BC Moose meat to US

[jdvanstar]

Headed to BC for a moose hunt. Was just informed that most people just donate the meat, which doesn't really fly for me. I'd like to find a way to get it all back with me, if possible.

Sounds like I could load up a bunch of coolers and check them. Does anyone have another way to do it?

Thanks!

 

[mabrams]

Take a chest freezer and generator with if you have a pickup. If you can plug it in while you're hunting and get back with a moose just toss it in a go (boned out of course). It's really that easy. When we did this last year the plane charter did not plug it in as they said they would, so we tossed it in and ran the generator for 6 hours to get the meat cooled down. Plugged it in the hotel at night and by the morning we had some practically frozen meat at the bottom. PLACE GARBAGE SACKS OR CARDBOARD BETWEEN MEAT BAGS OR THEY WILL FREEZE TOGETHER.

 

[jdvanstar]

Twist: I’m from Michigan so I’ll be flying in

 

[Dan-o]

Headed to BC for a moose hunt. Was just informed that most people just donate the meat, which doesn't really fly for me. I'd like to find a way to get it all back with me, if possible.

Sounds like I could load up a bunch of coolers and check them. Does anyone have another way to do it?

Thanks!

I did this. I shared some with my guide, but still checked 6 coolers full of meat on the airplane with me. Would guess that I brought about 400 pounds home.

- Flew to edmonton and rented a truck. Brought 6 coolers with me.
- Drove to BC parked the truck
- Flew in and hunted. Killed the moose. The outfitter flew the meat back to town, processed it, then froze it while i was still hunting
- At the conclusion of the hunt, I packed the frozen meat in the coolers and drove to the airport. Kept dry ice on it during the drive.
- Shipped my clothes and gear home UPS
- Checked my firearm in it's case, and 6 coolers full of meat as luggage for the flight home
- When I landed the meat was still frozen, took it home and filled the freezer

 

[jdvanstar]

I did this. I shared some with my guide, but still checked 6 coolers full of meat on the airplane with me. Would guess that I brought about 400 pounds home.

- Flew to edmonton and rented a truck. Brought 6 coolers with me.
- Drove to BC parked the truck
- Flew in and hunted. Killed the moose. The outfitter flew the meat back to town, processed it, then froze it while i was still hunting
- At the conclusion of the hunt, I packed the frozen meat in the coolers and drove to the airport. Kept dry ice on it during the drive.
- Shipped my clothes and gear home UPS
- Checked my firearm in it's case, and 6 coolers full of meat as luggage for the flight home
- When I landed the meat was still frozen, took it home and filled the freezer

Interesting. Seems like a great plan. How much was it to check that luggage?

 

[Dan-o]

Interesting. Seems like a great plan. How much was it to check that luggage?

I believe it cost me 800 bucks to check those 7 bags, but that's using a few tricks (flying delta, having status on delta, and using the delta credit card to book the tickets).

 

[jdvanstar]

I think I’m going to drive it. 46 hours from my place in Michigan. Talked to the outfitter yesterday and he said it’s a giant pain to fly with that stuff these days and I wouldn’t be able to bring much with me. It’ll be a huge pain but much cheaper and I’ll be able to take everything back with me.

Wish there was a transport service like that Alaska express company

 

[WMR]

You are a road warrior! Actually, I'm glad to read your post. I'm driving MI to Alberta to hunt and now I feel like I'm getting off easy! I've got a bit of extra time booked out and will plan some adventures to do on the way home. I'll toss in my shotgun, waders and a few decoys and no duck should feel safe Even my lab is going along and I'll board her while I'm in the bush. I'll take a freezer along to keep the meat for the trip home. If you did choose to fly, maybe just bring home 1 or 2 coolers of frozen meat and donate the rest. the locals would be happy and 150lb or so of boneless moose is still a LOT of meat. Good luck either way.

 

[Dan-o]

I think I’m going to drive it. 46 hours from my place in Michigan. Talked to the outfitter yesterday and he said it’s a giant pain to fly with that stuff these days and I wouldn’t be able to bring much with me. It’ll be a huge pain but much cheaper and I’ll be able to take everything back with me.

Wish there was a transport service like that Alaska express company

Interesting. Wasn’t a pain at all. Most painful part was the 12 hour drive from Alberta to my spot in BC. Can’t imagine a 46 hour drive, let alone 2 of them. But if you have the time, enjoy!

 

[jdvanstar]

Interesting. Wasn’t a pain at all. Most painful part was the 12 hour drive from Alberta to my spot in BC. Can’t imagine a 46 hour drive, let alone 2 of them. But if you have the time, enjoy!

We’ll see how it goes.

 

[AspenTimber]

I did this. I shared some with my guide, but still checked 6 coolers full of meat on the airplane with me. Would guess that I brought about 400 pounds home.

- Flew to edmonton and rented a truck. Brought 6 coolers with me.
- Drove to BC parked the truck
- Flew in and hunted. Killed the moose. The outfitter flew the meat back to town, processed it, then froze it while i was still hunting
- At the conclusion of the hunt, I packed the frozen meat in the coolers and drove to the airport. Kept dry ice on it during the drive.
- Shipped my clothes and gear home UPS
- Checked my firearm in it's case, and 6 coolers full of meat as luggage for the flight home
- When I landed the meat was still frozen, took it home and filled the freezer

I did this. I shared some with my guide, but still checked 6 coolers full of meat on the airplane with me. Would guess that I brought about 400 pounds home.

- Flew to edmonton and rented a truck. Brought 6 coolers with me.
- Drove to BC parked the truck
- Flew in and hunted. Killed the moose. The outfitter flew the meat back to town, processed it, then froze it while i was still hunting
- At the conclusion of the hunt, I packed the frozen meat in the coolers and drove to the airport. Kept dry ice on it during the drive.
- Shipped my clothes and gear home UPS
- Checked my firearm in it's case, and 6 coolers full of meat as luggage for the flight home
- When I landed the meat was still frozen, took it home and filled the freezer

Did this same thing but took it one step further… left some of my cheaper gear behind. Example took a warm but bulky sleeping bag (the bulk is what made it cheap) and left it behind for other hunters and tossed some of my cheaper clothing like sweatpants rather than UPS those. My hunting partner didn’t kill so we had no trouble getting all the meat home… had moose mount taxidermied locally in Canada then Crate shipped to me with removable antlers … cost for that was about the same as had I brought cape home and done it here with the currency conversion

 

[roymunson]

have you checked with an expediter?

Don't know what's available, but that's what I'm doing coming from Alaska.
bought a spot on a reefer truck and they'll drop it off a couple weeks later in a town not far from me. Think it cost me $900 which is cheap compared to the extra driving and the hassle of the border.

Not sure what specs are getting that meat across the border without you being with it. You may be able to cross into Canada and pick it up there...

Seems like a long way to drive. But I guess if that's the option, go for it

 

[jdvanstar]

have you checked with an expediter?

Don't know what's available, but that's what I'm doing coming from Alaska.
bought a spot on a reefer truck and they'll drop it off a couple weeks later in a town not far from me. Think it cost me $900 which is cheap compared to the extra driving and the hassle of the border.

Not sure what specs are getting that meat across the border without you being with it. You may be able to cross into Canada and pick it up there...

Seems like a long way to drive. But I guess if that's the option, go for it

Those guys are great. No such option out of Canada though. Debated heading west to Alaska with the carcass to do that but it was like 18 hours from where I was.

 

[NorthCountryAB]

You guys travelling through Alberta could check with Talon Distributing in Edmonton.
Last I heard there was still no option for the boned out meat, just the antlers and cape but maybe that has changed in the last month or so.

 

[MDM23]

My most recent BC moose hunt I checked two coolers 50 lbs each and I take a soft sided yeti cooler as my carry on and stuffed it with frozen moose meat. The rest I donated.

 

[Southeast]

Three of us are driving from S. Dakota to BC in mid-September and we hope to bring back the meat from (at least) one moose. We're taking three 150 qt coolers, which I have read should haul all the meat from a boned out moose. Those three coolers fill most of the bed of the truck. Anything else will have to be stacked on top for our 25 hr drive.

I have used AK Trophy Express on a previous Alaska hunt and definitely wish Canada had something similar.

 

[jdvanstar]

Just wanted to check back in with an update. I ended up making the 47 Hour drive . to British Columbia from Michigan. Shot a moose on the sixth day and was able to drive him back in the freezer I brought with. I had brought a generator that I would run all day and then would plug the freezer in whatever motel I stopped at during the night. I also brought the skull back - doing a euro. It was a tough drive but not terrible - my cameraman and I switched driving every time we filled up with gas. I’ll be spending the rest of the week butchering!

 

[270quest]

When I went 5-6 years ago, I drove - 48 hours from Boise to the hunting camp. Had a chest freezer and honda 2000 generator in the back of my truck to bring back the meat. I ended up not harvesting, but the freezer option would have worked great. I tested it on the way up - running the generator while driving. Freezer was cold.

 

[CNEdeer307]

Drove up 36 hours from Wyoming to where we hunted in B.C in 2019. if you can drive it its the way to go. I've flown with meat before and its not ideal, especially with that much meat. We killed two bulls early in our hunt and were able to get it process which made it much easier to fit into coolers we bought from a Canadian tire. best of luck hopefully you can connect on a nice bull and have an awesome hunt.

 

[Southeast]

We used a pickup bed completely full of coolers to haul most of two moose from northern BC to S. Dakota. The meat was hung and cooled, then boned out, before we left the camp. We used a little ice (10 lbs per cooler - replaced once) and everything was fine when we got home around 40 hours after leaving. We drove through temps up to 72 degrees but most of the drive we were at 60 or less.

Our coolers:
2x 150qt
3x 120qt
1x 72 qt