Shipment of meat
 

Flying in to Montana this Oct. for an elk/mule deer hunt with an outfitter. This will be my first hunt for elk/mule deer. How do you guys that fly in for a hunt get your meat home? What service do you use and what does it usually cost? Do the game processors in the area usually make arrangements to handle shipping also?
Thanks for any info you can supply.:D[&:]

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Thats a good one am intrested myself have driven to most hunts but do plan on flying out next time

RE: Shipment of meat
 

You should always discuss this with your outfitter well before your hunt. Many outfitters will supply you with styrofoam coolers and dry ice. They will probably charge you for this. Some may require you to bring your own. On many fly-ins, weight is a consideration. You may be charged, by the pound, if you are over a predetermined weight limit. Again, discuss this with your outfitter well beforehand, so there are not any unwanted surprises.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I don't have a clue what a game processor will do for you, but I have flown with meat that I processed myself. Bought coolers (hard plastic ones, styrofoam wouldn't physically make it past the check in conveyor belt), put dry ice in them wrapped in newspaper and inserted meat. After I checked them in I wrapped duct tape around lid and around cooler so it can't pop open. Last time I went overweight with my bags and got charged $75. I think every airline is different with what they charge for overweight bags, you will want to look into that if your flying your meat home with you.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I have this problem every time I fish in Alaska.
First, NEVER use a styrofoam cooler, as Jorgy said, , I bring my own coolers.
Then I always get charged 75-100 bucks in overweight charges by Delta depending on how much overweight they are.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

You definately want to talk to your outfitter. You can get it processed by someone your outfitter recommends. They wrap and prepare it for your flight home. also can UPS it overnight. I have heard of people trucking the meat home, but it takes 7-14 days.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

My hunting partner had a mule deer cut up in Thayne Wyoming last year while we were hunting Southeast Idaho. That place would do anything, cut&wrap Make sausage, pepperoni, jerky etc. and ship anywhere. We just bought some dry ice for the drive home and loaded up the cooler but I did pick up a price list.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

With info obtained on this sight I have decided to take my meat home (positive :)thinking on the kill) on the plane with me and ship my clothes and gun/equipment UPS. I appreciate the comments that helped me reach this decision. One more question; how much does a normal size elk boned out and wrapped normally weigh? The most I'll be able to fly home will be 200 lbs.
Thanks again for all the help

RE: Shipment of meat
 

You should be aware that many people here have mentioned "dry ice" in the cooler .. which I admit to doing myself. But if they make you open it, and they defenietely might! you may have to pull it out as dry ice is not allowed on planes.

If you can get it flash frozen before you fly you may be ok if they make you pull it out .. then again you may not.

Also good to keep that duct tape handy to reseal anything they make you open during security.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I think 200lbs would probably cover a boned elk, but how much space would this take up? How many coolers?

--Bob

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Here are a couple of things that I have looked at a few weeks ago.

To have one package weighing 149 pounds shipped overnight UPS from Eagle Colorado to Buffalo, NY overnight $581.


Delta Air:

Assuming that you have two packages cehcked in and one carry on already.

Sending Elk Antlers home, considered over size additional luggage, $160
Three packages containing 100lbs meat each overweight and additional luggage charge $105 each.

So to get the Antlers and meat home via air, it would cost $475.

Double that if my partner and I both score.

To make a long story short, we are driving!

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I don't have a choice can't drive all the way out west by myself so I end up flying to all these places. Most processors that I have dealt with will give you a cardboard box that will hold roughly 70 lbs of meat. You put in a plastic bag stack the meat neatly and add a small allowable piece of dry ice on top and then tape it but leave a little hole so the gas can escape. I am going to try something new the next trip using these new 5 day coolers that are on the market, you know the type that the ice won'[t melt for 5 days . I'll put my clothes and non-valuable equipment in 2 of those babies and fly out there with them and then on the way home put my clothes and nonvaluable equipment(no optics) in a cardboard box and ship it to myself and put the frozen animal parts in the coolers. Both coolers will hold probably 4 of those 70lb boxes of meat easily and after being duct taped hopefully unless its a 5 day layover the meat shouldn't defrost too badly..no need for dry ice either. I have never been charged for excess weight until the last Elk trip and I thinked mesa nailed me for about 75 bucks so be it if they charge me.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Man that is a bit much isn't it ?...I had a pretty horrible experience last year and almost tagged a couple of United Airlines people...to make a short story when my meat got home the following day after sitting in a terminal all night in a cardboard box there was blood on the conveyor belt at the airport when I went to meet it the next day after taking different flights to get home. If I could get a friend to share driving I would definitely drive out rather then go thru that crap again..but I think my idea with the 5 day coolers may be a good one. This is providing of course that I get the animals to the processor on time and he can do it and get it to me frozen before I leave.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

BTW Meomako, you won't have to worry about killing any Elk in Montana and bringing any to a processor..the forest fires in Yellowstone killed 50% of them and the wolves did the remaining number in .:D Good Luck on your hunt you will have a great time.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I'm preparing for a trip to AK this fall for a mixed bag of game with my best friend and his dad. From my research it looks to me like a guy can usually check two bags which each can weigh 70 pounds. So, I'm planning on buying two good plastic coolers and check them in, also have to watch the size of them but to get 70 pounds of meat won't take a very big cooler to reach that, and have them fly home with me. So, that's 140 pounds of meat shipped free. I will then UPS my cloths to myself. Also, you are allowed a carry on with no weight limts, as long as the bag fits, it can weigh 25 pounds.And it looks like to me that it will cost about an additional $50 to ship home antlers. This all varies from airline to airline, destination to destination, and how many lay overs you would have. But we booked on Alaska airlines for a non-stop flight AK to Denver and it only cost $458 per person! It also helps me to have relation in AK that I can store meat in a freezer after the hunt before the flight home. Also, the air at 30,000 isn't very warm, so not much need to worry about any thawing while in flight!

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Thanks for the words of encouragement [X(]:(oldelkhunter. Just kidding, I'm hunting Central Montana, hopefully the smoke from Yellowstone didn't reach there to harm their herd. That was my plan also, to get two of the 5-day 70 qt coolers which barely fit within the oversize limit for airlines. Together I thinking they'll hold 200 lbs. of frozen meat without the need for dry ice. I'll just have to pay overweight charges for these two pieces. I might pay extra baggage charges for my rifle but I'll box up the rest of my "stuff" and UPS it home. Darn it!!! I forgot:eek::eek:. What will I do with the mule deer I kill also?[&:]:D

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Meomako,
I live in central montana, there are 4 or 5 processors here in town, i know a couple of them myself, if you want, i can call them and see what they do with the meat with people that fly, i know they have an additional charge to get an animal out overnight, but they may have something worked out for reasonable shipping also.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

Thanks Speedgoat
Sent you an e-mail.

RE: Shipment of meat
 

I've been going on fishing trips to La Paz Mexico for a few years. Most everyone does a variation of what Howler was suggesting. Pack a big cooler and put your luggage inside. On the way back the cooler is full of fish and you pay overweight charges on your luggage. Some folks pack the big 120 quart marine coolers.

That has worked like a charm every year except the time where I didn't tape the cooler up well enough. The think cruised down the ramp at baggage claim, hit the bottom and popped open. There were packages of fish fillets riding the conveyor belt! It was a pretty funny scene!