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Home-made Cooler for Elk?
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fnlights
Well-Known Member
Agreed - I think this is a great route to go - it is about a 25 hour drive for us - so if we want to stop, might be nice to have a generator and a freezer just in case. What size chest freezer do you guys use?
I have tried orca coolers and like them same quality as a yeti at half the price,They are made in the USA more specifically they are made in Tennessee my home state
We used to make dock boxes for ice used in fishing boats not that hard to do. 2 inch foam board 3 inch screws screwing it together in the dimensions required but one must use polyester resin not fiberglass resin or it will melt the foam boardsHas anyone home-made a cooler for elk? My dad and I have a guided elk hunt planned for 2022 and plan on driving out to Colorado (from PA). The issue being getting the meat back.
We are looking at building a few coolers to throw in the bed of the truck to store the meat. But neither of us have ever hunted elk / killed an elk before so we have no idea how much meat we are going to get - so no idea how big these things need to be to hold potentially 2 bull elk.
Any insight on how to make one / pictures of one's you have made would be greatly appreciated! (Including dimensions)
We have no idea how much one will cost, but with the current cost of lumber, might be able to buy 2 yeti's instead.
Try using borax as in 20 Mule team , Also called dry tanning it works very well does not draw out moisture the same as salt so it does not get slimy it works very well
Has anyone home-made a cooler for elk? My dad and I have a guided elk hunt planned for 2022 and plan on driving out to Colorado (from PA). The issue being getting the meat back.
We are looking at building a few coolers to throw in the bed of the truck to store the meat. But neither of us have ever hunted elk / killed an elk before so we have no idea how much meat we are going to get - so no idea how big these things need to be to hold potentially 2 bull elk.
Any insight on how to make one / pictures of one's you have made would be greatly appreciated! (Including dimensions)
We have no idea how much one will cost, but with the current cost of lumber, might be able to buy 2 yeti's instead
Let me try to save you some stress. Last year, me and a buddy of mine went to NM on an elk hunt. We drove there from SWPA, approx 25 hours. We both got a bull. We both took our bulls to a butcher, got them cut and frozen in a couple of days. We both took coolers with us and they were nothing special.
I took 3 - 70 qt coolers and 1 - 120 qt cooler. My 70 qt coolers were these:
I wanted the best cooler I could get so I researched coolers. By the time I decided what to buy, I couldn't get them in time because everything was sold out due to COVID. As a last resort I bought the colemans from Home Depot a couple of weeks before I left. I determined what I needed by searching online how much frozen meat will fit in a cooler. There is a formula of pounds per cubic feet of space and it was pretty close. My bull and cape fit perfectly in the coolers I had. My buddy had similar coolers and his fit perfect too. If you get the meat frozen, you don't need ice, just don't open the coolers. The frozen meat acts like ice.
These are the points that may help you.
You don't have to build anything.
Anything you build probably won't be as good as what you can buy.
70 qt coolers full of meat are heavy, but manageable with 2 guys. They are also small enough to move around.
Having 1 larger cooler for the cape is nice. You can fit some meat in there too.
You don't have to buy $300.00 - $400.00 coolers. By the time you pay for the coolers, you could ship the meat back!
If a cooler says it will keep ice for 5 days, it should keep meat for 3 or 4.
I didn't add any ice to my coolers and when I got home my meat was still frozen, and I did it for about $250.00 in 4 coolers that I am taking again this year.
Good luck on your hunt!!
You do realize one 5-8 cubic foot freezer is about 200 bucks, and will hold two de-boned or butchered moose no problem. Fits easily in the back of a pickup and many SUVs. Unless you don't have the room for one, the small chest freezer is the best answer, and it can be used to permanently store the meat when you get home.
Yes I do, but I have a 25 cu ft upright freezer and no room for a chest freezer. The coolers are in the shed taking up little to no room in the loft and get used over the summer for other things.
I was just trying to help the OP come up with a better cooler than building one.
ndking1126
Well-Known Member
I love this forum, thanks everyone for your inputs. This year is my first out of state hunt and hopefully my first elk. Exactly what I was looking for.
fnlights
Well-Known Member
Yep same. Learned a lot from these guys! I started this hoping for just a few responses and was blown away by all the tips!
