Multi-week trip meat care

H'n'F · Jul 3, 2014

Ok folks, I have a logistical conundrum. I have a 7 day hunt in Idaho for elk and bear the last week of September and I drew a mule deer and antelope tag for Wyoming which begins Oct. 1. I will be solo for the trip and there are no meat cutters near my hunt in ID and since I live alone and will be gone for 3 weeks, shipping meat home to no-one waiting really isn't an option. I have thought about taking a trailer with a freezer and generator but I live in WI and that's a long way to pull that much extra gear. It may be my only option but I wanted to get some opinions/ideas from the rest of you. Anyone have an alternative to keeping the elk and bear in good shape while I hunt in WY? I thought about hauling it to WY and paying for locker space until I leave but I'm not sure how they feel about out of state critters, I have some calls to make I guess. Thanks for any ideas you hatch.

-J

Brian Stewart · Jul 13, 2014

Dry Ice and big coolers would work. Put down the ice in the bottom of the coolers and put cardboard over the ice and the meat on top. That way you're not wasting a lot of time getting regular ice. The meat will be fine as long as you keep the temp in the cooler under 40 degrees which shouldn't be hard that time of the year.

Tony Trietch · Aug 12, 2014

I am in the same boat. Will be out west for a undetermined length of time for multiple states.
My plane is a freezer in back of pickup under the topper.
I'll listen to other ideas.

2rocky · Aug 12, 2014

ok THEN...Line up a locker in Wyoming for your Idaho carcasses. Have them cut and wrap and explain that you are headed out for another week on a hunt in WY.

What Area/town in ID and WY?

rayporter · Aug 12, 2014

personally i would use dry ice over a generator, if i could not find a meatpacker. it will freeze meat solid pretty quick and the meat will stay frozen solid for a day or two after the dry ice is gone. it does not matter if you have a freezer or a cooler. i just build a cooler from closed cell foam in the front of the horse trailer and put dry ice on the meat and cover with gear. it will freeze solid in 24 hours and stay solid for another 48 hours at least. that is solid, as in frozen solid. so it would take 24 to 36 hours to thaw out. to me not needing to worry about the generator is priceless.

H'n'F · Aug 19, 2014

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been in B.C. fishing so I kind of lost touch with this for a bit. I ended up getting in touch with my meat cutter in WY and he will take my ID animals, cut, wrap, and store for me while I'm hunting WY. It looks like I just need to track down a few more big coolers and find a few dry ice dealers in ID and WY. I guess if I have to worry about getting 4 animals home, it will be a damn good problem to have. I think it will come together. Rocky, I will be in Units 5 and 6 in the Panhandle of Idaho, around Bovill, for elk and bear the last week of Sept. then to eastern Wyoming for mule deer and antelope for the Oct. 1 opener. General B deer and Unit 9 lope around Newcastle and Lusk. Are you in the area?

Hunt'nFish · Sep 8, 2014

Me, I'd probably take a plastic table and the butchering tools to cut & wrap my kill from one hunt, put it in a local freezer/cold storage locker, go hunt and repeat after second hunt.
Hunt'nFish

Casey Gepford · Apr 4, 2016

H'n'F said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I have been in B.C. fishing so I kind of lost touch with this for a bit. I ended up getting in touch with my meat cutter in WY and he will take my ID animals, cut, wrap, and store for me while I'm hunting WY. It looks like I just need to track down a few more big coolers and find a few dry ice dealers in ID and WY. I guess if I have to worry about getting 4 animals home, it will be a damn good problem to have. I think it will come together. Rocky, I will be in Units 5 and 6 in the Panhandle of Idaho, around Bovill, for elk and bear the last week of Sept. then to eastern Wyoming for mule deer and antelope for the Oct. 1 opener. General B deer and Unit 9 lope around Newcastle and Lusk. Are you in the area?

Most grocery stores in ID you can get dry ice from.

pods8 (Rugged Stitching) · Apr 4, 2016

Casey Gepford said:
Most grocery stores in ID you can get dry ice from.

FYI, you replied to a 2yr old thread.

Multi-week trip meat care

H'n'F

Lil-Rokslider

Brian Stewart

WKR

Tony Trietch

Part Time Bow Hiker

2rocky

WKR

rayporter

WKR

H'n'F

Lil-Rokslider

Hunt'nFish

WKR

Casey Gepford

FNG

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

WKR

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