the blur

I'm hunting Elk out west. If I get my trophy Elk, the guide will cape it. How do I get the cape with antlers back east to my taxidermist ? I can't imagine flying home with a cape & antlers.

Or I can have it mounted out west, but I still have the shipping problem after the trophy is mounted.

kidoggy

you could freeze it. then pack it in dry ice in a cooler . and express mail it. it will cost but I once shipped a lion that way.

if you are flying you can do same thing, just check cooler on airline with your luggage , again it will cost but no more then shipping trophy after it is mounted and most likely ,less.



you should talk to your outfitter and see what they suggest as they deal with this issue often .

super_hunt54

If your guide/outfitter is worth his pay, he will have all that stuff ready for you as part of the package. Or at the very least they will have a taxidermist shop available to prep your trophy for shipping. Carrying it on the plane is not as uncommon as you might think. Just make sure that the box is marked PLAINLY as FRAGILE as the luggage handlers tend to be rough with stuff at times. It didn't use to be very much more to add it on as "luggage" on a flight. Not sure nowadays. Been a while since I flew back with one. I tend to drive to my hunts and enjoy the scenery on the way.

Rob in VT

I live in Vermont and have hunted southern Colorado the past 10 years. We have brought back 12 elk and 5 deer over that time. We process our own meat and freeze it. It packs nice in 150qt coolers and no ice and stays frozen the 2.5 day drive home. When we have capes, we put it in a cooler and pack frozen meat around it. Driving is the way to go.

Good luck!

the blur

That's a serious drive. I'm limited to flying, as I can't afford the extra 5 days off.

I'm thinking the way to go is to have it mounted, and crated out west. Then ship it back east. I feel this is less hassles with antler damage, and dealing with shipping frozen capes.

kidoggy

sounds like a plan. good luck on your hunt and don't leave us hanging ,with no pics.

Topgun 3006

Have it mounted by a reputable taxidermist out there and tell them you want the antlers drilled out so they are detachable. They will drill the mannequin head out and put steel rods in that the antlers will drop onto. That way they don't take up much room when they are shipped and you can put the mount anywhere in your home and not have to worry about getting it through doorways, etc. It's the only way to go when mounting an elk nowadays, especially if you have it done out there and ship it to the coast. Now that we have that all figured out all you have to do is go out there and shoot a good one!

flags

Pretty good advice but be aware if the animal qualifies for the Boone and Crockett book, doing this will make in ineligible. Now, the odds of a first time elk hunter getting a record book elk are what you might call extremely slim, it has happened.

I've transported a good number of elk from my native CO to the east coast when I was stationed there. I boned it out, cut and ground it and packed it in coolers with dry ice. Never had a problem and I always drove but then I rarely keep antlers anymore. I'm to the point I don't care if I ever set foot in another airport. I'd rather spend the extra time and see the country. Flying has become a hassle with all the TSA regs.

Topgun 3006

I believe as long as the rack is officially scored after the required 60 day drying period is up that it would qualify and then be allowed to be done the way I mentioned. This is a pedestal mount of a 357 3/8" bull I helped my buddy with in 2010 and you would never know the rack was done that way. The field picture shows how big that bull actually is and the problems it would have created trying to transport it around without doing what I mentioned. About 1" more on each antler tine and he would have made the B&C minimum!