Taking a chest freezer out West

[Colby3]

For those of you NR who have taken a chest freezer out West to transport your Elk meat back East. What size freezer do you take? I've read that for one boned out elk take a 4 to 5 CF freezer. My other question is do you run the freezer periodically to just keep the meat cold or do you freeze it for the trip back?

 

[Tony Trietch]

I think all the freezers I have used for this are 7cf. but I can fit an elk and deer in one boned out.

Find a spot you can plug it in after you have meat in it. Just a day or night plugged in is enough to put a good freeze to get you home. For that matter if you are driving home immediately after your kill, you can use coolers and ice.

The freezer is key if you have several hunters or even tags in multiple states. Just find a place to plug it in where ever you are hunting. I have met people in small towns and used their garage or even backyard and throw a cheap tarp over the plugged in freezer. Some storage places have electricity too and you can rent a space.

 

[prm]

Dry ice in a cooler works too. A couple pounds on top of some newspapers over the meat will keep meet frozen for two day trip from CO to VA. I think the 4-5 cu ft freezer would be adequate.

 

[tntrker]

I plugged mine in, with gallon jugs of water, the day before leaving to freeze the jugs and have the freezer cold. I was planning on stopping along the way back to SC from MT and plug in at night while I stopped at hotel. I plugged it up once, just to ease my mine, but it wans't needed. I've driven out there again and took a 7cu freezer and a generator. I liked that better as I didn't have to find an outlet or take a 100' extention cord. Check the rules, I had to put the freezer inside my truck while parked on public land due to regulations concerning bears or be fined. I was told that bit of info on here and was confirmed once I started to investigate that "rule".

 

[gman82001]

We’ve taken one every year going on 10 years and mine finally died this season so I ordered this and it’s going to work even better since this doesn’t have the exposed coolant lines like my old one. I paid $30 more this is a crazy good deal

Arctic King 7 Cu ft Chest Freezer, Black
https://www.walmart.com/ip/589721123

 

[Colby3]

I like that idea of freezing jugs of ice in it right before we leave tntrker.

 

[Marble]

The frozen jugs work great. Guys next to us put their freezer on their trailer and plug it in to a generator while they drive. If it runs out of fuel they just fill it when they stop.

We don't freeze ours while we are there. Sometimes it freezes because its hanging. We just pack the super cold quarters in our horse trailer and cover with older sleeping bags. Lasts about 30 hours just fine until we get home.

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[Indian Summer]

Dry ice in 120 quart cooler has worked for 35 years from Pa to Montana ir Wyoming and back.

If I was going to do something like a freezer I’d just get a fridge/freezer from a camper grave yard that runs on propane and use it in camp all week.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Couple options that everyone has mentioned. Bring coolers and get dry ice along the way. Coolers nowadays do great compared with yester-year.

If time allows- I like to have a local butcher “flash freeze” meat for me too which allows for better transpo.


If ever flying - you can cardboard box everything (in big plastic bags) nd then dry ice (limits by airline).


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[bentarrow]

Don't take freezer. Every time we do we don't get no elk. Jinx.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've done that a couple of times and regretted it. I take my chamber sealer and bags now instead and butcher then seal and find some place to get it frozen or do the dry ice. Pack it in coolers for the trip home and it will stay frozen for several days.

 

[jenkinsd]

Dry Ice and coolers. Be careful Dry Ice will burn you.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

YES. I forgot to add that. Not only will it burn you, but definitely insulate the meat somehow from the dry ice. Direct contact with dry ice will freezer burn your meat real bad. Found that out the hard way after a warm weather antelope hunt in MT. I use a piece of plywood in my mega-cooler or stacks of cardboard in the smaller coolers.

 

[Marine4life]

I take a 5 cf and a small generator. The freezer costs less than many ice chests and I just run the genny enough to keep meat frozen. I butcher my elk/deer in camp, vac seal steaks, roasts and back straps and put meat to grind in smaller tubs. Drink whiskey and celebrate before heading east.


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