Home-made Cooler for Elk?

[Beer Baron]

Do you know that Yeti's is anti gun. They make a great cooler, but. They came out against the AR-15 a few years back, a long with Dick's Sporting goods, and Field & Stream Sporting Goods. I don't support company that don't support our sport!

Rtic coolers are much cheaper just as good and support the NRA

 

[Greta06]

We had 2-100qt coolers last time and there wasnt enough room for 2 boned out bulls, had to buy another 70qt to fit everything. Another option that uses less space is 2 sheets of 1 inch foam board and a roll of duct tape, make the cooler the size you need based on what you kill on the trip. The boards lay in your truck bed under all the gear and take up very little space until needed.

 

[Moose Whacker]

The freezer and generator works very well, freezers can be procured cheap or free, you should have a generator anyway.
Once back home freezer is a good storage place till you finish butchering and packaging your meat,
then you can sell it or give it away or keep it for another hunt, easy peasy.

 

[Treeslug]

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 .

You could just invite me on your elk hunt and save yourself all the trouble of building coolers, buying ice, carrying generators--all that stuff. If I go elk hunting with you guys, I guarantee no one will need a cooler because no one will kill anything bigger than a mosquito. I am that lucky charm everyone needs on a strenuous hunting trip. And I am cheap to hire.

 

[epoletna]

Treeslug:

How could anyone turn down an offer like that?

 

[Ol' Red]

Glad that I am not the only one" good luck " charm. I jinx elk hunts so bad my buddies will only go deer and speed goat hunting with me.

 

[Treeslug]

Treeslug:

How could anyone turn down an offer like that?

I don't understand it either. Think of all the money and headache I could save them. I've done this same thing for free for some of my best hunting buddies. As good of friends as we were, they did not seem to appreciate my expertise very much, so they don't take me hunting with them anymore. And that after all the work I saved them.

 

[Treeslug]

Glad that I am not the only one" good luck " charm. I jinx elk hunts so bad my buddies will only go deer and speed goat hunting with me.

I can't tell you how glad I was to watch that 6x6 bull elk push his harem of about 25 cows over that hill while I was still trying to get my rifle unstrapped from the front of my 4-wheeler early that New Mexico morning. I can still see it like it was yesterday. I have never strapped my rifle down in the 25 years since. But I did not need that ice chest we lugged all that way up there.

 

[Mike Matteson]

We pulled a trailer out to hunt Montana when I lived on the east coast. On the trailer i had a large chest freezer and a generator. We put in gallon jugs of ice and kept them frozen and taking up space in the freezer till we put meat in. We brought back two elk and two deer in it started the generator up every 4 hours or so and let it run 30 min or so to keep everything cold. Worked out well for us. BTW it was a 5'X10" single axle trailer with 3500 lb axle.

You know I seen that in Baja several years ago doing the same thing, but was fishing. I hauled dry ice there and back and that work well. It wasn't biggest freezer, but it worked. The other is you can use it a home. What you send in dry ice would almost pay for the freezer the first trip. I know that I had several hundred for dry ice.

 

[Rosebud]

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 .

Made one in the80,s out of plywood with foam glued to the sides and top. Everything screwed together super tight. Placed dry ice on top of the elk and mule deer screwed the top on ,good to go. Make sure the meat is as cold as possible. Best if frozen. Dont scrimp on the dry ice. But refrigerator cold will work. Sides of the box were4 ft square. About half way home unscrew the top and check the meat. Ours wss still frozen. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[fnlights]

You could just invite me on your elk hunt and save yourself all the trouble of building coolers, buying ice, carrying generators--all that stuff. If I go elk hunting with you guys, I guarantee no one will need a cooler because no one will kill anything bigger than a mosquito. I am that lucky charm everyone needs on a strenuous hunting trip. And I am cheap to hire.

Very convincing

 

[Another Casual]

I can recommend the coleman marine extreme 120qt. I think we paid $55-$65 a few years ago. Filled it with some frozen milk jugs and they were still mostly frozen when I got back to my car a few days later.

 

[fnlights]

Rtic coolers are much cheaper just as good and support the NRA

Did not realize that about Yeti - will definitely remember that in the future!

 

[fnlights]

I have fit medium size bulls and large cows into 120/150 qt coolers. Key for me is de-boning the meat. The bones are heavy to pack out and more importantly they hold a lot of heat. The meat also fits in coolers better off the bone. I butcher my own animals so this isn't an issue for me but I have heard that some butcher shops don't take meat that has been de-boned. I also pack a small tarp to stage the game bagged meat on in the field, keeps any debris off. I hunt the early season in Colorado and have shot elk in 70 degree weather and stored it in a cooler with ice for 3-5 days a few times with no problems. We did have to add new ice once every couple days to keep it cool. Drain the bloody water often, in my experience that can also cause issues with the meat. Good luck.

I also butcher my own meat, so that will not be a problem