What do y'all do with meat when bouncing around out west?

[Brandon.miller.4]

There are a lot of ways of doing it. I’ve bounced around with 3 moose for almost a month using coolers, dry ice, occasional stay at an air bnb with a full size freezer. Also have put out an ad on here to use someone’s freezer that worked out well.
I know a lot of people travel with a chest freezer but never found it necessary. If you do need to freeze, dry ice will be cheapest at welding supply stores, not the grocery.

I've never used dry ice, how long will it last?

 

[yfarm]

Thought I was going to have the same situation last year, spoke with a local processor in northern NM, was going to hang the quarters in his cooler, dont remember fee but it wasnt objectionable.

 

[TSAMP]

This is really not difficult. We all know it has to stay cold. Keep your coolers cold for the entire trip, or drop it off. Since your asking, I think you should drop it off once you start your second hunt. You won't have to worry about it then. Don't cheap out on this part. Pay for the freezer space.

 

[Blockcaver]

I would take a chest freezer and Honda EU 1000i generator along. It will start and run my 12-cf ancient Maytag chest freezer or my 6-year old Danbury (Costco) $180 5-cuft freezer. I also take my vacuum sealer, electric knife sharpener and big cutting board along. Has served me well but I likely hunt way more remote locations than your hunt will be without access to ice, dry ice, etc.

I found the 5-cuft freezer will hold a caribou, smaller elk, Dall sheep etc….about 150#s of vacuum sealed meat. A 50 qt ice chest about 50#s of packaged meat by comparison.

Bigger animals or multiples mean the 12-cuft freezer goes. Had lots of room left over with 450#s of vacuum sealed moose last fall. Would handle two mule deer and one elk cut and wrapped. Could always rotate frozen packages to a cooler if all tags got filled.

Good luck!

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I've never used dry ice, how long will it last?

It depends, maybe a day, but you aren’t really using it like ice. Either your meat is already frozen and you hit it with dry ice when I starts to thaw a bit or you can freeze your meat using dry ice on top. The ice is done in a day but now meat has a good freeze and can go 4-5 in the cooler unopened. Just put a towel or cardboard between the meat and ice to prevent burning.

 

[Hoggetter]

Got prepared. If you do fill your tags don't quarter them, bone them out, takes up far less room in ice chest. Strat wet aging process as soon as you get them. Put 1/2" wire rack in bottom of ice chest then a layer of ice, meat on top of that more ice them meat, keep this up until chest is full, last layer of ice to completely cover meat. If chest go in bed of pick leave plug open, if in truck just drain water for chest daily. Make sure to check meat daily and always keep ice layer on top of meat, Leave meat like this for up to 12 days. Meat will be fully wet aged and ready to process. I have done this with eight Elk, comes out great.

This is almost exactly like I do it,

 

[Mojave]

Bear season in New Mexico closes very quickly. You'll be very lucky to have that problem.

 

[SDHNTR]

Reliable brand fish kill bag. They are very well insulated and a hell of a lot easier to manage than a giant Yeti or similar. Take up less space when not needed too. Dry ice as needed.

 

[type2bowhunter]

Bear season in New Mexico closes very quickly. You'll be very lucky to have that problem.

Interesting, when does it typically end?

 

[huntingaddiction]

Can you have a butcher butcher it then come back through to pick it up? Probably cost you a few hundred bucks for two deer but you don't have to worry about the meat that way.

 

[Mojave]

Interesting, when does it typically end?

Not really a typical set of days. There are a mountain of bear guides with hounds. It's over pretty quickly.

When you book a bear hunt, the normal thought is to do it as early as possible. I have bought a bear tag for deer season every year that I have been here. Every year the bear quota has been shut down before my deer/elk season opened. In some units it will last 2 weeks, in more remote units it might last until 1 October.

 

[Reamer13]

There are several good butchers in the Albuquerque area. I would if successful have the butcher process your meat if you punch tags in Colorado, and pick it up when your done. Usually processing time can be about a 1 week or even less if you discuss with the butcher your plans they probably will work with you. Northern NM has butchers as well in the Farmington- Aztec area which you might be passing to get to your hunt in NM

 

[WCB]

Honestly, Just bring it to a butcher if you can make it work along your travel route and schedule.

 

[wind gypsy]

Last fall in WY I dropped a quartered bull with a processor in the morning and had flash frozen and packaged cuts and burger the following morning. That was the best setup i've come across! With some dry ice, i was good leaving it in cheap coleman "extreme" coolers for 4 days in september.

 

[Jimmy]

We've brought a chest freezer in the back of a truck with a camper shell and froze it solid. Then find people, like a butcher, and just ask if you can plug your freezer in at his place and pay him for that. Or pack the top with dry ice and wont have to plug it in for days.

 

[MallardSX2]

I go home when the cooler is full.

You guys don’t have jobs or what? Lol

 

[type2bowhunter]

I go home when the cooler is full.

You guys don’t have jobs or what? Lol

Not in September.

 

[ODB]

Got prepared. If you do fill your tags don't quarter them, bone them out, takes up far less room in ice chest. Strat wet aging process as soon as you get them. Put 1/2" wire rack in bottom of ice chest then a layer of ice, meat on top of that more ice them meat, keep this up until chest is full, last layer of ice to completely cover meat. If chest go in bed of pick leave plug open, if in truck just drain water for chest daily. Make sure to check meat daily and always keep ice layer on top of meat, Leave meat like this for up to 12 days. Meat will be fully wet aged and ready to process. I have done this with eight Elk, comes out great.

Smart! I once won a competition at my school for who could reserve the most from a block of ice over a school day. We were the only ones who sat our ice on a grate to allow melted water to drain. Beat them by a mile.

 

[TaperPin]

You might check a town in New Mexico - ask a local game processor who in town provides cold storage - he might if he has extra room, there might be a cold storage that rents space, or a friend of a friend does it.

 

[CobraChicken]

Decent cooler, get meat cool. Sett on top ice and drain and change ice repeatedly. Cardboard on top ice to prevent soaking helps.

I've driven antelope many miles in August home by this method. Just can't let it soak in my opinion and utilize every gas station