SW CO help with Butcher or cooler space recommendations

[Jpugs]

Four of us will be hunting Colorado near Rico/Cortez, Telluride area. I am driving out from the east coast and I am trying to find either somewhere to pay for cooler space or a decent butcher just to do a basic cut, wrap & freeze for the 31hr journey back home. I always have done my own butchering ever since a bad experience where I basically had to shave hair off my packaged meat. Never took meat anywhere since. So I am hoping that someone knows of a good butcher ( & rough price) hopefully within an hours drive of the previous stated areas. Also is dry ice readily available in Colorado? Where I live it can be very very hard to get. Thanks in advance

 

[Poser]

I live in Durango and I think your immediate options are thin. I do see “Bane’s Processing” on Google Maps in Cortez but no website and a single 1 star Google review.
“the Buck Stops Here” in pagosa Springs is popular. I’ve never used it but I have eaten sandwiches there. Rocky Mtn General Store in Vallecito doesn’t accept broken down animals.

I’d recommend driving the meat home on ice. I used to do that when I lived in TN and hunted out here and the vast majority of game processors do pathetic work.

 

[Jqualls]

https://colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/FY2015COMeatProcessingPlants.pdf

You could see if anyone on this list would work.

I am not sure if Banes is still running. I used them for a few animals in the past and did not have any complaints with them. Last year I was never able to contact them when I was trying to get a bull processed. Last year I used Cannibal Canyon Custom meat Packing and he did a good job. I will probably use him in the future.

If you got on one of the local facebook buy/sell pages you might be able to find an individual that would let you hang meat until you traveled back. Lots of people in this area have freezers

 

[Nickofthewoods]

+1 for hauling it home on ice. Just use block ice instead of dry and replace as needed. I use digital aquarium thermometers, inexpensive and the cords easily shut inside cooler lids. This way you know the temps without constantly opening and letting cold air out. Im with you and avoid processors.

 

[Brendan]

I drive west from Boston and have hauled two Elk and a deer back with me just boning them out, drying out as much as possible, then wrapping in contractor bags before submerging in ice. Works great.

 

[Jpugs]

Thanks for the replies... that was my concern out of all the research I have done online, mostly all places have very bad reviews. When you guys say drive it home on ice are you referring to regular ice or dry ice? if regular ice, Why that over dry ice out of curiosity? I've never traveled that far with metal with regular ice, but we shot two mulies in NW South Dakota this year and used blocked dry ice and 20lb per deer per cooler kept it frozen rock solid, only downfall was the top was freezer burnt and had to thaw then fillet off where the ice touched. This year I was planning on using a little rack to keep the ice from touching the meat. Also any idea of rough elk butcher fees or cooler fees. Thanks again guys!

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Meat will keep perfectly fine for a week in a cooler as long as it stays on ice, not frozen. I do it intentionally with deer as it has a better flavor and is more tender.

The real issue isn’t driving back, but rather how big of a hassle keeping the meat on ice is for the rest of the hunt it you shoot one on the first or second day.

An elk will pretty much fill a 150 qt cooler, so unless you have a Yeti or similar that size, you’re going to be adding ice daily IMO, if temps are approaching 80.

If that means hiking 5 miles to the truck, driving 30 minutes into town, and reversing that every day like it would have for us, it’s a huge ordeal.

We used Hotchkiss meats and paid $180 ish plus the sausage IIRC, they did a good job but I think we did come out short on backstraps.

I’ve heard great things about Good’s processing, which is about an hour and a half from Telluride.

We were able to find dry ice in Grand Junction and Denver easily at supermarkets, Wal-Mart didn’t have it though. The only reason we were using dry ice is that there wasn’t enough room in the cooler for regular ice, and the meat had already been processed and frozen, so it needed to be kept from defrosting.

 

[elkdog]

I have used banes in Cortez four times and never had any problems. Have not used them the last two years because of tag soup.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Colles at end if town in Pagosa Springs.
Used for years. They do really good.

 

[Laelkhunter]

If near Pagosa Springs, try Hometown Market. They have a regular meat market in the store that processes Elk, and freezes it. They do an excellent, professional job. About $225 for a Bull, and they sell dry ice. If they are out of dry ice, the Wal Mart nearby has plenty.

 

[Wentworth6]

+++ on hauling home. Wee hauled home from rye area out of Pueblo. I love doing my own. Same thing as above comments. No one takes care of your meat like you would.
Depending on time of year ,I have read on here where guys have one cooler full of frozen milk jugs that they do not open until a elk is shot. Then that’s their ice. I’m using that method this year.
Good luck

 

[rayporter]

get two 10lb pieces of dry ice in pagosa and by the time you hit canton ohio a bull will be frozen.