Question for out of state hunters

[Smith_22]

 What is the best way to get your animal back to your home state if you fly to your hunting destination?  I'm sure there's an obvious answer, but it is eluding me at the moment???

[Tman]

Coolers in the mail.

[high country]

if you can have it frozen, wax boxes are a good choice via ups. if you are taking a deerish sized animal, grab a plastic tote, bone it out and fly it back as excess baggage. load the tote to death beacause you are gonna pay for it if it weighs 20 or 200lbs. there are limits on the amount of dry ice you can fly, but I dunno todays limit.....given the tsa stuff as of late. if you fly by ak air, you can get pre registered to be able to ship freight and fly your gear/meat as freight.

[high country]

it is sometimes beneficial to haul your meat home as baggage and mail your clothes/gear home. if you break the weigt limit, break it big....cause you pay either way.

[WDFW-SUX]

Ive paid for excess baggage on the airlines coming back from alaska for larger coolers full of hides/ capes /meat.

[Machias]

I just came back Monday on Southwest from Missouri, flew a cooler full of meat back as one of my bags.  Clothes and gear was 45 pounds and cooler and meat was 50.  No baggage fees.

[Tman]

From what I hear, Southwest is the only airline that won't empty your wallet for your baggage.

[WDFW-SUX]

I just came back Monday on Southwest from Missouri, flew a cooler full of meat back as one of my bags.  Clothes and gear was 45 pounds and cooler and meat was 50.  No baggage fees.

Bingo.. even if your over fifty its only 75ish charge which is cheaper than any form of mail that wont ruin your meat.

[boneaddict]

Wonder if I can fit a moose into a suitcase

[WDFW-SUX]

Not likely but 4 large coolers might get it done

[cohoho]

Cooler with a bracket at the bottom to keep the meat off and out of the excess blood, water with dry ice, wet ice combo...  AK Flying- well donate what you can't get on the plane, if not it will cost you an arm and a leg for shipping..  I am thinking of buying a cheap $168 top lift freezer to plug in and keep in the back of the truck for next year going to Monatana and Wyoming..  Plug in at the hotel and freeze away..

[Bean Counter]

If its a deer then you can probably go cheap! Mail all your hunting gear home. use the slowest/cheapest method available to save cash. Fly Southwest use your two checked bags and possibly your carryon to accomplish the rest. A heavy duty cardboard box with solid frozen meat will last through the flight, especially with some dry ice. Last I did this youw ere OK with 5 pounds in the checked bags as long as there was a few vent holes in the boxes. Reinforce some of hte sides with a little duct tape.

[DeerThug]

Pack it inside of your clothes and be prepared to be "patted" down on your way  thru secruity>>>.....

[krout81]

my parents, and uncle and his wife drove to AK.  Towed a trailler with all the camping gear including a 110v chest freezer and generator.  Worked very well for them everything made it back

[PolarBear]

A chest freezer with a good power inverter works well.  My cousin from Alabama spent this last summer fishing across the country with a freezer in the bed of his truck.  He spent a month and a half fishing for salmon in Alaska.  When he stopped by to visit his freezer was full of nice, frozen fish fillets.  He ran the inverter as he drove and plugged it in at night.