Pronghorn Transporting

[Idahobowhunter1]

My father and I have our first ever Wyoming pronghorn hunt this fall. I was curious if someone could help with what size cooler I should expect a buck antelope to use up. My father and I live in different locations so we will each have our own cooler. I'll be flying back with mine so I'm trying to determine what size I'll need so as to not have a huge cooler with wasted space. We plan on boning the meat out, freezing it all and putting in cooler for short flight home. I guess I would also have to fly the hide and skull back. Haven't decided if I'll use local taxidermist or not.

Any ideas? Thanks everyone!

 

[rlmmatt]

Take a cooler a little bigger than 65qts I took my 65qt cooler out and putt the back 2 quarts with straps, heart along with the cape and head and it was full .
I put dry ice on all sides and flew it back to Orlando it took two days to thaw out in the refrig. Next time I'll take the 85qt so I don't have to carry the front quarters. Use the cooler as your suitcase on the way out and put your stuff in a duffle for the way back.

 

[Idahobowhunter1]

Take a cooler a little bigger than 65qts I took my 65qt cooler out and putt the back 2 quarts with straps, heart along with the cape and head and it was full .
I put dry ice on all sides and flew it back to Orlando it took two days to thaw out in the refrig. Next time I'll take the 85qt so I don't have to carry the front quarters. Use the cooler as your suitcase on the way out and put your stuff in a duffle for the way back.

So the 65 fit everything except the two front quarters? How much did your cooler end up weighing? I'm sure it fell into the oversized category?

 

[Idahobowhunter1]

One other question. Most of the airlines have a policy for flying with dry ice. Says the item with the dry ice must be ventilated. How did you go about doing that? I can't seem to find an answer on that anywhere. I've had all my game meat shipped back to me, which always ends up costing much more than flying so I want to fly with it this time.

 

[wytex]

Open the drain plug or take it out.

 

[shootbrownelk]

If you bone the meat, there isn't a whole lot there even on a big buck antelope. Boned out you may have 40 lbs. Less if you damage some, blood shot etc. Use a local taxidermist.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

If you bone the meat, there isn't a whole lot there even on a big buck antelope. Boned out you may have 40 lbs. Less if you damage some, blood shot etc. Use a local taxidermist.

Good advice! Take the boned out meat home in a small cooler and have a taxi do the mount and ship it to you. It won't cost much more doing that than if you try to take the head and cape back on the plane.

 

[rlmmatt]

I had to pay the 100 over weight limit but I got it all home and a trusted taxidermist due the job and didn't have to pay for the mount to be boxed and shipped it worked fine

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I had to pay the 100 over weight limit but I got it all home and a trusted taxidermist due the job and didn't have to pay for the mount to be boxed and shipped it worked fine

I had a world renown taxidermist in Cody cape mine out and do a shoulder mount and it cost me only $60 to have it shipped from there to MI! He prefers to do the caping himself on antelope so that he knows everything is perfect on his part.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

A few years ago I hunted Wyoming for antelope before my elk hunt. I shot a stout bodied buck. I completely boned him out taking all the meat. I put the different pieces in gallon zip locks and labeled each bag. It all fit in a 34 qt. cooler. I duct taped around the lid and dropped it off at a meat locked I'd made prior arrangement with to be stored in his walk in freezer. After the elk hunt I picked it up, drove home to Oregon and had to wait a couple days for it to thaw out enough to butcher.

 

[rlmmatt]

I guess it all depends on if you want a local taxidermist to due the job or if your bringing the meat cape and head back with you all the responses above should be able to guide you through your decisions

 

[3855WIN]

Think about shipping the meat by UPS. That makes the airport ordeal easier.

 

[Dr. Vette]

My business partner uses a foldable cooler as his carryon if he has to antelope hunt and fly home. Once you debone it, there isn't much there. You can put a head or all the meat in one of them, and it works great.

 

[1_pointer]

A 70qt normal-construction cooler (not a roto-molded super cooler) is about the biggest you can get and not pay oversize fees. More than enough room for a boned pronghorn.

 

[Redman]

Check your airlines restrictions for size and weight for checked baggage. Get a cooler that meets their requirements. I always just buy one at my hunting destination vs taking one with me and paying the extra baggage charge. On my return trip I ship my gear home UPS my cape/heads go in my duffle bag, meat in cooler, and what meat doesn't fit goes in my carry on. I do this with any animal smaller than an elk.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I had no issue getting a good sized antelope buck into a 35 quart cooler with tons of ice.

Most antelope quartered out are 30-35 lbs, the density of meat is around 2 lbs per quart (same as water) in an ideal world which leaves you only needing 15-17 quarts for the antelope themselves. With a soft sided cooler you should have no issue staying under 50 lbs.

 

[Stickerbush]

On a side note, does pronghorn have to be deboned coming from WY to WA? or is this just a concern with deer/elk? I'm headed down there to hunt pronghorn this season as well and this would probably influence my cooler choice

 

[Millsworks]

I debone game when I hunt 800yrds. from my house. Can't ever imagine hauling a bunch of bones across country.
Never hunted western game but it seems even more logical in the west.
You will be surprised how much more you can pack of deboned meat than bone in. You get less actual meat than you think from wild game.
I will certainly be deboning and even processing my game on my hunt in Wyoming this fall.