Out of State Hunter Meat Transportation

[BKHunter]

Hello All,

I was curious how people who fly into the states to hunt deal with getting the meat home from their hunting grounds if you are flying. I have a few basic questions below, and I know I am leaving something out so was curious what everyone's tactics are.

1. Do you buy the cooler at your destination?
2. Do you ask the processor to ship the meat?
3. Do you fly it home on the plane?
a. If you do how do you handle getting it frozen down and packed?
b. Is there a limit on how much you can fly home?

I am going elk hunting in September in CO and am trying to have this process locked down in the even I achieve my goal of harvesting an Elk. Thanks all for any tips and advice.

BK

 

[dmandoes]

i sent you my phone# by pm

 

[LCH]

This year will be the first I've had to worry about it, I drive whenever I can. I'm going to buy a big cooler or 2 when I get out there, cut/package my meat if I kill, freeze it with dry ice, wrap the cooler seals with duct tape, then ground ship it home via Fed-Ex.

I have no idea if this is the best way, but that's my plan.

 

[mixedbag]

I just buy a cooler if successful and fly it home with me.Smaller coolers are better as weight limit is still 50lbs before getting charged more.Bone out your elk,and try and freeze it and then just pay the extra bag fees.I never looked into Fed-x which may be cheaper with how much airlines rip you off for extra bags.You'll also have to wrap your antlers good,and most likely split them.It was a better deal to have my elk euro done in Co then shipped home cost wise the one time I flew out for an elk hunt.My other fly in hunts were to Alaska and ground shipping would be crazy expensive

 

[Jwill]

This is how I've done it a couple times. On the way out as much gear as will fit gets stuffed into the blue cooler and black duffel. The red cooler was purchased after the kill.

 

[1_pointer]

This year will be the first I've had to worry about it, I drive whenever I can. I'm going to buy a big cooler or 2 when I get out there, cut/package my meat if I kill, freeze it with dry ice, wrap the cooler seals with duct tape, then ground ship it home via Fed-Ex.

I have no idea if this is the best way, but that's my plan.

Be sure to check the airline regs on dry-ice in luggage. IIRC many limit the amount and require that the coolers have a gas relief valve. Just something to check.

I've flown with meat a couple of times. Some I've bought the coolers beforehand and used them as luggage as shown. Works well and a 70qt cooler is about as big as you can go without getting into oversize baggage fees. Other times I've bought coolers at Walmart after filling a tag. This works well if you have a processor or other way to freeze the meat before leaving. No problems doing it this way. Even without ice, none of the meat was even close to thawing by the time it got home.

Watch your weights and sizes as the extra bag fees can really add up. My bag check fees from ID to IN were over $700 with overweight, over #, etc penalties. If at all possible, consider shipping your clothes/gear home. IME, it's cheaper and I like the less hassle of more bags at the airport to deal with.

 

[LCH]

Thanks pointer. I'll be shipping with FedEx, it appears to be cheaper than flying it. They also have dry ice restrictions, but I plan to already have it fully frozen when I drop off for shipment. Fully frozen meat in a fully packed cooler ought to be fine.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Thanks pointer. I'll be shipping with FedEx, it appears to be cheaper than flying it. They also have dry ice restrictions, but I plan to already have it fully frozen when I drop off for shipment. Fully frozen meat in a fully packed cooler ought to be fine.

What kind of shipping prices are you getting? I'm trying to decide the best way to get meat home. I've heard that shipping was crazy expensive.

PM me, if you'd rather.

Thanks.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Deleted

 

[1_pointer]

What kind of shipping prices are you getting? I'm trying to decide the best way to get meat home. I've heard that shipping was crazy expensive.

PM me, if you'd rather.

Thanks.

To be clear, I flew my meat home with me and shipped my gear back. That's the most cost efficient way I've done it. The time I had to fly everything at once is where it got expensive as I was into overweight and over number charges.

 

[N2TRKYS]

To be clear, I flew my meat home with me and shipped my gear back. That's the most cost efficient way I've done it. The time I had to fly everything at once is where it got expensive as I was into overweight and over number charges.

Ok. Have you ever run into any issues with the bag check folks not wanting to take it?

 

[1_pointer]

Ok. Have you ever run into any issues with the bag check folks not wanting to take it?

Nope. Be sure to print out their rules, follow them, and have them with you in case they question it. I've been lucky in the times I've flown with meat, it's been frozen before going into the cooler. No ice needed. If you need to pack with dry ice, there's a few more rules.

FWIW, a 70qt cooler is about the biggest you can get and not be oversized. One fully loaded with frozen meat will be about 90# or so. You'll be overweight, but the penalty really jumps up if you are over 100#.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Nope. Be sure to print out their rules, follow them, and have them with you in case they question it. I've been lucky in the times I've flown with meat, it's been frozen before going into the cooler. No ice needed. If you need to pack with dry ice, there's a few more rules.

FWIW, a 70qt cooler is about the biggest you can get and not be oversized. One fully loaded with frozen meat will be about 90# or so. You'll be overweight, but the penalty really jumps up if you are over 100#.

Thanks for the info. Last year I packed frozen breast meat from 3 turkeys in my checked luggage (no cooler) with no issues. Didn't think that would work with an elk. Lol

 

[Hunting Wife]

This year will be the first I've had to worry about it, I drive whenever I can. I'm going to buy a big cooler or 2 when I get out there, cut/package my meat if I kill, freeze it with dry ice, wrap the cooler seals with duct tape, then ground ship it home via Fed-Ex.

I have no idea if this is the best way, but that's my plan.

As dry ice melts, it becomes CO2 rather than water. The gas will build up until it eventually either ruptures your container or blows the lid off if you seal it up completely. It has to be able to vent. If you are really going to use Fed-Ex, this might be helpful.

http://images.fedex.com/us/services/pdf/Dry_Ice_Job_Aid.pdf

We used to ship samples on dry ice with Fed-Ex all the time. It worked great, but definitely not cheap.

 

[LCH]

Thanks Hunting Wife. I actually meant freeze it with dry ice, then ship it frozen. Not actually ship it with dry ice still in the cooler. I'm aware of the extra hassles of shipping or flying with dry ice.

Another option, if I have time, might be to drop the meat off at a local processor for freezing prior to shipping.

I don't remember prices exactly, but I used Fed-Ex's calculator tool. I ship environmental samples at work all the time and haven't lost any yet, so I'm confident the meat and cape will be fine.

 

[Sorin]

Nope. Be sure to print out their rules, follow them, and have them with you in case they question it. I've been lucky in the times I've flown with meat, it's been frozen before going into the cooler. No ice needed. If you need to pack with dry ice, there's a few more rules.

FWIW, a 70qt cooler is about the biggest you can get and not be oversized. One fully loaded with frozen meat will be about 90# or so. You'll be overweight, but the penalty really jumps up if you are over 100#.

What airlines did you use?