I am planning a hunting trip and will be flying. I've got everything planned out but still have not figured out the best way to transport the breast and tail fans of any birds I harvest to keep it in good condition. Also, If by chance I get something worth mounting, what would be the best way to transport it.
Any info would be appreciated.
Leave the meat with locals or grill it up on foil and have it at camp.
I just cut my tails off, fold em up tight, put them in a plastic bag
and put them in the side pouch of my carry on back pack.
Just be cognizant that you have them and seek an overhead bin where your pack can go without damaging them.
As far as mountable birds goes... Find a local taxidermist and let him speak with your preferred taxi to be instructed how he wants the bird packaged and prepared.
Most local taxidermists will prepare, package and ship your bird for 100 bucks or less from my experience.
Put whatever you want to bring home in plastic bags/trash bags. From there you can either put it in your check-in luggage or in your carry-on if it is big enough. I have done both with full capes that I intended to mount.
One very simple message for all here that plan on having birds mounted in the future. Learn how to cape your birds! It is a very simple process, takes about an hour to do, and makes it SOOO much easier to transport your birds.
In fact,...I will put a post in the taxidermy section on how to cape birds for those that are interested....
A couple of fellas I know took the small hard side coolers as their carry ons and took the fans home in that. That was some time back so I'd check airline regs to see if that was permitted these days.
Carry on meat in a small softsided cooler with frozen gelpacs.Close fan and put in a bag and put it in your guncase.Sure to get it out as soon as you get home so it won't tahe a set.I have traveled the past 15 springs and this works well.I also print a copy of TSA regs from their site in case you get someone that does not know what the regs are,that way you just hand it to them rather than frustrate youself trying to splain' it.
I just froze the meat and trophy parts and sent them in the mail the day before I left camp and they got there a day after I got home. If you can't find anyone to cape your bird out freeze it whole and send it. I own a meat and cheese store and I ship product all over the country if its froze and packed good you won't have a problem at all.
That's great info guys. I really appreciate it. Gotcha, I like that idea of putting the fan in the gun case. It shouldnt get damaged there.
GobbleNut, a pictorial on caping out a bird would be great. Might not be this year but I wouldnt mind mounting a bird that I or my son kills to put in the man cave.
I put the fan, spurs, and beard in the gun case. I put the bottom of the fan in a ziploc. As far as the meat I have always found locals that would always take the meat.
I put the fan in a carry on bag and I freeze the meat or al least get it on ice until the last min and put it in a small fold up cooler. As soon as I get on the plane I ask form some ice top put on the meat.
It has worked so far.
As soon as I get home, I spread the fan on a board.
when we hunt as a group, we have the travel thing down to a science. With bag fees we take as few bags as needed so we have extra room for bags to check on the return home. Several times on a rio hunt we froze the birds solid, wrapped them up in newspaper and bubble wrap. Put 2 or 3 birds per duffel bag and checked them.
When I flew to SD on a waterfowl/upland bird hunt I didn't have room for an extra bag (duffel and gun case) so I packed my dirty clothes in a box and shipped them UPS ground home and packed frozen meat and birds to mount in my duffel bag,
Yeah, the box of dirty clothes was a little funky when it made it home a week later. Pot Hole mud and water is already funky to begin with. LOL