montanadreamer
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I am heading to Montana in oct this will be my first trip out west to hunt. How do I get the meat and head home for taxidermy if successful .
Getting elk home
- Thread starter montanadreamer
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elk_hunter
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Gutless method for the meat; make sure you take the hide past the front legs if you want a good head mount. 2-3 coolers with ice or a chest freezer will ensure your meat does not spoil.
npaden
Well-known member
Like this:
buckykm1
Member
I am from Michigan, and am a DIY hunter, I haul all my Camping gear out in a 6' x 14' Cargo Trailer, and have a 11 cu, ft. Chest Freezer in the front of the trailer that I bring our food out in, and out Elk home in.
I also have a Honda generator to run it and camp. works great.
Kevin
I also have a Honda generator to run it and camp. works great.
Kevin
LCH
Well-known member
Like this:
Looks like just 1 big elk and the rest of the horns are sheds? At first glance I was thinking you are the best packer I've ever seen to fit all those elk in 3 little coolers!
I'm bringing 2 120 quart coolers, and am thinking it should be enough for a cow elk, a deer, and a lope if everything is boned out. I use dry ice so that saves some space.
I'll also have a midsize cooler along for the capes in case I shoot something I want shoulder mounted.
npaden
Well-known member
Yep. 1 elk and some sheds. Those are about 80 qt coolers. It was a little tight on getting everything in there. I put a bag of ice inside the cape and got it home fine.
You are going to be close with 2 - 120 quart coolers if you fill all those tags. In my experience a good size mule deer buck can fill an 80 quart cooler by itself. You could probably get everything in there but it will be tight.
LCH
Well-known member
Fill all the tags? No, I've never gone with this many tags before. I have 2 weeks this year and I am an optimist :hump:
Fit that much meat in 2 coolers? I stuffed an entire antelope buck, minus guts and hide, into a 120 quart last year. Threw 2 or 3 (can't remember) 10lb blocks of dry ice in there. When I got it home 2 days later, it was frozen solid. If I do fill all 3 tags, I think I could fit the deboned cow in 1 120 quart cooler and the deer and lope in the other. A feller could also always buy a third cooler out there if he had to.
Downside of the dry ice is that it's expensive; I think it was somewhere around $10 for a 10lb block. But, you don't have to worry about your meat or hide getting wet.
Last edited:
montanadreamer
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I am driving out it's about 2400 miles from Tennessee to polson mt was planning on 2 or 3 coolers. I may have to buy more once I get there if I am lucky enough to get both elk and a deer. My expectations are probably way to high for my first try at mountain hunting.My inlaws keep telling me to plan on bringing both home though.I am using all my vacation and staying 24 days.
montanadreamer
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I will be there the 23rd of oct staying till both tags are filled or season closes.
i take 3 coolers; 2 150qt and a 65qt all are the better quality 5day coolers with good lids. deboned you can fit a lot into those 2 big coolers and the 65 is for food and extra room/capes for drive home. i dry ice freeze everything, then wet ice pack bottom of cooler layer meat then put down a piece of cardboard and lay dry ice bricks (2 in 150's) on top of that cardboard at opposite ends of cooler and have never had wet ice even melt during my 3 days of driving back to house. pack them tight as air is your worse enemy, if lid is loose duct tape seal it, just vent cooler with drain port when you stop for a few moments, the amount of water if any will tell you how the cooler is holding up.
LCH
Well-known member
That's quite a trip! I store other gear inside my coolers as well, until they are needed. That way, they don't take up much extra space anyway. I may end up needing a 3rd 120 quart if by some stroke of luck I fill all my tags, but I won't be too far from a Wal-Mart to run and grab one if needed.
If it is cool out, let the coolers ride in the back of the truck on the way home. On my bear hunt this past spring, I filled my food cooler with frozen apple juice bottles full of water, with a couple bags of loose ice dumped over the top of my food, before I left home. Every night the temperature dropped below freezing, and I still had ice when I got home 8-9 days later - even in a cheap Wal-Mart cooler.
Haven't had the luxury of dealing with a cape for shoulder mount yet.
As far as meat goes, I make my own cooler. It is disassembled until I need it. Pack it with dry ice for ride home. Takes up much less space, heck of a lot cheaper and I don't need a trailer. (IE Less hastle)
As far as meat goes, I make my own cooler. It is disassembled until I need it. Pack it with dry ice for ride home. Takes up much less space, heck of a lot cheaper and I don't need a trailer. (IE Less hastle)
Attachments
gwhunter- You maybe can't see it, but I have a tonneau (soft) cover on the pickup box. So wind isn't an issue as I have everything covered. I cut the panels so the box fits just underneath the box lip (rear of cab).
Even without a cover, I am pretty sure you can use enough duct tape to hold everything together! Without a box cover, I would probably buy some long compression straps and preplace those as I assemble the cooler. (So I could fasten straps over lid once I seal and duct tape up).
Couple of things I would do different.
#1 the lid is too tight beneath box, so last panel I put in place is the rear (tailgate) panel. Better to top load all of the meat into the old sleeping bag. (I could throw some old clothes in there also to save space)
#2- I placed the dry ice on the bag to insulate meat from freezer burn. Only the top meat froze solid. On subsequent trips, I have packed a panel of cardboard to place on top of meat before I place dry ice. (All inside old sleeping bag). It allows for better cooling and still prevented freezer burn.
I have typically bought 40 pounds of dry ice. It is likely overkill and could probably use 20 pounds. But I would rather err on the side of excess. At a buck a pound, it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than big coolers. (And much easier to store when I get home)
The one time I built this in a trailer, my buddy and I traveled from NM to MN. It is was 90+ degrees the whole ride home. The meat was frozen solid before we left. When we got home and opened the cooler, it was just like opening a chest freezer and everything was still solid).
Sorry Yeti, I am not spending buku bucks on a cooler to haul meat.
Even without a cover, I am pretty sure you can use enough duct tape to hold everything together! Without a box cover, I would probably buy some long compression straps and preplace those as I assemble the cooler. (So I could fasten straps over lid once I seal and duct tape up).
Couple of things I would do different.
#1 the lid is too tight beneath box, so last panel I put in place is the rear (tailgate) panel. Better to top load all of the meat into the old sleeping bag. (I could throw some old clothes in there also to save space)
#2- I placed the dry ice on the bag to insulate meat from freezer burn. Only the top meat froze solid. On subsequent trips, I have packed a panel of cardboard to place on top of meat before I place dry ice. (All inside old sleeping bag). It allows for better cooling and still prevented freezer burn.
I have typically bought 40 pounds of dry ice. It is likely overkill and could probably use 20 pounds. But I would rather err on the side of excess. At a buck a pound, it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than big coolers. (And much easier to store when I get home)
The one time I built this in a trailer, my buddy and I traveled from NM to MN. It is was 90+ degrees the whole ride home. The meat was frozen solid before we left. When we got home and opened the cooler, it was just like opening a chest freezer and everything was still solid).
Sorry Yeti, I am not spending buku bucks on a cooler to haul meat.
montanadreamer
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Not sure what type of tent brother in law said bring really good sleeping bag rifle great boots be in good shape and be prepared to have saddle sores b4 heading home . So that's about all the info I have so far . Been walking with boots on and a 60lb back pack and running every other day to get in shape. I do know I will be learning a ton this year.
your on the right path and asking the right questions and you will be fine. not sure if you ever used dry ice but its easy and very common out west, just take some cardboard to insulate meat from dryice and never touch it with your skin. i take a couple precut cardboard pieces to fit my cooler perfect, if you need more cooler space buy a cheap one out there but you probably will not. might want to ask your bro in law if you need gamebags.
