I've flown round trip twice with meat to bring home. I'm driving from now on!
Things to keep in mind:
- Your first two checked bags are fairly cheap, however that covers you bow/gun and clothes. Now you get into excess baggage fees, which run around $100 per bag, and they have to weigh 50 pounds or less or they ALSO become overweight, so closer to $200/bag. for an elk you will need 4-7 of these to stay under 50 lbs.
- If it isn't frozen, then you have an extra issue, if the box leaks "juice" they will refuse it. That includes any connections.
- Dry ice is typically ok, but 5lbs per bag. If the meat is frozen it will last the flight in wax boxes. I brought home my elk like this and including a long layover in Chicago when it sat on the tarmac, in the sun, on a 70 degree day, for 3 hours.
- You can ship it home and given baggage fees it may be worth checking. When I got my elk in ID, a fellow hunter got one, he was from Boston, he overnighted it, this was back in 2004. It was I think $800 door to door, but he had the piece of mind that it made it.
- You can ship your clothes home to save a box, you don't need them quickly. I packed a box with the antlers, and most of my clothes and UPS'd it home for pretty cheap.