Getting moose meat to lower 48? Transport or fly?

[Buckeye Htr]

Looking for any experience or advice on the best way to get as much moose meat as possible home to Ohio. Two of us will be hunting out of Wasilla in 2021. Our pilot advised there is a processor and or freezer space available. I am an experienced butcher and managed a butcher shop for 4 years. I have also broke down and deboned elk in the field. (Have also broke down a couple of cattle that decided to go rouge and needed put down in the field! LOL) My plan is to have all the meat deboned and packaged before leaving Wasilla. What I do not know is what is the best way to get it home. If successful I already have plans for the skull and antlers or mount if its huge (one could only hope).

Anyone know the cost or have contact info for a transporter that makes drops though out the Midwest? Or has anyone had experience with the airlines and paid for oversized bags? How many coolers and what kind of weight could I expect?

 

[Racer00]

Our group killed two bulls is '18. Flew everything back to Wasilla. Had a buddies place there where we totally processed and packaged the meat (except for grind meat. Just chunked and packaged that to be ground at home). We are all experienced meat cutters including a cpl professional butchers. Vacuum sealed and packed it in fish boxes. Four full boxes per moose. About 375 lbs per animal. (We had eaten 30-40 lbs in the bush). Shipped it all back to Michigan via Alaska Trophy Express trucking. They looked a little suspect when we met them(LOL) but it all went well. There current price for meat, antlers and cape in a reefer trailer frozen solid is $950 this year.
If I was doing it again, and especially not having to ship antlers, I would check into flying the meat and paying excess baggage fees. Especially if you fly Alaska Airlines.
Just my 2 cents.
alaskatrophyexpress.com

 

[NUGGET]

if you are flying out of an AK airlines hub become a known shipper and ship it that way. I think you’ll be surprised how cheap it can be.

don’t take coolers if you take it as baggage. Take fish boxes. They are lighter than coolers.

 

[Voyageur]

Check with Nick Ploesser of AK Trophy Expediters. 907 223-2666 Used his services last September to get a caribou and antlers home. Nick will lay out all your options and give you the straight scoop. He will even tell you if he thinks you have better options than using his services. Definitely worth your time to check with him.

 

[wyo2track]

I have a buddy that shipped a moose from west central Alaska down to Wyoming last year. He used FedEx overnight from the butcher shop to his house. Around 600# processed meat if I remember correctly, he had the local butcher make all the sausage and other stuff. Cost him around $1600 to ship it. Another way I've heard of is to drive up there pulling a trailer with a freezer and generator, but probably will take 7 days to drive it one way and cost almost as much to ship. I've heard of guys filling 2 or 3 coolers with frozen meat, then paying for the extra baggage fees to the airliner and shipping their other luggage home through UPS or FedEx. Be sure that freezer space that you think may be available actually is prior to going and what it may cost. The processor that owns them may not be that willing if you're not going to use his services and he has paying full service customers that need the space. Find out their name and call them before going. The charter that my friend used said the same thing and when he finally got the moose out, the freezer space had to be negotiated.

 

[Buckeye Htr]

Exactly the kind of experience and knowledge I am seeking. Thanks for the insight and contact info! I will definitely be making phone calls to verify things.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Your first task upon getting the meat back to town will be to get it correctly boxed and frozen. I do that without cutting down or trimming the meat. Place whole large pieces inside the plastic bag-lined shipping box and seal it up tight. Into the freezer.

Getting it home from Alaska:

Will it be frozen in time for your trip home? If so, you can bring 100-pound boxes of frozen meat to the check-in counter and fly it home as checked baggage. This will average out at about $1 per pound on Alaska Airlines. Be sure you have things ready when you get home, so you can either re-freeze or begin butchering the next day.

If not frozen: As I recall, Alaska Air has established an Air Cargo terminal at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, OH. You can opt to have it shipped down a week or so after you arrive home. Simply have to arrange for someone in AK to get it to the airport and in the hands of Alaska Air Cargo. The price also runs around $1 per pound for cargo shipments.

 

[Smtn10pt]

Put it on the plane with you, frozen in 95 pound packages in Rubbermaid totes zip tied shut. Fly AK air, 1$ a pound

 

[NUGGET]

BTW there is no f————ing way I would have my meat processed in AK. Don’t do it. Same with taxidermy.

 

[Buckeye Htr]

$1 a pound sounds great! I of course will be prepared to pay for processing and freight if thing happen last minute and there is no time to package and freeze meat. Will check on air cargo terminal. I am only 35 min from Columbus.
Thanks

 

[Buckeye Htr]

Nugget, Sounds like you have been burnt on processing.

 

[mtnbiker208]

google it, but there is a trucking company that makes a fall run from alaska to the lower 48. he has a freezer truck and will bring everything back. His run is typically the later part of september.

 

[NUGGET]

BTW there is no f————ing way I would have my meat processed in AK. Don’t do it. Same with taxidermy.

They are very expensive and if it’s vac sealed half are going to be popped by the time you get home.

 

[Voyageur]

google it, but there is a trucking company that makes a fall run from alaska to the lower 48. he has a freezer truck and will bring everything back. His run is typically the later part of september.

mtnbiker might be referring to Alaska Trophy Express. Their phone number is 715.497.3913
The guy's name is Dave Erickson.

 

[Robinhood21]

Check with Nick Ploesser of AK Trophy Expediters. 907 223-2666 Used his services last September to get a caribou and antlers home. Nick will lay out all your options and give you the straight scoop. He will even tell you if he thinks you have better options than using his services. Definitely worth your time to check with him.

We will be using Nick this year. He's too easy to work with to no to.