Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Cooler Space for "Eatin' Size" Moose?

Hello All!

My Son and I are getting ready for an un-coming Moose & Bear hunt in Newfoundland next month. The guide said to figure about 200lbs of meat for the moose on average. About how much cooler space is that, allowing for ice, of course? Any recommendations for coolers to make the 30 hour trip back home?

Thanks!

Never shot a moose or even seen one but 200 lbs seems a little lite if they are as big as I have been told.

Can't recommend a cooler for you, but I have taken quite a few Alberta moose. I would figure on 300 lbs of meat or so. Are you getting it butchered up there or bringing it back in large chunks? Most butchers have to freeze it solid prior to giving it to you, which would save you some ice space.

SS

ETA: We use the following ratios to estimate weights. Live weight / 2 = Hook weight Hook weight / 2 = Butchered weight. So a 1200 lb live weight = 600 on the hook = 300 in the freezer.

I can fit 50lbs of boned out deer meat into a fish box, and that includes the weight of the box. Not sure if you can get them where you are at but I would look into it. You wouldn't have to worry about the weight of the coolers.

I'm being told the average we are likely to get are about 600-800 live weight. I'll have it butchered there, so frozen is most likely.

Packaged and frozen meat will not compact very well into a cooler so you are going to need quite a lot of cooler space. My guess would be about five 48 qt size coolers.

200 pounds is probably a good estimate for a cut/wrapped Eastern moose. A very large Alaska/Yukon bull will bone out to 600 pounds in the bush and after professional cut/wrap job will net at about 500-550 pounds.

I had some thing over 400lbs of meat from my last NB moose and he was a young bull. I had him cut and wrapped in NB and the packages were frozen in the open coolers in the butchers walk in freezer.

I used 4 Coleman 150qt freezers and there would have room for some ice, but I didn't use any as its just 10 hrs from NB to home for me.

I would say to the OP that 2 150qt freezers would probably do, but three would be sure and leave more room for ice.

Since you're driving, I'd consider putting a chest freezer on a trailer with a small generator. We got 2 moose boned out home from AB this way a couple years ago.

I shot a cow moose in Newfoundland last year. I brought it home to NY in 2 - 150 qt. coolers. About 250 lbs., cut & wrapped. We took 6 coolers and wound up just putting our gear in the 2 that weren't holding meat. You're going to love it! (both Newfoundland and moose meat)

Awesome! Thanks everyone!

I shot a nice eating size moose in BC a few years ago. Cut, wrapped and frozen, it fit into two large and one small cooler. If it is frozen, there is no reason to add ice. In fact, I avoid ice anyway because of the mess it makes. Dry ice takes up less space and freezes instead of cools, but you should be good for several days without any ice if you start with frozen meat.

One more thing Teeder, if your moose meat isn't frozen you might want to put it in plastic bags like garbage bags before icing it down for the trip home. Otherwise the melting ice will soak the freezer paper and you'll probably lose some of the labels. This will help avoid the mess that Kodiakisland refers to above. Good luck!

Never heard of wrapping meat in freezer paper ans putting on ice anyway? You're correct in that it would be a mess just don't think anyone would do it to begin with?

Too big is better than too small. My last Newfoundland moose was a 4 point bull that averaged 100 lbs a quarter ---bone in. The big old feller before that was a lot more. You never know what you will see;
remember, there aren't any "farms" in NFLD. That being said, moose are like all deer in that there isn't as much meat as you would expect from such a big animal. You control everything on your trip except that damn ferry ride from North Sydney to Port au Basque Nfld. so allow extra ice in case a storm delays the ferry. I guarantee you'll enjoy your trip but please watch your driving after dark. There are a lot of moose in NFLD and you don't want to hit a horny old bull. You're in the heart of the rut and a truck means squat to a moose on the prowl. Enjoy your trip and let us know how you make out.

Thanks again, everyone!

Hope to be posting pictures about Oct 5th!

You're right about the freezer paper Kaleb. Mine was vacuum sealed. It was some of the paper labels that came unstuck from being wet. (Brain phart)

I shot a 15 point 900lb+ bull moose in NFL. Totally butchered and shrink wrapped left about 300lbs of meat to take home. The meat was frozen solid and was placed without ice in 3-150 qt coolers. You'll need another cooler for the hide. If you bring back a black bear (I did) you will need a cooler for the bear hide and bear meat if you take that too. Hauled everything home in a 4'x8' enclosed trailer.

It took me two days to get home including the ferry ride (I live in NY). All the meat was fine.

Hmm, I just got two 150 qrt coolers and have a couple smaller ones. My buddy is taking a 250 & 160. I wonder if that will be enough?

It sounds like your moose was above average.

When I got my elk in CO years back, I didn't have the hide in a cooler for the trip back. Is that necessary?
IIRC, I just salted it.

I'm in western PA, so the trip is approximately 31 hours with ferry ride.

Thanks!

Not sure what was meant by this.

I fiqure about 1-1.25 pound of meat per qt. cooler size. I don't have moose experience but bring home elk often enough on planes. We usually place 43-44# of meat into a 48-50 qt. cooler for a just under 50# baggage limit. Also place some meat in carry on bag coolers. 200# seams light for a moose.