Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Mature Bull Elk = X # + X quart coolers

Solve for X

Assumptions; meat is very important to me and I don't high grade. Scraps go into the grinder. First time Elk hunter. Mature Bull Elk.

Thanks for solving the math problem.

Quarters are say 3.5ft X 1ft X 10”. Backstraps approximately 3.5ft long and another bag of trim about 35lb. I don’t know what size ice chest it’ll all fit in, we always haul ours home on a tarp in the trailer.

Sizes?

A quart volume in a cooler equals about a pound of meat - X equals your luck and skill for the kill.

We are typically flying meat home frozen - a cheap 48 quart Walmart / Fred Meyer plastic cooler will hold 40 - 42 pounds of meat , and make the 50 pound limit restriction with the weight of the cooler.

We used the same math for a Canadian moose hunt with a two day drive, in planning cooler and freezer space - it worked out the same for volume.

With two big elk - I’ve averaged 200-250 pounds of packaged meat or 4-5 of the 48 quart coolers each. Our best year was two deer and two elk - with 13 coolers coming home.

If you’re going to leave bone in on the quarters, the 150 quart are the way to go IMHO - though we’ve made do with a number of 65s.

I have always used 150-quart coolers for hauling elk back to Georgia. One hind quarter and one front quarter in each cooler with extra space
filled in with the backstrap, tenderloin, or other assorted edible parts. One of my friends loves the tongue and adds that to one of his coolers.

100qt igloo, 65qt Rtic

Boned and well trimmed in camp... one tenderloin eaten.

Kent

I use a 165 qt Igloo cooler for a quartered elk, backstraps, tenderloins, ribs and neck meat. Just enough space remaining for a layer of dry ice.

Butchering happens a week to 10 days later.

As a rough estimate, a mature cow/moose/elk dresses out about 30% of live weight as meat. Bones equal about 30% and visera about 30%. So at a quart per pound of meat do the math.

Very helpful guys! I was debating to fly or drive. It will be 2 drivers so leaning that way. 1600 miles 1 way.

WIth 2 drivers and assuming the extra time off isn't a hindrance, I'd drive, no doubt. Flying saves travel time, but the added cost/logistics aren't worth it to me if I can avoid it.

Regarding coolers, for keeping meat cold, I am not convinced the "super" coolers are worth the price and space/weight ratio. A 120qt rotomolded cooler is much bigger and much heavier than say a 120qt Igloo from Walmart. I've not any problems keeping meat up to a week in the igloo with just a couple changes of ice. Last time I flew with meat, a 70qt regular cooler was about the max size I could check without paying oversize fees. If full, it will be over the 50# max. The math problem, as alluded to above, which is cheaper fewer overweight checked luggage or more within weight checked luggage.

We always drive to our Colorado hunts. We take 3 coolers per person, 1 for each tag we have.(Bull, cow, mulie). We often tag out, and all 3 coolers each are either full, or near full with 3 good animals and dry ice blocks. Usually 3 150 qts each, or have got by with 2 150’s and a 100 or 120. Good luck hunting!

Doc_Holidude

Don’t forget to budget cooler space for ice.

And dry ice isn't available everywhere - If you have frozen meat in moderate temps - a ten pound bag will get you a ways down the road.

We've been lucky - the majority of meat we've flown with has been frozen, and we pack dry ice on the night before the flight.

Typical exodus for our elk hunt - leave camp 0800-1000 the day before the flight, drive to two hours to the processor.

Two more hours into Boise, check in the rooms, repack the meat into the cooler for each member of the hunt, and weigh it for airline baggage limits - this now 16-1800 in the evening - get dry ice for each cooler.

I only had two times when meat was not fully frozen - and we still made it OK, as did the meat - though I might butchered a fresh mule deer in the bathroom sink...once.

Flight is typically 0600~ish the next morning - remove any dry ice, and tape the coolers, TSA may check them, we retape.

Back on the East Coast by 1800 - all of the meat will still be frozen - and we looking at about 20-28 hours in the cooler.

Note on dry ice - if you haven't used it - put "something" layered between the meat and the dry ice.

,The chunks will contact freeze burn through vacuum sealed packages - we use bubble wrap, a lobby newspaper, or cardboard sheets in a pinch.

We have found that a processed cow or average bull elk will easily go into 2 x 120 qt coolers with room for dry ice, etc. most mule deer will fit into a 120 or 150 qt cooler. I take 3 - 120’s and a 150 and hope to fill them all! We drive.

We used two 120 quart Igloo coolers, two of them.

Here are some keys. We indian skinned the elk, quartered up, back straps, boned the meat off the neck. With the proper knife, you can easily, cut the joints on the legs. We use the McCrosky "Elk Skinner" knife and it will skin, bone out, quarter up 4 elk or more before it starts to loose an edge, amazing steel and heat treat in these knives.

Pack the meat on ice for 3 days, add more ice constantly, drain the water off every 12 hours when you add more ice. This cold ice method drains all the blood out of the meat.

For one of the best using knives on the planet, the McCrosky knives are heirloom quality that you will pass down to your kids, they are remarkable to say the least. I am not much into looks of a knife, I want that knife to cut like a surgeons knife and stay sharp for the intended job.

The knife makes boning the meat, easy and quick, I can not stress this enough.

I like the Igloo coolers due to cost and quality.

One of the cooler Brands is very anti gun, I will NOT say which, but it is not Igloo.

Thank you all for the advice. I have an Igloo Cool Max 165 qt (Costco $79.00) and a RTIC medium size cooler and a few others. I guess I will bring the 165 and the RTIC and maybe 1 other other. That should cover it. I don't like to waste any meat!

A good size spike/small rag horn will fill 110qt cooler.
De boned….Meat only.
Not a lot of room for dry ice

Two 150qt will give you the room for meat and ice.Ice on the bottom,meat in the middle and ice on the top will keep your meat well.I also keep the drain open.

I think you'll find dry ice all over put west, at least in Wyoming it is at every grocery store.

The 150 qt will work great, good luck on your hunt this fall.
Make sure the meat is cooled off before putting it in the coolers, hang it in the shade to cool it down along the bone.