Couple of Dumb "going on a hunt"??'

[bowless]

I've never really travelled to go on a hunt in another state but hope to this year.  The question is let's say you're at a hotel for a week and first day you get a deer, but have more tags, what do you do?  Or you travel south in the winter on a hog hunt, how do you store and transport your hog?  I know it sounds dumb but I got to thinking(I know, dangerous) about the little details after thinking about travelling somewhere.  I know many of you do this every season, how do you handle those little details?

[just_a_hunter]

Bowless,

Good questions. They are not dumb.

It's been my experience that anywhere there is a motel, there is also a butcher shop/game processor within an hour drive of your motel (60-70 miles).

Wether or not you want the butcher to process your game, they will hang it for you for a small fee in the cooler until you are ready to go home.

The best way to compactly travel with your game is to quarter or 8th (Sometimes you will need to break an elk sized critter down further then quarters to get it to fit in an ice chest) place quarters or pieces of game into an ice chest and put a couple pounds of dry ice in the cooler with your game. If the dry ice melts by the time you get home, just stop at a grocery store along the way and get more dry Ice.

It kind of depends on the price of butchering wether or not I'll have th butcher proccess my meat.

For instance, where I hunt in east Texas, there is a top notch butcher there that is very reasonably priced. If I take a hog, he can have it fully butchered and froze within 24 hours. I still put dry ice with proccessed fair to keep packages froze.

Note: Make sure the butcher gives you back your meat. there are a lot of butchers that weigh you meat and give you processed meat of somebody elses critter. Not very many do this, but becarfull of it none-the-less.

If you are flying, you can put the meat in coolers with dry ice and next day air it home or pay the extra baggage fee and check the cooler.

I feel this is an EXELLENT question. Not very many people figure this cost in when budgeting for a hunt. An elk sized animal, butchered packed and shipped will cost $600-$800. Cut that figure in half with deer/pig sized animals, and double that figure for buffalo/moose sized game.

However, if you want to butcher the animal your self, the hanging fee and dry ice fee is well under $100 bones.

Hopefully some of this will help.

Good luck,

Todd

[varmint]

Very good question!Definately NOT a dumb one....

[joe c.]

Good question! I dont remember where I heard it but you cant bring an out of state deer back into michigan without it being proccessed first.
So it's probally best to locate A butcher before you go,Its A good problem to have.

[rg176bnc]

We cut our hogs up and placed them in plastic bags, wrapped them in blankets w/ some dry ice.  It was 80 degrees during the day.  When we got home they were hard as a rock.

[turkey65]

When I hunted Wyoming years back, I towed a small utility trailer behind my Bronco 2 I made a box the width of the trailer and about 30 in wide out of 5/8 plywood then I lined the box with one in styrafoam including top( which was hinged and the bottom also dry ice can be purchased in any grocery store out there. We quartered the meat mostly antelope and placed a block of dry ice in center and pack the meat around it ducktaped around the lid to seal it and when we got home the meat was frozen solid. The first time we went we brought back the heads to be mounted and the taxidermist had to wait two days for the heads to thaw before he could skin them out. Never lost any meat.

[akdd]

If you are flying I don't think that you are allowed to use dry ice.

[bretto]

You can use Dry Ice but the container can't be sealed gases must be able to escape. Check with Your airline first.

[John3]

We did exactly what turkey65 did. Plywood "coffin" box lined with 1" dow board.
Saved empty milk gallon jugs, filled and froze them. Quarter up killed animal surround with jugs. Some of the jugs were still frozen after a week out west in September.

John III

[bowless]

Wow, this is some great feedback.  I hope others like me who haven't really "travelled" are benefiting as much as I am.
Can always count on tradgangers!

Thanks,