Hey folks, I am planning a trip to Newfoundland later this fall, and am planning to build a new meat box for the back of the truck. I'm thinking 4'x6'x2.5' plywood that is insulated with 2 inch foamboard all around. Do any of you have an opinion as to whether or not a box that size will hold the boned out meat from a couple average bull moose? I don't have any chest freezers big enough to haul that aren't already full of food. Lets hear your thoughts.

I made 2 ends, then furring strips for top.and sides to connect ends.
6' long, 4' wide, 2' tall.
2" foam insulation. Top set on top.of sides

That way, could lay flat until needed.
Portable drill, and screws, goes together fast.

Well, IF you remember/ don't lose drive bit, lol.

Think.we used 16 bags of ice, drove 15 hours home from.Maine.

Counting yah chickens ...I see...lol

Hope you fill the box !

Dave, do you think two moose, boned out, would fit, because there will be two of us hunting?

Nessie......trying to cross all T's and dot all of my I's!

Yes, plenty big enough. I put a small drain in the bottom of mine and made a small rack that sits in the bottom so the meat stays out of any ice melt water.

Maybe if you got the meat really chilled, wouldn't need as much ice, you could squeeze them in.
Plus, can stick backstraps, trimmings, etc in a large chest cooler or two, to free up.big box.
Assume you'll be carrying at least one there with.you.



Or just shoot small.moose?

Mine was loose enough all the melt water ran out on its own, lol

See if you can find some dry ice. It is amazingly COLD and gets the job done nice. I have a box that fits fully in my truck bed and a truck cap. Two elk and several pigs were frozen when we got back from Utah/Texas to here in Pa. I think we had 5 10 blocks of dry ice.......jk

This. You don't want meat sitting in bloody water, it will taint. Learned that on first trip.
Last time I went, we brought back 7 moose (100%). We packed 3 chest freezers with quarters and ratchet strapped them closed. Got freezers as cold as we could for 24hr run back to CT. Your box will should easily fit 2 moose. Good luck.

We went to NL about five years ago. Our outfitter got a few of the moose out early and to a processor. It was pretty reasonable if I remember, and starting with meat frozen solid was a big help. We drove back to WI and our meat was still frozen in coolers.

My buddy and I put 2 boned out moose in 5 -124-quart coolers. Use dry ice w/cardboard on top and towel over the cardboard. The people on the ferry will put you outside if you have meat, so it will stay cooler.

Thanks for the responses folks. I have done the dry ice thing bringing elk home from Colorado several times. That will actually freeze meat that wasn't frozen when you put it in the box. It's good stuff. I have also hauled elk with only cube ice and had it iced for nearly 5 full days and it was a-okay. I, like some of you have stated, am a firm believer in cold DRY meat! I always keep the melt water away from the meat. My worry was having a big enough box. Those out west trips resulted in my old box holding two bull elk, and 4 antelope on one trip, but it was a bit smaller than the new one I'm going to build. I will have access to a walk-in cooler and freezer at the lodge, so I may well have one totally cut up and packaged before we leave. maybe both if we are lucky enough to tag out early. Then again, we may be one of the 7% that don't get a bull. I have toes and fingers crossed though.

We had our 2 moose rough chunked (15 lbs ea) and various stages of cooled and frozen when we left Newfoundland. In total we had 600 lbs of moose and a bear quarter. Ended filling 3 large igloo coolers and we had a couple frozen solid chunks we wrapped well in blankets and piled our clothes on. After the 48 hour journey everything was still very cold/froze. I think your box will be plenty big.

Chest freezer and generator are your best bet. Never seen the home built boxes work well. Also relives the stress of a possible break down or other delays.

I built a 4x4x2.5’ box lined with 2” insulation upon the recommendation of my guide for Maine moose back in 2010. It worked very well with block ice. Plenty of room that I filled open space with a blanket and I used block ice boned meat was in there for over 24 hours and stayed very good. I have also hauled butchered meat that was frozen along with dry ice in the same built cooler for over 48 hours which included a Colorado Elk, South Dakota Buffalo, and 2xQuebec caribou. I clean out and disinfect when done and have used it for years.
I also recommend pre-chilling the cooler the night/day before with a bag of ice.
Your dimensions should be good for two boned moose

Buy a freezer, you need it

This will be my 14th trip to Rock this November. I fly up, and have the meat / antlers freighted back by Central Newfoundland Trucking. Pick everything up at a big refrigerated warehouse in Massillon, Ohio.

big browine how much does that cost?

We usually have PA guys hunting with us and they have a trailer load of coolers.

My buddy does what you are planning and came back from WY to WI with three elk, some ended up frozen from the dry ice, you will be fine.