Hauling boned out meat on a bike?

graywolf

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257
Location
Western MT
I'm hunting in an area that is 4 mi behind a gate and then a few miles on a pretty good trail. I have a good 29" fat tire bike (trek stache). I don't think I want a trailer but am open to being convinced otherwise. I'd rather keep it simple, maybe a rear rack and panniers and/or bags to hang over the tube which could carry more weight but probably couldn't ride. I'd like to be able to get a cow out in two trips.
 
I'm hunting in an area that is 4 mi behind a gate and then a few miles on a pretty good trail. I have a good 29" fat tire bike (trek stache). I don't think I want a trailer but am open to being convinced otherwise. I'd rather keep it simple, maybe a rear rack and panniers and/or bags to hang over the tube which could carry more weight but probably couldn't ride. I'd like to be able to get a cow out in two trips.

There's quite a few after market and rigged up bike trailer in youtube like these ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/fC9eyA5Op-8?t=59[/ame]

[ame]https://youtu.be/4A9qsztrprg?t=2[/ame]

[ame]https://youtu.be/J-grzxpCjFE?t=9[/ame]
 
Getting 225 pounds of boned meat out is hard under any circumstances. It's hard for a horse. Except under the best circumstances, human powdered wheeled things are much tougher than their marketing makes them seem. You never see ads of a girl in a bikini peddling a bike and trailer through the woods with 100 pounds behind her with a big sweet smile on her face. That's because she'd be sweating like a pig and cussing her head off. If you have to go off trail or even on trail but if the ground is a little soft, slightly rutted or there's any uphill, it can be miserable. For a bike, my advice is to put your meat on your back in very small loads and make a lot of trips. I'd also have a big backpack back at the truck for a plan B. Chances are your head will be working overtime looking for a different solution.
 
I rode out a boned out deer on my bike a few years ago on thankfully a VERY flat logging road. All the meat was in my pack on my back. It was fairly miserable. If there would have been any hills or really rough trail, it would have horrible. With an elk, I really think you'll be doing yourself a favor finding some sort of trailer, even if it means going to the second hand sports store and getting one of those little trailers built to haul your kids around in. Would rather have 80lbs in there and ride the bike than 50 on my back and another 30 on a back rack.
 
I've done it several times with a pack frame on my back and it's not easy. You'd almost be better to walk it with a game cart if there is much up and down on the road/trail. With 2 guys and a game cart you could take the whole animal instead of having to make 4+ trips on a bike.
 
Two hunters on bikes passed me on the trail while hunting in Montana. I though the guy hunting up the trail had a better chance of getting an elk out than the guy hunting down the trail. Carrying the load back up the hill would be tough.

Good luck

Jerry
 
Unless you have a pretty clear road, I'd rather hike it out in a pack 80-100lb at a time than try to get it out on a bike. I've packed an elk out of the mountains 8 miles, it's not fun but it comes with the hunt.
 
I killed a bull in Co. in Sept. muzzleloader season and my Brother and myself hauled it out with fat bikes with Bob trailers. We packed him out about 3 miles on foot to our bikes and 2 miles from there to camp. The actual bike pack out was on 2 track road with a mix of uphill and level road. It was surprisingly not too difficult with about 60-80 pounds in the trailer. The Bob trailer is a single wheel trailer that attaches to the rear axle and takes a bit to get used to with the weight of gear and meat but worked out really good for us.
 
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