Taking Venison Home

[PerrySBell]

My Son, who is stationed in Anchorage AK, will be flying into Oklahoma to hunt whitetail with the group of guys that I have hunted with for the last 20+ years. If he is lucky enough o harvest a Deer, what would be your best suggestion on how to package the Venison to fly it back to Anchorage with him?

 

[Hespco]

Quick freeze it if at all possible. Pack in foam ice chests with newspaper on top & dry ice on top of that so the mear isn;t burned by the ice. . Should keep like that for two days , easy.

 

[Ol' Red]

Same way they pack moose meat out of Alaska. Freeze it down good, ice pack it in coolers with dry ice. Duct tape the coolers shut so they don't pop open. If you are ever around Anchorage International Airport around September you'll see more coolers than you will ever see again. Tell your son good luck on his hunt and thanks for his service.

 

[dok7mm]

Vacuum packed on ice packs or freeze if portions are pre-packaged to suit him. Plenty of tape on cooler.

 

[Dean2]

If you plan to use dry ice, check the airline you are using closely for their baggage and restricted items policies. Some allow small quantities as carry on but not in checked bags, others allow X quantity in checked bags etc. Most limit total dry ice to 5 lbs. Not all places enforce it when receiving baggage but you only need that one zealot to ruin your day. Meat that is well frozen and put in a cooler with a newspaper liner and over cover will easily stay frozen for 24 hours. Duct tape the coolers shut unless there is a foolproof lock.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

If the meat is frozen solid it can be packed with some dry ice to keep it that way until you get near the airport. Then just toss the ice and ship the frozen meat in a sealed cooler. This way you avoid issues with dry ice in your checked baggage.

 

[snookntarpon]

get the cheap igloo or coleman coolers. they weigh near nothing and cost $20 a piece. full they should weigh less than max bag weight and you just do a few of them.
SnT

 

[Dean2]

Two more cautions, most airlines have max bag wieght of 50 or 70 LBs, if your item exceeds that the penalty surcharge is HUGE, so know what the limit is for sure. Second point, depending on how many bags you took up and how many extra coolers you have to bring bag, the additional; baggage charges can add up quickly. You may want to expllore the various classes of tickets for their baggage allowance. I know that flying to Europe I am far better off taking the full fare, refundable ticket because I get a 4 bag allowance and no extra charge for sporting goods, along with priority boarding, pre-selected seats and a few other perks. The difference in baggage costs more than covers the extra ticket costs.