RE: After the shot...Shipping your elk?
HuntNut08,
Here is what I have done, but I also have my father with me. I check two bags, one bow case and the other a cooler with my camo in it. My carry on, is my Badlands 2200 pack with all my high value items (Ex: range finder, bino's, etc). Now, my dad checks on as well. When it's time to load it with elk meat, we take the clothes to a local UPS Store and ship them home. This way, we already have the coolers, and the boxes at the UPS store are cheaper than buying a cooler from Walmart in September. We have done this for the last few years...I look at it this way, if I can't fit it in the cooler, I won't use it and do not need it.
PS...Some places will make a box to ship home your antlers..that was about $30, which is way cheaper than the airlines, and it was packed with pipe insulation and bubble wrap.
If you arrive into town, check out a few places ahead of time and get the hours.