storing fish and game on a week-long hunt

[BuckeyeSteve]

I'm leaving Sunday on a week-long hunt, which I've never done before. I'll be camping, and hunting and fishing each day from the vicinity of the camp. Assuming I have any success, I plan on eating some of what I harvest throughout the week....but I'm hoping to be lucky enough to have more fish and grouse than I need and will be able to bring some home.
I can't imagine that a grouse (or fish) I get on Mon or Tues will stay good unfrozen even on ice in a cooler until I get home Sunday.
Does anyone have any good insight on how to safely handle game for storage? Will dry ice in a cooler freeze meet, or will it only keep already frozen items frozen?
Any good insight would be appreciated.

[mm]

One year while out west hunting I stopped to talk to a local person at his business. I told him I had this problem and he froze all my birds and I picked them up when I left. Maybe if you go to town you could find someone like that.

[Urban_Redneck]

First things first, you must abide possession limits (usually 2x the daily limit). Also, some states( federal too?) require a feathered wing left on all birds kept until you get home or prepare for consumption. Same regs can apply to fish. If you filet a fish, leave the skin on and make sure the length of the filet is equal or greater in length to the legal size of the fish. A lot of what can happen depends on the officer that is doing the checking. If you're hunting multiple states remember, a South Dakota pheasant looks exactly like a Minnesota pheasant

I wouldn't bother keeping fish if you can't get it frozen in 24 hours, it just breaks down too fast. I suppose you could get a Yeti style cooler, a chunk of dry ice, and use that as a freezer. I have a Yeti knock off, it's has small capacity for it's outside dimension, but, it keeps stuff a long time.

Have fun and good luck!

[bonasa]

Dry ice in a cooler will freeze meat, over the course of a week, drove from South Dakota with a merriems and stopped in kansas and picked up a rio, by the time I made it home they were frozen like a rock. This was despite a heavy moving blanket between the dry ice and birds. You would be surprised how old the fish in the supermarket marked "fresh" are, thump and bleed your fish immediately when you catch them and they will be good by end of week.

[nevermind]

A good ice chest, ice and zip lock baggies are all you need. Clean birds... leave whatever is required by game laws as proof on carcass. Place in zip locks and keep them on ice until you get home. My hunt buddies and I have done this many times. I also wouldn't keep fish very long on ice.

[birds]

The birds will keep just fine. Gut them and keep them dry - they'll be fine. Fish - not so much after a couple days.

[BuckeyeSteve]

Thanks all! Very much appreciated.