Bring your meat home... The real work.
Contributors to this thread:Hogs
From: Xbowdoctor95
09-Feb-18
Ok, so I plan on taking a hog trip in June or July of this year with my dad. And driving is out of the question. That being said, I was thinking of taking a cooler with me, and flying with it. I would be shooting two hogs and will try and keep it at the best cuts of meat. So, how do you guys get the job done, fed ex? Or flying. And if so, any first timer advice you could give me? I would like to make this smooth and make sure the kinks are worked out so my old man can really let go and enjoy himself. Thanks in advance.
From: bghunter
09-Feb-18
Flying with it is pretty easy, make sure you are under the size and weight limits and fly it home for free (south West at least first two bags are free). If you go overweight it is usually 75 dollars. Still pretty cheap. Shipping can cost 3 times that. I just had head and cape no meat shipped from Texas 366 to wi. There is more to the story but overall cheaper as check bag
From: Killinstuff
09-Feb-18
I have two 120Q Colman cooler with wheels and have hauled a lot of pork. Use it to store your gear for the trip along with a duffle bag. Bone out your meat, freeze it if you can before you leave, put it in your cooler with a strap around it so it can be inspected by TSA and check it as baggage. Your gear goes in the duffle. Your dad can take one and you can too.
From: Xbowdoctor95
09-Feb-18
Sweet! That's what I was thinking. I unfortunately cannot find a Southwest ticket that's headed that way on Expedia. But, I did look on their site and it seems like I could fly out of some smaller airport in Chicago (That's where my dad lives) and fly through them. I'll have to check that route.
From: BOHUNTER09
09-Feb-18
You have to go to the Southwest website
From: boothill
09-Feb-18
If you bone out your hogs and freeze in 2.5 gallon freezer bags you don't need near that big of a cooler. If you figure a 100# hog will yield approx. 25 - 30 pounds of meat. freeze it flat and wrap in clothes in a 70qt cooler would work.
From: Fuzz
09-Feb-18
Agree with booking on Southwest thru their site. Brought back a huge cooler of fish, crab and clams from Seattle last year with no problems! I just entombed it with duct tape to keep sticky fingers out of it.
From: bghunter
09-Feb-18
As others said you can my book on southwest website, and they only fly out of midway not ohare. If I recall they go out of Rockford too
From: bghunter
09-Feb-18
Southwest is great. I was coming back from Texas with about 60 lbs of a addax meat. I got stuck in st Louis for about 5 hours. I spoke to gate agent and they made sure they got it in a freezer for me and then made sure it got on my delayed flight.
From: Sage Buffalo
09-Feb-18
Whatever you do debone your meat!!! Hog bones are heavy. If you debone you can easily bring 2 in one cooler with room for your clothes. You could probably bring 3 back. Just plan on being under 100 (sometimes max is a little less).
If you freeze before you leave you won't even need ice. I do this trip 1-2x a year to OK and never have had any issues.
Good luck!
From: fisherick
09-Feb-18
After several elk trips, buy your self a 60Qt rolling cooler, (or Rubbermaid container) have animal processed and frozen, fill with meat, (about 70- 75# ) and fly it home as baggage. Pay the extra fee. Still the cheapest way to bring home meat.
From: Kevin @ Wisconsin
09-Feb-18
Walmart soft cooler $49.99
Walmart soft cooler $49.99
Jordan,
I killed two javelina and a hog lat January in Texas. They froze the meat in my cooler. I flew home and the meat was still frozen. No extra charges or declarations.
From: g5smoke21
10-Feb-18
If you can cut and freeze the meat and fly it in your carry on. I flew all my mountain goat meat home this year that way. I also placed it inside a cooler that comes with hello fresh meals my wife tried and taped it up. It was heavy to haul around and i got some weird looks from TSA but i knew the meat would get home. I also flew gator meat home that way
From: petedrummond
14-Feb-18
Southwest has 2 bags free all clothes and two bows in 1 bag Terra Glide. Buy cooler at walmart and you get 50 lbs free. Best cuts are backstrap and hams. Extra cooler is 100 bux. I flew 300 lbs of elk meat back from Washington.
From: Pigsticker
14-Feb-18
I flown meat from West Virginia to Hawaii and West Virginia to Alaska and never froze any meat. My rule of thumb was to never let meat thaw out hence never freezing. Obviously, others think differently and have had success with their method.
From: Bob H in NH
15-Feb-18
I would think a 120Q cooler would be to big AND to heavy. If you exceed both you pay both penalties (not 100% sure on SW).
From: DonVathome
17-Feb-18
Always fly. Carry on bags are never weighed. Personal item and carry on can haul 100-150# of meat.
Cool before you fly and pack in ziplock bags line bag with clothes.
I have flown over 1000 pounds of meat this way recently.
From: Buck Watcher
17-Feb-18
My Alaska trips I check my gun and meat in coolers. I ship my clothes and gear back.
