Getting Meat Home

[Dosh]

We brought boned elk meat back from Utah in a Grizzly ice chest. We put a layers of towels between meat and dry ice. A 2" piece of styrofoam under the ice chest. No problems. Good luck on your draw.

 

[sendero72]

If you are freezing one-gallon jugs, dissolve 1/3 cup of salt per gallon. This will lower the freezing temp and will thaw at a slower pace. Should give you an extra 2 days of ice.

 

[WindSurgeon]

Debone all the meet. Wrap in garbage bags (or whatever plastic) and put in a cooler with ice for the ride home. Where are you hunting in Wyoming? Just taking it to a processor for butchering and freezing before the trip home is also a good option.

 

[19elkhunter51]

When we were hunting antelope in NV, I was really afraid of losing the meat due to heat. We had three Igloo coolers, all 110 quart, two full of ice. When we were able to fill our tags we quickly, I can't stress how important this is, cleaned the animal and put them on ice. That night after the hunt, we deboned all the meat. We then put a layer of ice in the bottom of the cooler, then a layer of meat, another layer of ice until we filled one cooler and then did the same with the rest of the meat in the second cooler. We did not come home for two days. We finished processing one antelope and then it was two days before we could finish processing the second antelope. My wife now makes me apply for multiple antelope tags every year. She and my children enjoy the antelope as much or more than elk or venison.
One important comment made by someone else and I will say again. BE SURE that you know the regulations regarding the transport of wild game across state lines. For years we had transported our elk back to our home state with no problems. Then an over zealous inspector asked for a bunch of forms that NONE of us had ever heard of. She allowed us to fill the forms out at the agriculture check station but LEGALLY could have confiscated all our meat, trucks and weapons. Seriously look at all the regulations in ALL the state you will be transporting your through on your way home.
GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[LongProng]

My brother and I hunt in Wyoming every year for Antelope / Deer / Elk. The local processors are very reasonable and tailor to out of state hunters. You can generally bring an animal in and get it back the next day or so. Having frozen processed meat saves space and needs less ice if any at all. We bring a bench freezer on our trailer and keep it plugged in at camp. Wyoming is a great place to hunt - enjoy your time out west!

 

[Orange Dust]

We brought boned elk meat back from Utah in a Grizzly ice chest. We put a layers of towels between meat and dry ice. A 2" piece of styrofoam under the ice chest. No problems. Good luck on your draw.

One note of caution using dry ice. Only use it if you are traveling with it in a chest in the open. Not in the back of an SUV. It will make you sick. Don't ask how I know... Also if using dry ice be sure and wrap it with newspaper, towels or something or it will burn the meat. Weather you use ice, dry ice, or a freezer, bone out all the meat.

 

[jenr234]

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?

Skin and butcher the antelope asap. freezing too soon keeps the meat from aging and getting tender. depends on the weather. doesn't hurt meat to be in icy water in an ice chest if you drain it daily and replenish the ice. cleans it and allows it to age a bit.

 

[Dr. Vette]

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?

Where in WY?

There are some processors with very fast turnaround times.

 

[Orange Dust]

Skin and butcher the antelope asap. freezing too soon keeps the meat from aging and getting tender. depends on the weather. doesn't hurt meat to be in icy water in an ice chest if you drain it daily and replenish the ice. cleans it and allows it to age a bit.

Using this method for all game draws most of the blood out of the meat, which is responsible for much of the gaminess. It also tenderizes it some. Adding salt to the first cooling enhances it even more. About 1/2 cup per ice chest. The salt will draw the blood out better, cool the meat quicker, and flushes away as you drain and add ice. Pretty easy to keep meat at least a week this way. I age this way, even at home I don't process big game meat before the third day. Wet aging is very good for game.

 

[LongProng]

I don't age Antelope at all. The best thing is to get the Antelope gutted and skinned and in a cooler as fast as you can. The longer the animal sits warm and skin on, the worse it will taste. Generally, we take ours to the processor the same day if possible. For deer and elk, aging is definitely beneficial.

 

[epoletna]

When we were hunting antelope in NV, I was really afraid of losing the meat due to heat. We had three Igloo coolers, all 110 quart, two full of ice. When we were able to fill our tags we quickly, I can't stress how important this is, cleaned the animal and put them on ice. That night after the hunt, we deboned all the meat. We then put a layer of ice in the bottom of the cooler, then a layer of meat, another layer of ice until we filled one cooler and then did the same with the rest of the meat in the second cooler. We did not come home for two days. We finished processing one antelope and then it was two days before we could finish processing the second antelope. My wife now makes me apply for multiple antelope tags every year. She and my children enjoy the antelope as much or more than elk or venison.
One important comment made by someone else and I will say again. BE SURE that you know the regulations regarding the transport of wild game across state lines. For years we had transported our elk back to our home state with no problems. Then an over zealous inspector asked for a bunch of forms that NONE of us had ever heard of. She allowed us to fill the forms out at the agriculture check station but LEGALLY could have confiscated all our meat, trucks and weapons. Seriously look at all the regulations in ALL the state you will be transporting your through on your way home.
GOOD LUCK!!!!

Hey 19elkhunter51:

What NV unit did you hunt antelope in? I'm looking for suggestions on where to hunt. Thanks. Fred

 

[KyCarl]

My buddy took 2 nice deer from Kentucky to Tampa Florida in big ice chests
with the meat in plastic and wrapped in newspaper then a bunch of dry ice on top.
He said it got home fine he likes Ky. corn fed deer.

 

[Greta06]

Debone all the meet. Wrap in garbage bags (or whatever plastic) and put in a cooler with ice for the ride home. Where are you hunting in Wyoming? Just taking it to a processor for butchering and freezing before the trip home is also a good option.

You need to be careful with the garbage bags or plastic, the meat can spoil after a couple days. Made that mistake many years ago.... Game bags allow airflow and prevent spoilage. I built a custom hitchhauler, 3/4" plywood with 1 inch foam on the inside, works great. Another idea that i got from a friend to save space was to have 2 sheets of 1inch foam in the truck and duct tape. Make any size cooler you need, depending on how good hunters in the group are.

 

[DDB TX]

If you have access to a freezer at the harvest area, save all those water bottles you drink on the trip (or buy more) in all sizes, refill them, and freeze them for the trip home. I actually keep my home freezer stocked with once used water (or tonic water ) bottles filled with RO water from my filter. Rarely buy ice and you get drinking water when they thaw. And no messy ice water/animal juice slurrys to deal with. Wrapping the coolers in your sleeping bags works wonders as well.