Traveling with game hides
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: skick
26-Nov-14
After a 5 year break from archery I am back to bow hunting and back to Bowsite. I am in the process of trying to finalize a 2015 spring black bear hunting trip to Alberta. Praying for a successful hunt, I was wondering how everyone, who has brought their hides and meat back to the states, has kept them frozen and in what type of containers they have brought them back in. Travel time from camp to home, including that night's hotel stay and flight time, could be close to 35 plus hours. I am afraid after all that time I will arrive home with a destroyed hide and rancid meat. Thank you all for your help!
From: Bou'bound
26-Nov-14
Salt the hide and leave the meat
From: Mad Trapper
26-Nov-14
I have traveled with salted hides and frozen hides. If at all possible, I would salt them and put them in a waterproof bag. You can get waterproof bags at Cabelas. I almost always take one on every hunt now. I still have fond memories of my salted desert sheep cape hanging in the hotel closet over night. We lined the closet floor with plastic to make clean up easier though. Some guys have hung their capes in the shower over night as well. If you salt, make sure that the lips have been split and the salt is worked into every nook and cranny. You should be fine. Make sure though that if you are flying, you put it in a waterproof container. Salted hides "weep" and you don't want it to leak out of the container. As to traveling with meat, try to get it frozen before you leave. Then check with your hotel to see if they can store it in a freezer for you overnight. If you come through Edmonton, stay at the Nisku Inn. They have a walk in freezer and will store everything for you. If you use dry ice, be sure to check with your airline. There are limits as to how much dry ice you can have.
From: Bear Track
26-Nov-14
Bear Track's Link
Since you'll be travelling through a tourism hub like Edmonton, choose your overnight hotel with their ability to overnight your hide in their freezer. Winnipeg hotels do it all the time and I would suspect Edmonton hotels close to the airport do the same as we do here. Check with the Alberta Lodges and Outfitters Association on who their associate members are in the hotel industry. Will make your search a short one. I'm also a director with our outfitter association here in Manitoba and this is a common request that has been dealt with.
From: skick
26-Nov-14
Thank you for these threads. I will be flying into Grand Prairie. So far, all of the hotels I have checked, either do no have a walk in freezer or they do not allow you to use theirs. Great idea to check with the Alberta Lodges and Outfitters Association hopefully they know of one near the airport that allows this use. I will start there.