Wyoming Antelope Unit 27

[Bowhuntrben]

Assuming I get drawn, I plan to hunt Wyoming Antelope Unit 27 this coming fall. I am trying to decide what to do with an antelope once we get one while we continue our hunt for another. I am considering possibly doing the dry ice in coolers thing, but I was wondering if anybody knows any place that will freeze your 'lope for you in this area so we wouldn't have to worry about trying to keep up with making sure the cooler has plenty of ice?

 

[Big luke1981]

Unit 27 is about an hour either direction frOm a meat locker. There is the town of Newcastle to the northeast, GIllete due north on hwy 59 or Douglas about 70 miles to the south. I was in the area last year and we did the cooler and ice thing which worked fine for us. It would take at least 2 hours of driving (round trip) to take an animal to the lockers. IMO it would cut into your hunting time. We would skin and either quarter or Debone each animal on the spot and got them into coolers with ice and would continue hunting. The town of wright is on the birder of 27 and is where we would get our ice, but they do not have a locker.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Take one good size cooler that will hold ice for quite a few days and use it just for ice storage. Buy some blocks of ice BEFORE you leave the highway and fill the sucker with them. Blocks last much longer and when you get a goat down, try to skin and debone it ASAP and put it on ice in another cooler in the shade. One boned out antelope does not take up much space in a cooler. Meat will last a long time on ice in coolers until you're ready to head for home. I've kept deer and goat meat like that for more than a week and have had no problems at all with it. As stated above, it's a long way to a town with a locker and you would have to make a minimum of two trips, which would eat into your time and waste gas to boot.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Thanks for the tips guys! Big Luke, does the place in Wright sell dry ice or just regular ice? Also, do you recommend keeping the meat/cape in game bags to keep the ice from burning it? I've not used dry ice before, so not sure if it would wreck the cape for mounting or damage the meat.

 

[WapitiBob]

Ditto on TopGuns advise. I have not used a locker in decades.
Quarter that Antelope where it lays, bag them and pack them to the truck. Toss the bags in a 120 qt. cooler with bag ice. Add several bags of ice and drain the water over the next day or so. In just over a day, the contents will stabilize at near freezing temps and not much ice will be required for the next week. When I get home I leave the meat in the coolers until I separate each muscle and take to the processor for grinding and packaging. I have never used dry ice. The bag ice has worked well and it's 1,000 miles from here to Casper.

My Antelope done this way has less "smell" when cooking than Beef.

 

[recon6036]

We stayed at the M&A motel in Wright last year and couldn't find any place that sold dry ice. We had to drive into Gillette and bought it there. The block ice and coolers works well until you get some dry ice. I'm hoping to get a tag for 27 this year too. We'll be camping this time though.

 

[tarheel]

Don't waste your money on dry ice while hauling them around in the field. As recommended by others, the block ice works great as long as you keep the coolers closed and in the shade they'll hold it fine without worrying about burning. Sam's Club is well stocked with 150 qt coolers and you can put two deboned goats, both heads and capes in one, and when you go to leave for home a 10lb brick of dry ice will hold them for 3 days with no problem; I just did it last year. Wright doesn't have much in the way of amenities, but if you're going to be hunting the walk-in area it's west of Gillette anyway.

 

[174in]

The store in wright dosnt carry dry Ice on hand but they will get it for you to pick up if you call them and let them know when you will be there.We get ours in newcastle or gillete.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Cool down the meat cooler before you put the meat in. Between a hot cooler and the heat from the meat the ice will go pretty fast.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Thank you for all the help everybody!

 

[pointingdogsrule]

block ice in the town of Newcastle on your way through

good luck to all
the dog

 

[awapiti]

I do what others have said with slight variation. I debone and separate the muscle groups and put in gallon freezer bags. Then I place in the cooler with cube and block ice. This keeps the meat from getting wet and turning brown.

 

[pseshooter300]

What exactly do you mean by block ice must be a western Thing we only have bagged ice here in the south east someone care to share

 

[tarheel]

What exactly do you mean by block ice must be a western Thing we only have bagged ice here in the south east someone care to share

Some (most) ice suppliers out west sell ice in 10 and possibly 20 lb. blocks in addition to bagged cubes or chunks.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Geez, I thought block ice was common throughout the entire country. I always try to use it when possible for food coolers, as well as what we're talking about, because it lasts so much longer than the individual cubes or chunks---it's a scientific fact based on surface size, LOL!

 

[tarheel]

it's a scientific fact based on surface size, LOL!

We just rip open the bags so the cubes or chunks can more fully embrace the cans of beer and get them cool faster. The sooner you drink the beer, the sooner you can refill the cooler with more beer.

 

[JohnCushman]

I keep gatorade jugs and juice jugs and things like that and fill them with water and freeze them to use in my coolers

 

[WapitiBob]

I think I'll try the gallon bag trick. Thanks Awapiti

 

[Solohuntr]

What exactly do you mean by block ice must be a western Thing we only have bagged ice here in the south east someone care to share

you must live next door to my brother, block ice,,,, imagine a LARGE CUBE, WAY TO big for your glass, chunk 8x8x16inchs,,,

 

[spook12]

I do the same thing john does , fill gallon jugs 3/4 full of water, tea, OJ then freeze. Fill your chest as full as possible so they stay frozen longer. Drink as they melt . The kids will do lemonade and fruit punch for trips they get to go on.I have even kept fish cool this way.