Flying and Shipping Meat -- Coues/Javelina Hunt, AZ, 2020.....best methods?

[Wrong Burgundy]

Not completely sure if this is the right place for this post, but will at least start here. For an upcoming January 2020 Coues deer/Javelina hunt, the plan is to fly down (likely into Tucson) rent a rig, hunt, etc. and if all goes well, have a deer and/or javelina on the ground. What is the collective advice on best way to get meat/skull/antlers home? Dry ice and cooler duct taped shut and flown back? Soft cooler as a carry-on? Other carriers/shipments? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I have hauled a fair amount of meat, via airplane, in my RTIC softside cooler. If you can find them on sale (you can find them for sub-$100), or borrow one, they work great. Just make sure you leave the zipper open a tooth or two as they are airtight and will burst if checked. When I have done it, I got the meat as cold or frozen as I could, and then closed it up. Mine will keep meat frozen for days.

 

[glass eye]

Get a large dry bag and put your game in it surrounded by your sleeping bag or clothes for insulation. I have brought back game this way from Alaska, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

 

[Rzrbck918]

The last time I did it was via UPS. I froze the meat and packed in a Styrofoam cooler. I like the soft-sided cooler as a carry on idea though, depending on the amount of meat.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

For reference. My RTIC 40-can softside will hold 50lbs of meat. The nice thing is that the cooler itself weighs hardly anything, so you can fill it to the gills. I would guess you could get a whole Cous and a Javelina in there if boned out.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Lots of ways to do it and depends on your air carriers baggage policy. Typically it's the same price to check 1 100lb bag as 2 50lbs therefore.

Flight down
Carry on - Hunt pack
Checked bags- gun/bow case + cooler with other gear in it, pack an extra duffel bag in cooler.

Flight back
Carry on- Hunt pack
Check bags- gun/bow case + cooler full of meat + duffel filled with extra gear.

A cheap coleman 85 weighs like 25lbs so that gives you 75lbs of boned out meat...that should be enough space for your trip.

You can also skip the cooler and just put the meat in a dry bag and carry it on the plane, this works on AK airlines, I got a boned out caribou in my carry on... I'm not sure I would try it on delta or united.

 

[LaSportsman]

But you can't transport the skull unless properly cleaned. CWD restrictions for most states and just best practice not to do it. Definitely can't transfer a whole skull into AZ. Check state by state (MT?) for inbound.

 

[RobG]

A container of frozen meat travels pretty well even without dry ice (as long as the airlines doesn't lose it). My question is, where would you typically find a place that will freeze it?

 

[mrjashu]

Meh, just leave it at my house

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

A container of frozen meat travels pretty well even without dry ice (as long as the airlines doesn't lose it). My question is, where would you typically find a place that will freeze it?

Some hotels will let you toss it in their walk-in, but a block of dry ice will freeze a cooler of meat pretty solid.

 

[Bigjay73]

A coues and a javi? You can fit that amount of meat in your cargo pants pockets lol.