How Many Coolers For an Elk? | Elk Meat Storage Guide

[@trevorkolmatycki4042]

This year we brought out a cheap 10.5 cuft chest freezer strapped onto the flat deck trailer next to the 100gal slip tank. Ran it a few hours per day with a 2000W generator and it was awesome! Holds all of our meals for the trip and allows us to debone, bag, and freeze meat right at camp. Way cheaper and better than expensive and annoying coolers. We got a bull moose and a bull elk. We deboned and bagged everything in the freezer except the hind quarters that we hung at camp and took home whole for cutting in the shop. Will never use coolers again except to have an extra empty one just in case for surplus overflow capacity. Having ice cream for dessert after dinners was an added bonus!

[@alexstoermer]

I was just debating this with my hunting party last night. Just now I sent them this link, circled the “released 10 minutes ago” and told ‘em. “I called Randy. Don’t mess with me.” 😂

[@shoothuntride9456]

Cheap coolers will get the meat home just fine. 100 quart Igloos work well and you can get two for less than 1/3rd the cost of a Yeti. And they don’t take up as much space. Duck tape them closed if worried about them opening or staying sealed.

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Good video…exactly how I do it. Have two 100qt cabelas polar cap coolers and a 60qt igloo. The frozen jugs is the ticket as you don’t have to worry about a bunch of water with your meat.

[@bobradcliff8818]

Thanks Marcus for the info on how many coolers for Elk me and my wife are fixing to leave for Wyoming she's mule deer hunting and I'm cow elk hunting so this is great advice love this show

[@jasonf.4107]

The method I’ve used for many years is to debone the meat as soon as possible, put the meat in gallon-sized Ziploc bags, put the bags on the bottom of a cooler, and keep it all on ice (draining frequently enough that the water level doesn’t get higher than the tops of the bags). Meat can be kept like this for two full weeks before being processed further.

[@sdslim6929]

GMC 110 volt out lets are only 400 watts. That equates to 3.3 amps. The average 5 cubic foot freezer draws 600 watts, or 5 amps on compressor start, so that would trip the breaker. Ford and Dodge I would guess are similar. I had a 600 watt inverter in my semi truck, that would trip the breaker when I turned on the TV. You're statement about the camping or motel are more accurate.

[@davidwills8803]

I have had elk hind quarters that I needed to cut the bone down to be able to fit in yeti 210. And if you add salt to the water in your jugs before you freeze it as it thaws, it actually gets colder than just plain water .

[@DavidDavidson-o7c]

A combination of frozen gallons and dry ice has become our favorite way to transport meat for long trips. We will call around when we are passing through our first big city to see who has it. We usually will put some cardboard between the dry ice and meat so that it does not freeze the meat its touching.

[@prodigy6000]

The method I use is I carry three 50 qt coolers with food and ice. I have a 8x10 tarp, when I get an elk I put the tarp between the tailgate and gear in my truck bed, load my animal quarters in it and dump the ice over it then fold the tarp over it. Good for 3 hrs

[@Stickinit]

Wrapping your cooler with an old blanket or sleeping bag works for additional insulation.

[@thatkoakid]

those nice coolers like yeti are SO big yet SO small haha

[@BuckskinsBlackPowder]

My 150qt $100 igloo does great for keeping ice and chilled meat around. A yeti would be great but the prices are too outrageous for what they are.

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

There are plenty of Yeti like options that don’t have the Yeti mark up.

[@wackerman7259]

Can yall discuss flying home with a kill

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Have never flown with game meat but fly with Salmon from Alaska often. We fillet, vacuum pack and freeze, then prior to heading to airport load in fish boxes/coolers. Check in as baggage….cheapest way to get it home and always still frozen solid when I get home.

[@dp5430]

I’ve had great luck with lifetime coolers. Way cheaper than the name brand ones. Made in the USA. 115 and a 77.

[@thomascarson2838]

I agree, I made two 70 qts work but three is better.

[@SP6X6]

I have a 66 art Orion full off frozen jugs.Then on my overland type truck I have a 2x2x4 ft tool box with 2'' blue bed inside.This fits a 1/4 elk.I refresh jugs with my camper freezer.We hunt 8 hr drive away and its 70-90. I go for 1-3 weeks.My camp buds have generators and small freezers, they run the a/c at same time in there campersLater season I don't need the ice.Antelope sometime I use my 12volt and vac pack while at camp as so easy to butch up a goat and pre freeze in camper freezer.

[@MrAcuta73]

We have found, with a 400qt cooler, we can get a cow and a spike, a couple of spikes, or a large bull with a little room to spare still. But that's with at least a couple hundred pounds of ice. For deer, we've got 4 in it in quarters because we were too lazy to field butcher or bone it out (and didn't need to because we had space). But yeah, I GREATLY prefer to hang meat, not cooler it. Elk that is not usually an issue unless it's an early season hunt or just an abnormally warm year. Deer pretty much always requires coolers.

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Sounds great as long as you have a team of people to load it once full of meat…unless u just leave it on a trailer or something.

[@MrAcuta73]

@@Randy_Savage_ohyeah We've done it both ways. Definitely not a great solo-hunter option, but then you wouldn't need that much space for a solo anyway! lol

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

@@MrAcuta73 true

[@dustymills8226]

Freezer in a trailer and a generator

[@timross7046]

What bags ate best ?

[@luckylife5674]

We stop at Home Depot, grab some Styrofoam and build a cooler in the back of the trailer. Easy to add dry ice, ice or whatever, and it's pretty darn cheap.

[@SH-lb1nu]

Get a freezer, plug it into your truck. save your self the money

[@nickblaylock5115]

Adding salt on ice helps

[@drewolm]

Years ago I thought I’d buy a yeti 110 to use, until I tried to pick it up. That thing full of meat or ice was not going to work solo.

[@SeanyPats]

I've seen all over the net people asking about how big quarters are. Responses usually address weight, length, yada yada yada. I have yet to find any answers that tell us hour thick an average quarter is. i.e, the average quarter is X" long by Y wide by Z thick. Anyone have an answer or a link to a webpage that discusses it?

[@johnallen8618]

I'm not sure of the American size, but over here in England, I use 2ltr coke bottles, because the can take the pressure of ice, and there a uniform size 🤓

[@sethl1746]

We have 2 liter bottles to. You’d think that they’d be half gallon bottles but they’ve been liters as far back as I can remember. Our smaller bottles are oz’s though. He’s using water jugs so they are normally gallon sized depending on brand

[@PhilDoesItAll]

Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but I have a 120qt igloo cooler that holds ice way longer than my smaller yeti.

[@danc6402]

If you freeze gatorade bottles they stay colder longer because of the electrolytes.

[@ryanmancuso1018]

If you hunt in CO, every city market grocery store has dry ice

[@tomjohnson1204]

I agree with comments, screw yeti prices too outrageous.

[@nadinewestraad3574]

190 liters - 200QTS

[@shootingatshadow]

Stop using coolers, get a cheap chest freezer, an inkbird to keep it at 35 and an inverter or battery to run it. I freeze a bunch of water jugs in the freezer for thermal mass.

[@dillonduncan5580]

Soo 800$ for a tag 2000$ in coolers 15,000$ in gear gas and travel for 300-500 pounds of meat you guys in the states are insane

[@trevorbraun2937]

Just build a walk in cooler in your cargo trailer

[@huntinfishingdad6905]

If only I had 500 a puce for a cooler

[@nj-bz8pv]

Yetis are a big waste of money

[@madman61756]

But in the case of content producers…are free Yetis a waste of money?? 🤔I have Yetis and tried RTICS and the ice retention and all that jazz is similar but a yeti 45 is 24.6 lbs and an RTIC 45 is 29.5 pounds. It’s actually a super noticeable difference when carrying them empty. A yeti has rope handles on either side and RTIC has a single metal handle that is so thin. The RTIC is wayyyyyyy uncomfortable to carry. Not only because it’s heavier..but the handle is super thin, and the padding on the handle is very thin. Sure YETIS are absurdly priced and you could get a new rifle for the price of some of them, but in the end we all pick and choose what we choose to afford…