How do you get the meat home?
05-19-2005, 03:03 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Elizabeth Colo. USA
Posts: 4,413
RE: How do you get the meat home?
On my trip to AK last fall, I had my moose processed in Anchorage and shipped home. Cost me $.90# to ship my meat from AK. to CO., it was just in waxed boxes, never kept on ice, took nearly 3 days, and the meat was still frozen when it arrived. Might also concider having a local taxidermist, to where you are hunting, do the tanning on your cape and then have it shipped to your residence and have your local taxidermist do the mount! It also cost me $375 to ship my Euro mounted moose down! We brought frozen fish in our check in baggage when we flew home!
05-20-2005, 12:00 AM
#12
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,148
RE: How do you get the meat home?
Shipping up here has really changed since 9/11. You can no longer use air cargo services unless you are a "known shipper" or an Alaskan resident. By far the best, fastest, and cheapest way to go is by air cargo. If you know you are coming up here early, I would suggest you fill out the paperwork to become a known shipper. The cost savings will be substantial.
05-20-2005, 06:57 AM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,358
RE: How do you get the meat home?
I brought home about 200lbs of elk meat from idaho last September, to NH.
I shipped the antlers and a bunch of clothes/boots from UPS, I needed the clothes for an upcoming trip, so I did 3 day delivery, don't really recall the cost, I think about $100.
Meat, was frozen, or very close. Packed in wax boxes, put the wax box in a trash bag, then that into another box with packing peanuts. I did this for 3 out of 4 boxes. Wasn't worth it, all meat arrived still mostly frozen, no difference with the extra box.
Anyway. I weighed it in at the airport and was slightly over 50lbs on all 4. I opened them up, moved some meat to my carry on backpack and some into another checked bag. I had 3 "extra" checked bags, my bow case and a second checked bag. One of my 3 extra was over the 50lbs.
If I remember right, it was $80 for each "extra", $50 more for the over weight one, so $290 to get on the plane.
It was a flight from Spokane WA, to Chicago where the boxes of meat sat on the tarmac in 70 deg weather for 2 hours. I could see them from the terminal window and I was VERY worried about them. Got them all home and had to repack most of the meat due to some juice/blood leakage but all meat was still partially frozen. We lost none of it.
If I had to do it again? I would be less concerned with each bag going over 50lbs and push two bags up towards the 100lb limit, pay the $130/bad and pay $260 rather than $290 and have less boxes to deal with in the airport (fun trying to push the cart in the airport with a bow case, carry on backpack, suitcase and 4 meat boxes [8D] ). I would probably not do coolers, but maybe tupperware totes and line them with foam insulation you can get at home depot. Duct tape the totes closed.
One guy in camp decided to overnight his meat and cape home. Roughly the same amount of meat, plus cape, plus antlers, shipped one late morning, frozen, showed up at his house in MA, by 9AM the next morning where his wife tossed it all in the freezer. Cost was close to $700.
--Bob
I shipped the antlers and a bunch of clothes/boots from UPS, I needed the clothes for an upcoming trip, so I did 3 day delivery, don't really recall the cost, I think about $100.
Meat, was frozen, or very close. Packed in wax boxes, put the wax box in a trash bag, then that into another box with packing peanuts. I did this for 3 out of 4 boxes. Wasn't worth it, all meat arrived still mostly frozen, no difference with the extra box.
Anyway. I weighed it in at the airport and was slightly over 50lbs on all 4. I opened them up, moved some meat to my carry on backpack and some into another checked bag. I had 3 "extra" checked bags, my bow case and a second checked bag. One of my 3 extra was over the 50lbs.
If I remember right, it was $80 for each "extra", $50 more for the over weight one, so $290 to get on the plane.
It was a flight from Spokane WA, to Chicago where the boxes of meat sat on the tarmac in 70 deg weather for 2 hours. I could see them from the terminal window and I was VERY worried about them. Got them all home and had to repack most of the meat due to some juice/blood leakage but all meat was still partially frozen. We lost none of it.
If I had to do it again? I would be less concerned with each bag going over 50lbs and push two bags up towards the 100lb limit, pay the $130/bad and pay $260 rather than $290 and have less boxes to deal with in the airport (fun trying to push the cart in the airport with a bow case, carry on backpack, suitcase and 4 meat boxes [8D] ). I would probably not do coolers, but maybe tupperware totes and line them with foam insulation you can get at home depot. Duct tape the totes closed.
One guy in camp decided to overnight his meat and cape home. Roughly the same amount of meat, plus cape, plus antlers, shipped one late morning, frozen, showed up at his house in MA, by 9AM the next morning where his wife tossed it all in the freezer. Cost was close to $700.
--Bob
05-23-2005, 09:37 PM
#15
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location:
Posts: 60
RE: How do you get the meat home?
I just returned from a black bear trip to Alaska and I live in Iowa. the meat I took home I de-boned so save on weight and checked the box in at the airport as extra baggage. Since I already had two check in bags and the box was over weight (more than 50lbs) they were going to charge me for a extra bag and also for being over weight which would have been $105.00 but she got busy helping another agent and for got to charge the overweight part and I got the meat home for $50.00 bucks not bad. Shipping is expensive. I sent my bear hide to the taxidermist and it was 80lbs and to overnight it was $240.00. I would say just check with your airline before you leave for you trip and see what they say.
05-28-2005, 08:58 PM
#16
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 19
RE: How do you get the meat home?
I think I am going to look into getting some of those styro foam fish boxes from a fish wholesaler. I believe the ones they put whole salmon in will hold about 50 to 80 lbs. They weigh nothing, and I can send them out to the outfitter in new mexico before I go. I believe from reading ya'lls post I should bring my meat back as checked baggage. I think this would be the cheapest way to get the meat. Looks like over-nighting it will break the bank.
06-01-2005, 08:39 PM
#17
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 258
RE: How do you get the meat home?
I'd ship it overnight air to a friend who will put it in a freezer. It may cost you a bunch but it's better than spoiled meat especially if the hunt cost you a pretty penny to start with.
I have a 3 hour drive from my hunting land to my home and I used a body bag last season. They can be tough to find but one of the guys in my reserve unit is a EMT (paramedic) and got 2 for me. I put a whole deer in one bag then put that bag and a few bags of ice in the second bag. The nice thing about them is no leaks. The average kitchen garbage bag is about .6 mil while these things are about 8 to 10 mil. They also have handles and a zipper to seal it up. As tough as they are they can't be dragged. Strong as they are they will still rip. I'm also fearing the day I get pulled over by a cop and get caught with a full body bag. I might have trouble explaining that one.
I have a 3 hour drive from my hunting land to my home and I used a body bag last season. They can be tough to find but one of the guys in my reserve unit is a EMT (paramedic) and got 2 for me. I put a whole deer in one bag then put that bag and a few bags of ice in the second bag. The nice thing about them is no leaks. The average kitchen garbage bag is about .6 mil while these things are about 8 to 10 mil. They also have handles and a zipper to seal it up. As tough as they are they can't be dragged. Strong as they are they will still rip. I'm also fearing the day I get pulled over by a cop and get caught with a full body bag. I might have trouble explaining that one.
