Shipping from Mizzoula

[hoganfireman]

Folks,

If I'm lucky enough to tag a bull i'l be looking to either ship from Mizzoula via FedEx, (I know it's $$$$) or take it back with me via Delta airlines. What is my best plan of attack? Has anyone been able to fly the meat home with them and shipped their gear back? Please help!

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

Folks,

If I'm lucky enough to tag a bull i'l be looking to either ship from Mizzoula via FedEx, (I know it's $$$$) or take it back with me via Delta airlines. What is my best plan of attack? Has anyone been able to fly the meat home with them and shipped their gear back? Please help!

I live in Belgrade, and we have shipped meat before, but typically we send it on a plane. Just make sure it is frozen and it ships quite well.

 

[Werty]

Mail your hunting gear, check you Cooler on the plane. Its cheaper! Make sure you get insurance on your hunting gear when you mail it

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Meat is dense, meaning that you can put a lot of weight in very little space. My route has been to carry on as much as possible.

My recommendations
1. Bow or rifle case, get one as large as possible, put everything expensive/heavy/can't be carried in here get it to 50lbs exactly
2. Big duffel bag, put bulky items and meat in here pay the excessive weight charge and max it to 70lbs (50lb meat, 20lb of gear). ($100 charge)
3. Second duffle: 50lbs of meat alone. ($150) charge for 3rd bag
3. Use your backpack as a carry-on bag put 75lbs of meat in here.
4. Bring a small dry bag and put 30lb of meat in that put it under the seat, carry-on
5. Have your mount done in MT and shipped to you.

I like duffles because they weigh nothing so you max out your lbs and you can easy put one duffle inside the first so you don't have lots of fees on the way out.

I won't lie travelling this way is super uncomfortable, but you will get your mount + meat back to wherever for $400 in fees.

The caveat here is that you have to have your meat frozen to get through TSA, so you need to figure out how to leave your meat in a freezer for 24 hours before you board.

 

[JoltnJoe]

Get it frozen, buy light cheapo coolers or prefab styro cooler/cardboard box combo (available from most processers for approximately $30 each.) Make sure each item is less than 50 lbs in total and check the items. You might have 4-5 extra checked bags, but it'll still be a hell of a lot cheaper than shipping. Last time I flew home on frontier and extra checked bags were only $50 bucks a pop.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Get it frozen, buy light cheapo coolers or prefab styro cooler/cardboard box combo (available from most processers for approximately $30 each.) Make sure each item is less than 50 lbs in total and check the items. You might have 4-5 extra checked bags, but it'll still be a hell of a lot cheaper than shipping. Last time I flew home on frontier and extra checked bags were only $50 bucks a pop.

You have to check the baggage policy and plan it out delta is $200 for a bag beyond the 3rd.

 

[JoltnJoe]

You have to check the baggage policy and plan it out delta is $200 for a bag beyond the 3rd.

Yet another reason I don’t fly delta, ever.

 

[targetpanic]

3 of us brought back 3 mule deer last year on the plane. It worked out perfect.
First guy had rifle case $25, duffle $35, and carry on. He put as much meat in his duffle to get to 50lbs and put as much as would fit in his carry on.
My wife checked a 50lb duffle with all our gear $25, and a 50lb box of frozen meat $35, and filled her carry on with frozen meat.
I checked a double rifle case $25, and a 50lb box of frozen meat $35, I used a big frame pack as my carry on and had 70lb of frozen meat in it. It sucked to carry through the airport but none of us hit the next level in checked baggage fees.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

It sucked to carry through the airport but none of us hit the next level in checked baggage fees.

The suckage is high, but there is nothing quite as good as the look on the TSA agents face as they watch a pack with 70lbs of meat roll through the x-ray.

 

[jt13]

Get it frozen, buy light cheapo coolers or prefab styro cooler/cardboard box combo (available from most processers for approximately $30 each.) Make sure each item is less than 50 lbs in total and check the items. You might have 4-5 extra checked bags, but it'll still be a hell of a lot cheaper than shipping. Last time I flew home on frontier and extra checked bags were only $50 bucks a pop.

Can anyone confirm that meat MUST be frozen?

Obviously that is the ideal scenerio, but say its it only refrigerated because you shot something on the last day of a hunt?

I called an airline company (Hawaiian Airlines) recently to ask this question and was told that TSA allows raw and unfrozen non-liquid perishables like meat and fish in checked and carry on bags as long as there is no ice or partialy thawed gel ice packs.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Can anyone confirm that meat MUST be frozen?

Obviously that is the ideal scenerio, but say its it only refrigerated because you shot something on the last day of a hunt?

I called an airline company (Hawaiian Airlines) recently to ask this question and was told that TSA allows raw and unfrozen non-liquid perishables like meat and fish in checked and carry on bags as long as there is no ice or partialy thawed gel ice packs.

You're not carrying a 2lb log of salami on the plane, 70lbs of boned out elk is gonna make some blood. I've never tried to carry-on cooled, but not frozen meat on a plane. Every time I do go through TSA they ask if it's frozen or not, hence my assumption that being frozen is a requirement.

 

[jt13]

I imagine you would be at the mercy of TSA at that point. They would be making the call whether or not it's "liquid" or "non-liquid".

I'd bet how its packed and packaged would have a lot to do with it as well. Some nicely packaged, vacuum sealed, and double bagged meat is going to present better than bloody ziplock bags in a rubbermaid tote.

Just curious if anyone has actually been turned down at baggage check for thawed or partially thawed meat in a cooler.

 

[JV842]

I wrk for delta on the side; baggage gorilla for free flights, n I have brought refrigerated meat back many times before w/out problems through TSA. Also I don’t know what the extra charge is but business n first class get no charge for extra checked in baggage; so may work out in the long run instead of paying extra baggage fee

 

[hoganfireman]

Thanks for all the info folks. Reading all of that has deff taken away a little anxiety

 

[JoltnJoe]

Thanks for all the info folks. Reading all of that has deff taken away a little anxiety

You just worry about getting that bull on the ground, the rest of the details always seem to work themselves out. Good Luck!

 

[mtmuley]

Folks,

If I'm lucky enough to tag a bull i'l be looking to either ship from Mizzoula via FedEx, (I know it's $$$$) or take it back with me via Delta airlines. What is my best plan of attack? Has anyone been able to fly the meat home with them and shipped their gear back? Please help!

You having it processed? mtmuley