JonMBailey

To hunt whitetails?

Is there a problem checking any number of coolers full of venison on the plane?

Let's say I were to travel to South Carolina from California to a canned deer hunt. On a three-day hunt, perhaps, I can take up to 1 buck and two does for the price of the guide fee in the hunt package. I only want doe meat for quality, so that eliminates the buck.

How many coolers will I need to pack up to two quartered whitetail does and how big should the coolers be?

Will the dry ice be immediately available near the hunt site should I take any meat?

If it is one of those typical dog-drive hunts of the South I have read about, there should be a damn good chance of scoring meat.
Guides and clubs running canned whitetail hunts don't want a reputation for their paying clients to come up empty anyway.

What might the airlines charge to transport all of this packed meat plus all my other gear? I will have to transport the empty coolers to the hunt also.

I would have to rent a vehicle on the hunting end too.

This question is posed to deer hunters who have been on guided hunts and traveled by commercial air out of state.

I am not going to drive all the way from California to the South in my truck and try to transport and preserve all that meat on
a highway trip that might take me 4 or five days one way. Now, if I were hunting in Nevada next door, I could handle the trip in my truck.

Bullcamp82834

I seem to be reminded of an old adage about counting your chickens before they are hatched.

Don't sweat the meat shipment. Your outfitter will know how to get it home for you.

First the critter has to get dead.

JonMBailey

Very well.

salukipv1

believe most airlines allow coolers w/ ice, but not dry ice.

flags

Checking coolers with meat isn't an issue but it has to be dry. That means no ice so it will have to be well chilled before it goes into the coolers. If they find a puddle of liquid leaking out of a cooler, that plane is going to be grounded, all the baggage searched and the offending cooler pitched out. Also, dry ice is a no-no since when it melts it produces CO2 and they don't want gases like that on planes. Pets are shipped in cargo and if the CO2 level gets too high and kills the pest the airline is going to get sued. Personally, I avoid the airport anytime I can. You can drive from the west coast to the Carolinas in 3 days. Piss on flying, drive down, see the country and you won't be hassled by the TSA goons or moronic ticket agents.

But, here is the best advice I can give you: DO NOT ASK FOR ADVICE LIKE THIS ON A FORUM. You obviously have a computer and you can look up the regulations for this on line through either the individual airlines or the TSA. Then and only then will you know the info is correct.

JonMBailey

Motels/lodging on road trips in between will probably be cheaper than airfare and checked baggage anyway. Then there is gas prices though.

fastetti

Unless rules have changed in the recent past you are allowed to use coolers with Dry ice, it just has to have ventilation to release the C02. I would just check ahead with the airline but I believe the max is five pounds per container. I will say that if you freeze the meet solid and its not a very hot temperature you should be fine. I fly to Puerto Vallarta a few times a year. Every time I fly I throw a couple packs of venison sticks in the my luggage as well a tenderloin and even after a 4.5 hour fight and a 30 minute taxi trip the meat is still frozen solid. Remember, the belly of an airplane is pretty cold!

Topgun 3006

***I just checked and the DOT does allow up to 5# of dry ice as long as it's in a vented container just as you stated. An individual airline can establish it's own policy and allow or disallow it, so it would be up to the individual to contact his carrier to see what their policy is.

JonMBailey

I would probably just pack frozen venison in the cooler with regular ice and in good waterproof bags.

So, if I were to hunt deer in Georgia, is there apt to be a meat processing facility nearby that will have my version butchered, freezer wrapped and frozen in about two or three day's time after the kill?

Big Uncle

All of these mentions of "canned" hunts bothers me. These are usually the words of anti-hunters.

Hunting sites are often visited by anti-hunters.