To fly or drive

[FlyGuy]

Couldn't agree more......and you get to see some remarkable landscape you may have not seen previously.

I’d personally like to put all those extra hours of drive time into more days hunting, but since this is guided it probably won’t matter. If you have the vacation days then go for it. But on DIY trips, I want to spend ever bit of time I have on the Mtn and not on an interstate.




You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[md126]

Ship gear out 2 weeks early then fly with only a carry on. Same process for return trip (except for the 2wk part)

Have processor ship meat to you when they’re done.

I personally wouldn’t want to start my elk hunt after a 23hr drive.
Good luck on the hunt

 

[SteveCNJ]

I also drive. Once with a buddy from NJ to Colorado and the second time solo from NJ to Wyoming. Moved to SC so driving from here to Colorado this year. The rub is my hunting buddy is still in NJ. Maybe meet in Iowa but where to leave his vehicle?

The pic below was last October from my trip back from Jackson, WY to Oakland, NJ. It includes 4 hours of sleep in a rest area.

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[Jkuhn22]

I have done both. Flying out is very easy. All my gear in my exo 3500 pack and bow case ( if you need more space that that you are overpacked). I go unguided, archery, on public land.......success rates are pretty low, so I figure I will just deal with the meat when I kill one. Plan would be to keep the rental truck and drive the rest of the way home.
i really enjoyed the drive out and back, But 35 hours each direction is nuts. Uses extra vacation, gas, hotels, food, and I need to get home to rescue the wife from the kids after 7 days.

 

[fatlander]

Book a one way plane ticket. Hunt. If you kill something rent a one way rental international to international airport (that’s how you avoid drop fees) and drive the meat home. If unsuccessful, buy another one way flight home.

Don’t make it harder than it has to be. Driving across the country is nostalgic one time, but then you’re already dog tired when you hit the mountains. It’s even worse driving home tired as hell from a hunt with an unpunched tag.


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[TSAMP]

I also drive. Once with a buddy from NJ to Colorado and the second time solo from NJ to Wyoming. Moved to SC so driving from here to Colorado this year. The rub is my hunting buddy is still in NJ. Maybe meet in Iowa but where to leave his vehicle?

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Might be able to help you out with the vehicle thing. PM me if you end up wanting to do that. Live right off I80 in iowa.

 

[jmez]

I'd ship my gear and fly. We have guy that does it every year except 1. He drive once, won't do it again. Pretty easy to get meat and horns on a plane.

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[Trial153]

Depends, I have done both more times then I can count. 25 to 35 hours drives can be brutal alone.

 

[woods89]

This shows how different we all are.....
I've done both, but was not successful either time. Barring the unexpected, I will be flying in the future with the idea of renting a vehicle if successfull and driving my meat home, although it does appear that flying it home is definitely an option, also. Flying for me was easy. I highly recommend Southwest as an air carrier.
The time I drove i had about 16 hours in my pickup by myself in one long day. My house is at about 1,000' of elevation. The next morning we were up at 3:30 to drive up to our hunting area, which topped out at about 11,000'. It took me a few days and a bit of suffering to get over the fatigue. Flying allowed me to show up well rested and gave me a bit more time in CO to prepare before we hit the mountains. Obviously I could have taken a bit more time off and achieved the same thing with driving, but it would have cost me an extra day off.
This is a choice we all have to figure out for ourselves, though. Even trip to trip variances can change what works best.

 

[njdoxie]

Fly then drive if successful.

I still can’t understand how you guys fly meat home. Believer me I want to fly. Let’s say you have 200lbs of meat. That’s at least 3 overweight bags. That’s if you ship your gear home. Then what do you do with skull and antlers.

I only fly (right for some, wrong for others), I have brought the antlers as another piece of checked luggage, but now I just give them away in CO and only bring the meat back, I don't need any more antlers.

I have driven once before, but never again...it was 27 hours one way, and at the end of the hunt, I just want to be home. Now it's 32 hours one way, no way in hell am I doing that unless the airlines shut down. Getting everything back is simple for me, BUT I have a friend in CO who keeps a lot of my gear for me. I just pay overage on the airline.

 

[njdoxie]

Definitely fly.

If you are hunting with a guide then you know EXACTLY how many days you are hunting, so planning the flight shouldn’t be an issue (that’s my biggest problem with flying for DIY hunts, as I might decide to extend my trip by a few days but have no signal to push back a flight, it can be managed but it’s a bit of a pain).

You also have family there so you may not have to even rent a car if they will pick you up. That’s perfect.

Don’t buy coolers, use insulated shipping boxes and some dry ice from a grocery. Then, ship all your gear home by UPS/FedEx and take your meat with you as carry on and checked luggage in those boxes. This will be significantly cheaper than trying to overnight meat across the country.





You can’t cheat the mountain

Exactly how do you get those insulated shipping boxes? Who do you speak to at the grocery store?

 

[tsloniger]

Always a tough decision. I fly from PA to Boise or Spokane depending on my final destination for the year. I only drove once and it was 38 hours, just way to long, cuts into hunting time.

shipping meat is super expensive. my son and I shipped 2 processed cows one year. Processing and shipping was $900.00 now if successful we ship our cloths, bows, gear home ups ground and take the meat on the plane with us. The first 200# cost us app. $60 each, then it starts to ge a little more expensive for additional coolers. I usually just leave some meat with my driving buddies.

 

[Doc Holliday]

If I were you I would fly, but time is the most valuable thing to me. I am an employee of a company with limited time off, and I also like being at home.

Other people, especially those who set their own hours, have more time to burn and less people to answer to. Some folks also like to be away from home as long as possible. Everybody's situation is different.

 

[JSWI]

Interesting information here.... I have always drove, but I have had the idea of saving time and being able to spend more time hunting and less time traveling. The logistics of flying always seem like more work than its worth though.

 

[Dos Perros]

Sometimes driving all night is faster than flying. Just depends. I'd do whatever got me one more morning or evening glassing session.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I also drive. Once with a buddy from NJ to Colorado and the second time solo from NJ to Wyoming. Moved to SC so driving from here to Colorado this year. The rub is my hunting buddy is still in NJ. Maybe meet in Iowa but where to leave his vehicle?

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Long term parking at an airport or or a month rental at storage facility if no airport close...I have done both no issues.

 

[SteveCNJ]

Long term parking at an airport or or a month rental at storage facility if no airport close...I have done both no issues.

Great ideas thank you!!

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[Packin_packout]

I have done the long term thing at SLC ( Diamond ) / DEN (Wally's) / Billings / Bozeman / ABQ (Sun something or other) w/o issue all the time up until this whole covid mess hit. Leave a gps beacon in it in case you have to go hunting for it & the driver later. PHX has been a problem for F-250's, seems they get picked up and driven down to Tohono Ono res for drug smuggling down there.

I have done both the flying / driving approach. Flying with meat is always fun. I've had all sorts of different repsonse SLC...first lady when she saw the frozen heart screamed...second lady asked what broadhead, kids javelina in a carryon in PHX, guy said bag check for cantelope...female TSA agent screamed when saw an antelope in DEN, multiple turkeys. Nothing with really pointy horns like deer or bear claws yet. A couple of things....
a. Buy a saltwater fish scale ahead of time for having your bags weighed
b. Dry run carrying all clothes into rifle case / bow case. One set of civvies for flight there and use it for way back
c. Grab a shower at the truck stop to wash the blood off your hands before you get on airplane...otherwise you will get questions...flying J...it is worth the 12 bucks.
d. Day pack / rollerboard ( which is never weighed ) can be stuffed to brim..heavy duty trashbags...mylar backed bubble wrap makes good insulation they use it in alaska for the fish boxes. I can fit elk backstraps, tenders, optics, boned out shoulders in one. It is almost too heavy to lift. Then more meat in the day pack...wrapped in my puffy.
e. REI duffel bags can fit sleeping bag filled with boned quarters. ( yes I know not good practice for subsequent trips in grizzly country )
f. They actually don't care if it is frozen...just not leaking as far as I can tell. You will have your bags opened...leave a roll of tape in there a note...please seal me up...about 75% of the time they do.
g. Prescout out places with dry ice for getting stuff cold enough...dump it out at rental car place...do not do what my teenage son did and toss the dry ice in the trash can at the ABQ airport check in area....I had to have him go tell security that he did something stupid that it was just dry ice.

Southwest is your friend...two bags fly free...stick to direct flights if at all possible. So far have brought back two elk, at least three javelina, multiple deer and turkeys w/o issue. I think I have had to pay for an extra bag once so far.

 

[FlyGuy]

Exactly how do you get those insulated shipping boxes? Who do you speak to at the grocery store?

The boxes will be at any shipping store (ups, FedEx, etc). The dry ice can usually be found at grocery stores, but you may need to call a few or do an internet search. Easy to do before your trip.




You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Harveli]

This will be my first trip elk hunting trip so I chose to fly rather than drive if I harvest a animal I will figure it out when the time comes
Southwest was $99 to Denver $119
back to Indy there is no way I would even attempt to drive solo for 22 hours each way for that price