Too much Elk meat

[danarnold]

This is a problem we are hoping to have an a couple months, 2 of us are going to Colorado for Archery elk for a week, heading directly to New Mexico for 2nd Archery.
We have a small freezer that we bring on a trailer with a Honda gen, IF we both tag out (wishful thinking) were gonna have a problem on keeping meat cold for the next 1000 miles home.
Have a couple large coolers but typically put bone in quarters in the freezer and process when we get home.
I have a couple large coolers but have no desire to change ice all the way home.
2 animals I’m prepared for, above that will be the problem.

Ideas appreciated

 

[cnelk]

Dry ice

 

[Where's Bruce?]

No prob. Do this. Drop the elk with a local meat processor for aging, cutting, wrapping and freezing. Unties your coolers for additional hunts. Once you pick it up you can add dry ice to top as needed but for 1000 miles I doubt you'll need to. Once cut each elk won't need more than a 150qt cooler, many will fit in a 120.

 

[Brendan]

If you get animals in Colorado early - time to pony up, get it processed and frozen for you in CO, and then stop back there on your way home to pick it up. Or, you have to process, freeze, and keep it frozen yourself.

NM shouldn't be an issue - I've had Elk on ice for 10 days - 2 weeks before getting it cut and frozen without any issue. I bone it out, let it dry as much as possible, put it in plastic bags in a cooler and submerge in ice until processing.

 

[Don K]

Take the animals from Co, to NM have them processed there while you are hunting in NM.

 

[AGPank]

Debone in the field. This will make packing out and storage much easier too. (Or my grandpa used to say take salt and pepper with you).


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[philos]

Dry ice

This

 

[5MilesBack]

Back in the 90's when I was stationed in CA, I hauled a couple coolers full for the 18 hour drive. I used dry ice and even spent the night in Vegas with high temps. When I got to my house more than 24 hours later, I opened the coolers and all the meat was frozen solid. I only used a block in each cooler on top of cardboard.

 

[Bulldawg]

Kill 2 elk in Colorado, debone, freeze in your freezer on the trailer and keep it running for your time in New Mexico. Better yet, find someone in New Mexico that will let you keep the freezer plugged in at their house or shop. Then kill 2 elk in New Mexico, get them on ice in coolers and travel on home. When you get there cut up the meat in the cooler and you have a while before you absolutely need to thaw the other meat out and cut it up.

 

[Southforkguy]

You can rotate the meat from the freezer into the coolers and so forth.