How Many Coolers? 3....

[shannerdrake]

This is a common question and I'm trying my best to provide some assistance. I was able to fit the pictured buck and pictured elk after butchering, wrapping, and freezing into three 120qt coolers. I also added 10lb of dry ice to each one and they stayed rock hard frozen for over 24 hours in temps from 40-80 degrees. Each cooler had a bit of room, but not much.

The elk had a hanging/rail weight (gutted, skinned, bone-in, legs removed at shank, and no head) of 392.6lb. The buck had a hanging/rail weight of 135.4lb.

I think boned out meat would have still fit fine with ice and/or dry ice as boneless meat fills voids well.

I think bone-in would have taken a 4th 120qt cooler.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Great and very helpful post!

 

[SG25]

I wish my freezer looked like that lol. Congrats! Question, how did you put the dry ice in there with the meat? Top, bottom, split, doesn't matter?

 

[shannerdrake]

I wish my freezer looked like that lol. Congrats! Question, how did you put the dry ice in there with the meat? Top, bottom, split, doesn't matter?

I put it on top. I feel like that gets you the most bang for your buck. It’s far from cheap and I think you really only get the benefits of dry ice going on top. If I wanted to simply cool something instead of freezing it, I’d use traditional ice. Dry ice won’t freeze or keep things frozen (as well) from the bottom.

 

[Gellar]

I need to switch to a stand up freezer.

 

[Steiny]

It's been my experience that a processed frozen bull elk typically fills a 120 qt cooler and yields 200-240 lbs of processed meat.
Might have just a bit more than the 120qt cooler will hold, but not much. If you need to keep a cape cold, you'll need some more room for that.

If the meat is frozen, I don't generally bother with dry ice as you're typically traveling in the cool fall temps and that frozen mass doesn't thaw much, if at all.

 

[shannerdrake]

It's been my experience that a processed frozen bull elk typically fills a 120 qt cooler and yields 200-240 lbs of processed meat.
Might have just a bit more than the 120qt cooler will hold, but not much. If you need to keep a cape cold, you'll need some more room for that.

If the meat is frozen, I don't generally bother with dry ice as you're typically traveling in the cool fall temps and that frozen mass doesn't thaw much, if at all.

I've heard this before, but my two bull elk have not been anywhere close to fitting into a 120qt. It has actually taken two full 120s both times. My cow elk did fit into a 120.

 

[hogcarpy]

I need to switch to a stand up freezer.

I switched to a stand up freezer 10 years ago and will never look back.

 

[Bob-WY]

Wife and I fit 2 mulie bucks, 2 buck pronghorn and 2 doe pronghorn, cut , wrapped and frozen in 2 120 qt coolerd

 

[_Rhino_]

Great info, you look stocked up!