longer you could probably use a little dry ice which wouldn't take up much weight. We were at the airline limit of baggage for each person. I had a hard case, a large duffel bag, a carry-on and a personal item as well as the tote. They told us that was the maximum amount of checked bags we could have. After trimming and processing I ended up with 77 lbs of meat in the freezer if that helps with the amount. We were at just a little over two hundred pounds of unprocessed meat for two caribou including neck and rib meat which you are required to harvest. We wrote our names, addresses and contents on the lid of the action packer with magic marker and then just taped them up. We did not travel with antlers. We are having them shipped by a local taxidermist. One set is being preserved with velvet and getting measured for P&Y so they were not split. If you are traveling with antlers it is easier to split the skull. They have a cordless sawzall in BRA hanger for cutting skull and most people did this. Wrights Air will fly with them intact for an extra fee. Hope this helps.

 

[TheCougar]

I'm doing research for a moose hunt and there are other options for meat transport. Some guys drive and drag a freezer with them and just bring the meat back that way. Another option is a meat truck. There is a guy who does meat freight at the end of the season and charges $750 to bring back your animal. I'm assuming that includes the rack. That is a valid option for moose, just due for the sheer size and weight.

 

[bryan_arnett]

It is a tote. Coolers are heavier and have less space. Action packer was the best choice to fit an entire caribou in with one container and they are tough enough. Also, relatively inexpensive. There is a Fred Meyer store not far from the Fairbanks airport which is where you can buy just about anything. Alaska air will let you fly with up to 100 lbs in one container. I'm not sure about other airlines. We fit two caribou into two action packers with just a little extra meat that we put into another piece of luggage. If we had a way to check weights before going to the airport we would not have had to move meat at the airport. Even if you get the meat partially frozen before flying it will be fine for one day of travel. If you are traveling for more than a day it may not work. With de-boned meat there is enough mass to keep it well chilled for a day of travel. We did not use any ice. If traveling longer you could probably use a little dry ice which wouldn't take up much weight. We were at the airline limit of baggage for each person. I had a hard case, a large duffel bag, a carry-on and a personal item as well as the tote. They told us that was the maximum amount of checked bags we could have. After trimming and processing I ended up with 77 lbs of meat in the freezer if that helps with the amount. We were at just a little over two hundred pounds of unprocessed meat for two caribou including neck and rib meat which you are required to harvest. We wrote our names, addresses and contents on the lid of the action packer with magic marker and then just taped them up. We did not travel with antlers. We are having them shipped by a local taxidermist. One set is being preserved with velvet and getting measured for P&Y so they were not split. If you are traveling with antlers it is easier to split the skull. They have a cordless sawzall in BRA hanger for cutting skull and most people did this. Wrights Air will fly with them intact for an extra fee. Hope this helps.

That helps a ton! All this info has been very helpful, and hopefully it will help someone else as well!


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[bryan_arnett]

I'm doing research for a moose hunt and there are other options for meat transport. Some guys drive and drag a freezer with them and just bring the meat back that way. Another option is a meat truck. There is a guy who does meat freight at the end of the season and charges $750 to bring back your animal. I'm assuming that includes the rack. That is a valid option for moose, just due for the sheer size and weight.

That is a good option, I would love to drive it and bring it all back with me at one time. There isn't anything better then seeing all the sights along to way.


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[elkeaterco]

Fairbanks to SLC.

Awesome! I will definitely look into that. Where was that shipped to?


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[bryan_arnett]

Thats not to bad. A lot better then what I figured. Thanks for the help!

 

[Jimss]

As mentioned above it's a lot cheaper shipping with your airline baggage than paying someone to send it to you. I've an action packer this past fall. I loaded frozen mtn goat cape inside a sleeping bag with coats and other things wrapped around it. It was still froze when I got to Colorado (12 hours later). I'm not sure if I would trust meat in an action packer. If it thawed it might leak all over the place (unless shrink wrapped?). Action packers have no insulation. I bought several insulated fish boxes for salmon and halibut and it was all still froze when I got home. The largest fish boxes hold around 50 lbs which is around the limit (without penalty) on airlines. One time I had jumbo 100 lb cooler that I bought at Walmart in Anchorage. They charged me excess baggage charges which was still reasonable. A boned out caribou really isn't that much meat. I wouldn't expect it to be more than 1 or 2 boxes/coolers and $200 at most on Alaska Air?

 

[Jimss]

Here you go:
Checked baggage fees and policies | Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines first bag $25, 2nd bag $25, each additional bag $75. Bigger and heavier bags have additional fees.