I am trying to figure out travel for a backcountry elk hunt in Idaho at the end of September.

I don't think I am jinxing myself by making my preparations on the basis of getting an elk (I carry game bags in my hunting pack too, and 12-20 rds of ammo). I want to bring back any antlers I am lucky enough to get, and much of the meat, too.

I am trying to figure out whether to fly or drive - the drive is close to 2,000 miles. I don't mind the drive but it chews up vacation time.

Any suggestions?

Corax
I have brought back bear hides and meat on a plane twice.
This was before the new 50 lb limit. I would drive if I could.

What part of Idaho will you be hunting?

I saw several elk in Idaho just today.

NW of Challis - Unit 27 or 28, Salmon-Challis NF. I am looking forward to it. Since it is pretty flat here I have started hiking up the steps at the local college football stadium.

You really need to drive if your going to bring meat back. I know driving takes time but that is just part of it. An elk will lend more meat than an airline will allow plus the first time you see what baggage handlers do with your gun cases, well, you won't do that again either. You can also pack it in dry ice and ship it back. A block of dry ice wrapped in burlap will last about 30 hours.

I always carry 13 rounds.

The trade off is between spending the time to drive, and spending the time waiting for the processor to cut, wrap and freeze the elk so it is ready for commercial transport.

There are three major airlines flying into Idaho Falls, the nearest airport: Delta, United and Northwest. I would call United and Northwest (Delta uses an affiliate) and ask them what it would take to fly the meat as cargo. I don't know what the SCR (Special Commodity Rate) is for meat, so you'll have to dig a little. Figure on about $1.00 a lb, with the correct SCR (don't pay for the "must ride" rate: it rarely takes more than 24 hrs for product to get there, and they have coolers they put the meat in if it misses a flight somewhere).

Put the meat in coolers (no dry ice!), bring tape to tape them shut after the security inspection, and tender them as air freight on your way out. With a little luck, the meat will be there when you arrive. If not, it'll be there on the next flight or so.

Even so, EVERY processor is going to be super busy that time of year (both the outfit in Challis and the big processor in Idaho Falls do a good job), so you may end up waiting, or having someone take the product to the airport for you. You may want to call Ball Ice in Idaho Falls to see what sort of service they offer in that respect. HTH, Dutch.

I would drive.

I drive a pretty good ways to the places we hunt. Not quite 2000 miles but up to around 20 hours or so. It's not too bad but, I usually have one or two people with me to shoot the breeze. I like to drive for about 14 hours, get a hotel, and get up early for another shift.

You'll only save maybe two days if you fly plus you get to know your guns are safe & cared for, bring all your meat and heads back without huge fees, and you get to see the country along the way.

You could probably make that trip with two full days of driving.

Another good point is that about processing the meat. You'll have to wait on that unless they ship. Every time I've been on hunts out west the processing fees were usually ridiculous. I quarter my game and bring it back in a couple of 150 qt coolers packed with ice or snow. My processor only charged me $120 to process my bull last year and another $40 for my Mulie Buck.

Good Luck

Reloader

Corax, I hunt in this area every year, which outfitter are you going with? I also assume you are hunting in the Church and will be flying in. Do you know which back country strip you will be using? The reason I ask is another possibility is to have the air taxi fly your meat to Salmon and have it processed there and then shipped. They will usually do this on a back haul at really no additional cost to you. It's more expensive obviously to have it processed and shipped, but it arrives in great shape, cut to your order, boxed and frozen. This saves a lot of time, obviously, since you can then simply fly to Boise and go into the back country from there. If would like information on air taxi's, outfitters, etc. and the whole area just p.m. me and I'd be happy to throw in my 2 cents. I've been flying the back country and hunting that area for thirty years and know most all the players. Good luck next year. Take care, EB

Corax, BTW, I saw you were going to hunt in Units 27 or 28. I have an inholding in Unit 27 and have walked, hiked, rode and/or floated over all of both units. You indicated that you are doing stairs to get in shape for the hunt. I would find more stairs....if you don't have horses this is some of the roughest country in Idaho and therefore in the US (including Alaska), the Middle Fork of the Salmon is at around 3500 ft and the tops of those hills are pretty straight up to 10,000 feet. But it's some of the prettiest country and some of the greatest game herds of elk, deer, goats and sheep in the lower 48. You will love it.

EB - Middle Fork Outfitters. Drive to their inholding and then pack in. Your description of the area matches the pictures I saw when I booked (RMEF show). That is what I am looking for. I have been on a number of "away" hunts and I like the pack-in type best.

Given a day or so I can process the elk myself - I almost always do my deer, and I have done caribou and a big cow elk I got last year in NM. Freezing it would be the issue. I figure to bring a couple of big coolers and take it home either on water ice or frozen in dry ice, depending on whether I get to process it. My preferernce is to drive, but wanted confirmation I am not crazy. Maybe I better rephrase that.

Corax, Middle Fork Outfitters area is just to the South and East of one of ours. Don't know much about the outfitter (I believe Ron Ens is buying out his partners and is taking over that outfit). I think there base camp is the B bar C Ranch. The area you will be hunting was not too impacted by the big fires in 2000. That's good and bad news. The good news its got a lot of great looking (i.e. unbrunt country), the bad news is the fire areas now have all the new growth and the critters seem to prefer this, although right now the wolves are chasing the game back and forth across the whole region. With a little luck with the delisting, you may be able to hunt with a wolf tag. There are probably some other outfitters in the area that have historically been more successful than Middle Fork (although I know they go to alot of shows, etc), but you should have a good hunt if you hunt hard, it's a very good area. Take care, EB

Corax, I don't know what you drive but I have a small trailer I'll lend you if needed. Even could spare a couple of big ice chests if you don't have enough. I wish I could go with you and help with the driving. I live just south of you.

I have brought antelope, elk and bear meat packed in ice from Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado several times. I cut off the backstraps, shoulders, and hams, bone out the rest, put it in large plastic trash bags, doubled [after it has cooled down] pack it in a cooler in ice.

I have traveled with the meat packed in ice for as long as 6 days with no problems. I check the ice every night, drain off the water and add more ice if necessary.

I use the trash bags to keep the water off the meat.

Then I butcher it when I get home.

The other option is a electric freezer in the back of the truck, plug it in at the motel at night. I see them regularly out here some guys even bring a small generator and run it to keep the meat frozen.

Most trash bags are treated with insecticides on the inside. I would never use on around food. Gianni.

I drove and will drive again. Where I went in MT a local butcher, cut, wrappped and froze the venison. I took two big coolers, one for meat and on for the cape. It was just part of the hunt for me, a stop at cabelas, bar burgers in the small towns on the way out. I will always drive.

quote:

Most trash bags are treated with insecticides on the inside. I would never use on around food. Gianni.

Yep!!!

L.W.

Gainni and Leanwolff

Maybe that is why my game meat never has any bugs in it.

Seriously I did not know that. I will have to find some bags that are not treated.

When I can and there's snow on the ground.
When dressing them out. I like to quarter game and as the meat, hunks come off. Toss 'em on the snow. Then each time another section comes off, roll the first one's over each time. By the time you get even a smaller animal done most of the meat will be so cold you can't handle it.

Then fill the cooler with snow, pack a good layer of meat in, then more snow til it's full of layers, then pack all you can on top and seal it up good with tape.
It'll keep over a week and have snow without water even in fairly warm weather IF you keep it shaded well.

Am glad to hear about the gen/freezers in the trk's as I'd planned on doing just that for a Tex hog hunt but, freezer deal busted so didn't get it. Then blew the engine out and didn't make it anyway. Looks like the freezer well be taken care of in a few days, already have the generator.

I enjoy flying, both big one's and two seaters. But, to pack an elk, or other big animal I don't see how much of it could be hauled without major expenses involved. You're gonna have that no matter how you do it from down there.

I wish you the best of luck with it. Get that wolf tag IF you can.

George

Thanks, all. I got busy and did not check for a few days.

I have been going to New Mexico on a cow elk hunt the last few years, pulling a small (4x6) trailer with my 95 Pathfinder. We camp in my Cabelas Alaknak tent, with a woodstove. I built a 2'-6" high box on the back of the trailer out of my hurricane plywood (leftover window protection from Hurricane Rita) and have two 96-quart coolers. Last year I was able to butcher right in camp and leave the meat out at night (December). By morning it was pretty well solid, and a few chunks of dry ice kept it frozen on the ride home.

Corax
What gun and ammo do you plan to use?

You can also fly into Missoula, Mt. It's about the same distance as going from Boise to Salmon. I know this firsthand cause i've done it.( I have a friend who lives in Carmen,Id.) Anyways, puttin' dead animals on the plane is common in Missoula that time of the year. I would recommend Northwest Airlines. When I came home from leave in last November I wathched the baggage handlers put a 6x7 and a 5x8 elk antlers into the cargo hold with the supersize white Coleman coolers following them. They were the last items to go on the plane. There were lots of people wearing Realtree on their flight back to Minneapolis that afternoon. Anyways, you'd have no problems rentin' a 4x4 either from there since people fly in there to hunt. Just make your reservations early so you have a rig. The 2 hr. drive thru the Bitteroots down hwy 93 that time of year is worth the vacation itself.

I plan on using my 7mm rem mag, with 160 gr accubonds. Federal factory load. I have hunted with trophy bonded before, and for heavier stuff I would go with the TBBCs, but I like the way the accubonds group, and they did a good job on the cow elk last year. Plus I think they are cool. Karma counts.

The outfitter has an option of picking me up in Missoula, so if I fly I will have him pick me up.

If I drive, I plan to go through South Pass and by the Wind Rivers. Both of these are places I first read about 20 some years ago - at that time they were places out of myth.

I am looking forward to the drive. My wife likes the low-fat elk meat, but absolutely refuses to go on a hunting trip. We have been talking about her driving up with me, flying home, then flying back for the return trip. I think it would be a neat drive.