Building a small walk in cooler for cheap.

Seems like I go through this every year and with the “wonderful” weather we’re having, this year is no exception.

How can I keep my deer cold until I’m ready to cut ’em up?
I don’t want to have to do it during the season.

Anybody ever taken an upright freezer, removed the door and made an enclosed, insulated box around it leaving the back open?

I’d appreciate any thoughts on doing it or hearing from somebody who’s done it already.
I have an older freezer already and I don’t want to spend a lot of cash to make one.

Window air conditioner unit will chill a small walk in cooler.

So the “experts” on Google tell me that won’t work.
Those AC units will not get the temp cool enough without something like a “coolbot” to control it.

They say that Window AC will only cool the air down to maybe 55 degrees which isn’t cold enough.

It’s supposed to cool down significantly this weekend.

haleysgold wrote:

They say that Window AC will only cool the air down to maybe 55 degrees which isn’t cold enough.

Based on some of the motel rooms I been in,,,,,,,,, it felt like a walk in cooler.

You still have less than a thousand dollars for the cooling unit including the controller.

$1000 ??!!

That’s not my idea of cheap!

The more I think about it, a bigger, used upright refrigerator will work fine and will cost me a couple hundred or less off CL.
It should hold 2 quartered deer ok.

That might be my best option for cheap and simple.

haleysgold wrote:

$1000 ??!!

That’s not my idea of cheap!

The more I think about it, a bigger, used upright refrigerator will work fine and will cost me a couple hundred or less off CL.
It should hold 2 quartered deer ok.

That might be my best option for cheap and simple.

That’s what I do. You can fit at least two quartered deer in a refrigerator.

Being we are on this subject how long can a quartered deer sit in the refrigerator? I heard 7-10 days is optimal for aging the meat… Anyone comfortable going longer than that?

It’s as easy as getting a $50 fridge off CL. Quarter the animal or bone it out. Take care of the meat when you can. As long as you pack it away clean and keep it cold. No worries.

I wouldn’t be afraid to leave it in a cold fridge for a week or better as long as it’s cleaned up meat. Now if it was sitting in blood and oozing stuff, yuck.

Also when we go out west and shoot an animal, we have ice in coolers ready for a kill. Bone out what you can and package,lay on ice in a cooler and cover with ice. Keep water drained. Real simple. Or get dry ice and pack in coolers?

riverruns wrote:

It’s as easy as getting a $50 fridge off CL. Quarter the animal or bone it out. Take care of the meat when you can. As long as you pack it away clean and keep it cold. No worries.

I wouldn’t be afraid to leave it in a cold fridge for a week or better as long as it’s cleaned up meat. Now if it was sitting in blood and oozing stuff, yuck.

Also when we go out west and shoot an animal, we have ice in coolers ready for a kill. Bone out what you can and package,lay on ice in a cooler and cover with ice. Keep water drained. Real simple. Or get dry ice and pack in coolers?

Exactly!!

We have picked up a very small chest freezer for nearly pennies off of CL. We throw in the back of the truck and run it for over night on the generator when we hunt antelope in WY. As long as no one opens it, stays frozen all day in hot weather.