Getting Meat Home

[timmymic]

I'm from WI and have an antelope and deer hunt (hopefully draw both) this fall in WY. What are you guys doing with quarters to get them home? Or are you deboning everything?

 

[lancetkenyon]

I freeze gallon jugs of water. They stay frozen a long time in a good ice chest, and when they do start to melt, they do not leak or let the meat sit in water.

 

[memtb]

If you have the means, trailer, or lots of truck bed space ect. A small chest freezer (5.0 cu ft. under $200), a small generator (only need to run occasionally)....bone-out meat, wrapped in plastic wrap (multiple 20 pound or so parcels), once home thaw and process parcels as time allows. That's one option!

That freezer is pretty handy for bringing food from home, to your hunting location! We have one in our camper....real handy for longer vacations or our 3 week + fall/winter boondocking hunting trips! Lots of home cooked meals, ready to eat. Less kitchen time! memtb

 

[rogerstv]

We drove home to Illinois from Wyoming with Antelope in non-Yeti coolers. My hunting partner was prepared to purchase dry ice. No need. The meat was quartered, boned, and bagged in larger pieces than I normally freeze when home. No issues whatsoever. May have added ice once. Even stayed overnight on the way home.

Our cabin owner provided processing area in a nearby garage.

 

[SilverbulletMAG]

The following will work for just transporting but I wet age most of my game meat in quality coolers for several days at a time.
I have a false bottom in the cooler(s) and then alternate thick layers of quality ice and meat, ice and meat. After a couple days, you end up with a thick layer of ice on top that you just top up as needed. Keeps the meat just above freezing...perfect for aging. Sometimes I'll use game bags for everything or just keep the smaller grind pieces in a game bag and keep the larger pieces directly on ice. Keep the drain plug open so the melted ice and blood can run and only keep the drain closed when transporting. This has worked well for me over the years on long road trips from northern MN (whitetail) back down to CO.
I'll age the meat this way for at least a week but generally longer. Key is to use a good cooler, rotate the meat around the cooler every few days, make sure you have a false bottom so the meat isn't sitting in water/blood and keep it topped with ice and you should have great results as well.

(edited to clarify it keeps meat just above freezing, not just below)

 

[460 magnum]

We went on a hog hunt in FL we killed 5 hogs cut them all up and put in the big Coleman coolers with ice 18+ hour drive home to IL no problem what so ever.. Hey @rogerstv I see your from IL also I'm in the very southern tip where about are you located.

 

[VALKYRIETP]

You better check with your WI DNR. You cant bring any carcass back to MN. But you can drive one through the State. That CWD thing. I went to MT last fall for 12 days, came back with the same ice I left with. ORCA coolers
T.P.

 

[Oi.223]

I had access to a broken plastic pallet that has 1" square grid openings that I cut down to 1" tall and cut to fit in my cooler so my meat will be at least 1" above the cooler bottom and out of most of the water. I also take a short piece of clear flexible tubing that fits inside the drain plug hole so when I initially put the meat in the cooler I can stuff the tube in the drain plug then run the hose out the tailgate so the cooler will drain and not get the bed of the pickup all wet. After the cooler and meat temp stabilize I remove the hose and put the plug back in.
IF I have the toyhauler I take a small chest freezer on a harbor freight lawn cart so I can roll it around. I run the trailer genny just enough to keep the freezer around 40 degrees.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Check with states about carrying bones/bone for the legal issues with disease.

Logistically freeze 2 liters of water/ water bottles and toss the meat in there.

At worst just put ice directly on it and drain it often. This is how we brought back elk from Colorado to NC and had no issues. Getting meat wet isn't the end of the world, it will look grey but it tastes fine.

 

[laker]

Start saving milk jugs. They make great ice chunks

 

[Oi.223]

Having an old blanket or sleeping bag along to stuff in the top of the cooler over the meat once its cooled can really help keep ice if its going to be a warn ride home.

 

[Elkeater]

I just put ice in a good quality cooler then put my meat in heavy contractor style garbage bags and put it in the cooler.

 

[Hespco]

If your ice chest is in the back of a pickup make sure there is some type of insulation between the bottom of it & your truck bed. Road heat will transfer thru your bed to your cooler. Meat in the bottom of the ice chest can spoil. A sleeping bag works great as insulation between truck bed & cooler. . I usually bone my meat & place in a large cooler with a newspaper covering & locally purchased dry ice on top. The news paper keeps the ice from burning the meat.

 

[timmymic]

If you have the means, trailer, or lots of truck bed space ect. A small chest freezer (5.0 cu ft. under $200), a small generator (only need to run occasionally)....bone-out meat, wrapped in plastic wrap (multiple 20 pound or so parcels), once home thaw and process parcels as time allows. That's one option!

That freezer is pretty handy for bringing food from home, to your hunting location! We have one in our camper....real handy for longer vacations or our 3 week + fall/winter boondocking hunting trips! Lots of home cooked meals, ready to eat. Less kitchen time! memtb

Didn't think of the freezer in the trailer! I have an extra at the house thats not in use!