Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter and Outdoorsman
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When you go elk hunting, you might be lucky enough to shoot one and bring it home. The main reason that people hunt is to harvest meat. Harvested meat is pure because the animals haven’t been vaccinated or given antibiotics. If you have a deep freezer, you can store your meat for many meals.
The best size freezer for elk is 7 cubic feet. It will hold any size quartered elk. If you are only taking home part of the meat, you will want 1.5 cubic feet per person for the elk meat. If you have a family of four, you will need at least 6 cubic feet to hold the meat. If you bring home two elk, you will want to double the size.
It is important to make sure that you have enough space in the freezer to store your meat. Continue reading to learn what size freezer is best for elk and how to store it.
In this post, we'll cover:
What Size Freezer Is Best for Elk?
You will want a 7 cubic foot freezer to store one quartered elk. This size will hold a cow or a bull, and you can safely store your meat in it. If you are taking part of an elk for your family, then you should consider 1.5 cubic feet per person. If you have two people, you would need 3 cubic feet. If you have four, you will want 6 cubic feet.
How Much Meat Can a 5 Cubic Foot Freezer Hold?
A five cubic foot freezer can hold 30 to 40 pounds of meat. If you don’t have enough space to keep a larger freezer, you can use this size, but you will be limited to 30 or 40 pounds of meat. When you package the meat, make sure that you package it in portions for one serving size. Most people will eat 1.5 pounds per serving, so you should split it up accordingly.
Benefits of Having a Deep Freezer
The benefit of having a deep freezer is that you can extend the life of your food. You can store your elk meat and enjoy it, and you won’t have to eat store-bought meat for a while. The main reason that people buy deep freezers is to harvest meat from hunting. This helps you because it gives you a place to store your meat, and you will save money because you won’t have to buy meat for a while.
How to Prep Elk for the Freezer
Some people have the meat prepped for them, while others prep it themselves. If you plan to prep your elk yourself, you will want to follow specific steps. You should make sure that you have coolers with you as well as ice. For elk, you will need several large coolers.
The first step is to remove all of the hair, fat, muscle sheath and bruised meat. If hair clings to the meat, you can remove it with a damp cloth. You can cut the fat away from the muscle; the taste that people often associate with venison comes from this fat. You will want to use a sharp fillet knife to remove it.
The meat around the wound is normally bruised, and you should remove it. The bloodshot tissue will have a stronger taste, and it doesn’t look good when you serve it. You will want to cut your meat into individual servings that provide the amount of meat you want to eat in a meal. Leave the meat in chunks as large as possible to minimize freezer burn.
When you wrap the meat, you will want to double wrap it to reduce the freezer burn. You should use a clear plastic wrap that can seal as you wrap it or use a vacuum sealer. Cut the freezer wrap, and put the meat in one corner. You will want to roll the meat into the freezer wrap it together and seal the package with a piece of tape.
There are three times as much meat on an elk as a deer, so you need to plan ahead and have enough time to finish the job. It will probably take a few hours, and then you should place it in coolers and load it up on horseback to bring it home. Place it in the freezer when you get home, and it will be safe until you are ready to enjoy it for dinner.
What Size Cooler Do You Need to Transport Elk?
You need at least a 120- to 150-quart cooler and a smaller second cooler to transport your elk. The length of the cooler is important, and it needs to be 32 to 34 inches. A 150-quart cooler will store two quarters, and if you have more, you need a bigger cooler.
You will need a larger cooler if you plan to quarter it than you do if you bone it out. The length is important, and a normal size elk quarter is 32 to 34 inches in length. If you have a large bull elk, it might need to be 36 inches.
You are most likely to take home a boned-out elk, in which case the length of the cooler isn’t as important. You still need to worry about capacity, and you will need enough ice to keep the meat cold while you transport it back. To be safe, you should have a 150-quart cooler for a boned-out elk, but you may be able to get away with a 120-quart cooler.
Final Words
When you go elk hunting, you will want to make sure you have a place to store the meat. You might need coolers and ice to transport the elk back from the hunt, but when you get home, your best bet is a deep freezer. The best size freezer for an elk is 7 cubic feet. If you don’t have space, you can take less meat and use a freezer that is 5 cubic feet. You will be able to save money at the grocery store and enjoy eating natural meat.
Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.