Airline transport of wild game meat?

[McDave]

Years ago, when I used to hunt out of state more often, I was able to pack the venison in an ice chest with dry ice and check it along with my luggage.  This year, I have the opportunity to hunt out of state again, and wonder if that is still possible.  Of course, I remember the recipe for rabbit stew: “First, get your rabbit.”  But maybe I’ll get lucky.  If I do, what is the best way to get my venison home from 2,000 miles away?

[Trenton G.]

I'll be watching this thread. I've got a spring bear hunt and then an elk hunt that I'll be flying out for this coming year and am wondering the same thing. Most of what I've read said to get a cheap cooler and fly it back that way. I think I could fit a bear doing this, but I don't know about an elk. Especially if my buddy and I are both successful. (And like McDave said, not trying to count my chickens before they're hatched). At a certain point I almost wonder if it's better to rent a vehicle, buy some coolers and drive home.

[Maclean]

With the exception of Alaska, if I'm going to hunt out of state I'm going to drive, both ways. This will become much easier when I retire in just over a year and have more time. That way I can bring what I want and need, and not worry about extra luggage charges or the airlines losing my gear on the way. It also allows more flexibility in scheduling if you want to leave earlier or stay longer. And if it's a successful hunt, bringing meat home is simple.

Again, with the exception of Alaska. And I really want to hunt Alaska, so I'm very interested in the responses to this thread.

[mnbwhtr]

The airlines can tell you better than anyone. I haven't flown anything home since 2019 from Kodiak but I saw a lot of meat in coolers still shipped then.

[Tim Finley]

Over 50lbs. the airlines charge more . Maybe UPS would be more economical

[fisherick]

Depending on what and where your hunting you have several options. When we did several Colorado DIY elk bowhunts, we brought home meat as checked baggage in waxed cardboard boxes, (bought at butcher shop) or Rubbermaid 10-15 gal containers or 48-60 qt coolers. Remember containers will weigh about 3# for cardboard box, 6# for rubbermaid container and 9-12# for coolers if your trying to stay under 50# airline rules or pay extra fees. We flew SWA with 2 free checked bags and ground shipped our gear home. We also used our carry on to bring 40# of meat home. Be sure to use a sealed plastic liner bag on all containers. So one person could bring home about 130#. Depends on airlines you can add 3-5# of dry ice to each container but we would remove it prior to check in.         
Good luck and happy hunting.

[McDave]

Some good ideas here.  Based on my experience with well meaning friends sending me frozen steaks for Christmas, which have arrived partially thawed at best and totally thawed and ruined at worst, I don't think I would chance shipping the venison home separately.  However, the idea of shipping my hunting gear home separately and checking a cooler on the airplane with the venison appeals to me, since I won't need the hunting gear for a while after I return.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Getting read to go on the LTR hunt I'll be keeping my on this post.

[Zeebob]

I don’t think the airlines permit dry ice. But you can haul a cooler with frozen meat up to 50# just like an extra bag. My daughter has hauled her venison back to Montana from Arkansas several times in the last few years. No problem..make sure it is securely closed and just tell them what it is.

Hauling meat in from another country…that’s a different deal..I don’t know about that.

[Terry Green]

We have enough deer and hogs here that I have never brought back meat, accept for this year when Smokin Joe got a load of Javie Charizo and gave everyone a pound to take home.  It was frozen and I just wrapped in in a towel and took it on the plane in my checked baggage.

Other than that, I have always donated my meat to the 'feed the hungry', and if that was not available(most times it was) I donate it to the ranch hands who are much appreciative.

I can't justify the cost of trying to take meat home.

However, I will say that I next day aired 695 pounds of Bison years ago.  Don't ask me what it cost, I never looked at the bill.  I just told the lady in charge of that department to pay it when it came in.  It was vacuum packed and my family ate off of him for 10 years. He was enjoyed in hunting camp in 4 different states and many wild game dinners over those years.

[Seeker]

I travel about 2,700 miles back home each year to go hunting.  1 connection and total trip time usually about 12 hours.  I am lucky in that we have access to a freezer.   We debone, vacuum seal and freeze.  I pack in rough totes to a total weight of 50lbs and zip tie shut- if there is a little space, stuff full of balled up newsprint.   The rough tote weighs much less than a cooler, so you can transport more meat.  Always has made the trip still frozen solid by the time i get home.  I thaw and do the finer cutting at home then refreeze.  never had any issues with quality/texture of the meat. 

If you have access to a freezer you may want to give it a try.  Just be sure to be aware of how much time you have in your trip, it can take a day or two for the meat to freeze solid- faster if it's cold outside and your can spread the meat out in a garage or other covered unheated place.

[Terry Green]

I travel about 2,700 miles back home each year to go hunting.  1 connection and total trip time usually about 12 hours.  I am lucky in that we have access to a freezer.   We debone, vacuum seal and freeze.  I pack in rough totes to a total weight of 50lbs and zip tie shut- if there is a little space, stuff full of balled up newsprint.   The rough tote weighs much less than a cooler, so you can transport more meat.  Always has made the trip still frozen solid by the time i get home.  I thaw and do the finer cutting at home then refreeze.  never had any issues with quality/texture of the meat. 

If you have access to a freezer you may want to give it a try.  Just be sure to be aware of how much time you have in your trip, it can take a day or two for the meat to freeze solid- faster if it's cold outside and your can spread the meat out in a garage or other covered unheated place.

 

[Mint]

For over twenty years I've been flying down to Florida on an annual hog hunt with my buddies. We went the hard cooler route when Jet Blue would let you check three 70lb bags for free. When that stopped I was fortunate to get AO Soft Coolers from a PR job at work. Best soft cooler there is an only ways three pounds. I don't even freeze my meat since we have direct flights and never had a problem with it going bad. I just take it out of the walk in cooler and put it in the cooler and it has always been fine when I got home. If i get a chance to cut up and wrap then I'll freeze before the flight. I think if the airline lets you have dry ice the cooler can't be air tight to let the evaporation out.

[Wudstix]

Hope I have that problem/concern sometime soon!!!
 

[McDave]

Me too, Michael, me too.

[Maclean]

Agreed!  This would be a great problem to have.

[Walt Francis]

Dave,
I bring my moose meat back from Alaska, all of it.  It some of the best meat there is.  Freeze your meat, throw it into a good cooler/s and check it in as baggage.  It will be fine.

Terry, 540+ pounds of moose meat lasts me about two years. This is about 480#, the other 60#’s went into the other freezer.

If hunting with a partner who did not get a moose and is willing to check in half your meat, you can almost fit one full moose as extra baggage before you run out of the allotted number of boxes.  You do need to ship most of you gear home.  Biggest drawback with checking meat in as luggage is getting the meat fully frozen before your flight home.  Often your travel time with layovers and delays can exceed 12 hours.  When hunting solo, you cannot check all the moose meat, best option for me is flying the meat home vis Alaska Air Cargo.  I have my meat processed, boxed, frozen, and shipped by AAC by my meat processor.  It is a lot less hassle and headache.  To be fully honest, after field dressing all the moose meat and packing it to the air strip, I am too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to want to deal with any more logistics the absolutely necessary to get my meat home.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Check your specific airline. They are all different.  Alaska Air lets you check up to 4 extra boxes at up to 100 lbs each, for $100/box (actually that might have went up to $150 this year). I doubt any domestic airlines have similar policies.  AK air is still pretty hunter friendly, not so much most lower 48 Airlines.  Even AK air "rules" can vary....depending what gate agent you speak with on which day 😉

R

[Maclean]

Dave,
I bring my moose meat back from Alaska, all of it.  It some of the best meat there is.  Freeze your meat, throw it into a good cooler/s and check it in as baggage.  It will be fine.

Terry, 540+ pounds of moose meat lasts me about two years. This is about 480#, the other 60#’s went into the other freezer.

If hunting with a partner who did not get a moose and is willing to check in half your meat, you can almost fit one full moose as extra baggage before you run out of the allotted number of boxes.  You do need to ship most of you gear home.  Biggest drawback with checking meat in as luggage is getting the meat fully frozen before your flight home.  Often your travel time with layovers and delays can exceed 12 hours.  When hunting solo, you cannot check all the moose meat, best option for me is flying the meat home vis Alaska Air Cargo.  I have my meat processed, boxed, frozen, and shipped by AAC by my meat processor.  It is a lot less hassle and headache.  To be fully honest, after field dressing all the moose meat and packing it to the air strip, I am too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to want to deal with any more logistics the absolutely necessary to get my meat home.

Great info, thanks Walt!   

[2wfstlhunting]

While it is not the same, it probably is: in September I flew home from Vancouver with 3 boxes of frozen salmon weighing about 100lbs.  No ice, just frozen hard.  (At least at the beginning of the flight). I flew Air Canada and direct from Vancouver to Newark.  The points worth mentining are:
1. The price per item steps up as you go from 1-2-3-4
2. They gave me NO problem at all, and put stickers on the boxes that said PERISHABLE ITEM. 
3. They did not tell me that the boxes which were about 2'x4'x6" would come up the OVERSIZED luggage area, so I wasted at least  1/2 hr at the luggage carousel waiting at 10:00 at night.
4.  The luggage crew jerked around with sending up the (slowly) defrosting fish for at least an additional 1/2 hr at 11:00 at night and had to be contacted by radio and told TO SEND THE FISH UP . It all turned out fine in the end. 
5. I made several complaints about the luggage handling (I paid one nice bunch of money for shipping) and truly got NOTHING for me effort.  Newark airport refered me to Air Canada as they claimed the people work for AC and not the Airport.   AC could not be bothered to respond. 

Otherwise, I have to say tha AC was better than expected in most other ways.