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Two weeks ago, hunter Ethan Smith pedaled his bicycle some 15 miles from the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area back to his car with a quartered elk calf in tow, marking the maiden voyage of perhaps the first bike trailer designed specifically for hauling game.
"Stuff broke on my bike, I lost my skinning knife, but the trailer itself [holding 185 pounds] came out without a scratch," Smith says.
The trailer, dubbed "The Harvester," is a prototype built for Smith by the budding Missoula business Greenbeard Trailers, which plans to eventually add the game trailer to its product line.
"We really view there being a need for hunting trailers," says Greenbeard co-founder Erik Aschehoug. "There are a lot of people who hunt and want to get out into areas that are otherwise closed to vehicles, and this is a great way to get deep into the woods and do it in a way that's quiet. You're not going to be scaring away any animals."
Aschehoug, 37, a doctorate candidate in plant ecology at the University of Montana, began Greenbeard with Jonas Ehudin, of Garden City Gondola fame, in July, six months or so after the two conceived of the idea. The company builds its products, including the all-purpose "Skinny Legs" trailer, out of a shop in Aschehoug's garage, equipped with a commercial grade TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder.
"We specialize in building aluminum cargo trailers for bicycles," says Aschehoug, who has 10 years of welding experience, "and I think what separates us from the rest of the crowd is the level of detail that we pay attention to and the quality of our fully TIG-welded frame."
Smith's 24-inch-long, 38-inch-wide prototype came with a frame that fully protects the wheels from trees and brush and is designed to withstand the heaviest of loads.
The best part of the Harvester, at least for Smith, is it allows for one quick trip, instead of multiple slogs dragging elk quarters through the woods.
"Making just one trip was huge for me," says Smith. "With my family situation [he and his wife have a 2-year-old daughter], I couldn't have made three trips. If I'd been gone four days I wouldn't have been allowed to go again."
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Way to go Greanbeard!! It's nice to hear of a non-pick-up truck option for the hunters here in Missoula. I'm also in favor of around-town trailers...so practical!
In regards to “Peddling Protein” in this week’s “Briefs,” I truly hope that Ethan Smith did NOT pedal his bike and trailer from the Rattlesnake Wilderness. Riding bicycles in a wilderness area is illegal and subject to a federal fine. I’ve noticed repeatedly in articles in the Independent that its staff has no idea what wilderness is and what it is not. “Street Talk” once asked several individuals if they used “wilderness,” and all those questioned (including the reporter) obviously had no idea what areas are actually designated as wilderness and what activities are allowed in wilderness areas.
“Wilderness,” as federally designated (and, in some cases, state and tribally designated) is roadless, undeveloped land that is managed in its natural state. Wilderness is not Greenough Park; it is not the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area; it is not Blue Mountain. It is the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area; the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area; and, of course, the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area, among others. Mechanical transportation of any kind is illegal in these areas; thus, no trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, or bicycles are allowed. You can walk in, ski in, kayak/canoe in, or ride a horse into these areas. No logging, mining, or commercial development of any kind is allowed. Chainsaws are illegal there, as is any motorized device.
In view of the recently introduced Forest Jobs and Recreation Act—a new wilderness bill by Senator Jon Testor—I feel it is important that all Montanans know exactly what wilderness is and what is allowed there.
Mike Jarnevic
Piltzville, MT
Thanks for the comment, Mike. We always appreciate constructive feedback, but you're wrong in this case. Matt specifically wrote that Ethan biked "from" the Wilderness and not "in." If I biked from your house, Mike, that doesn't imply that I biked through your living room.
As for the Street Talk, that was reported by Chad Harder, our veteran award-winning photographer and the managing editor of Headwall, our quarterly outdoor magazine. Chad knows what "Big W" wilderness is. You seem to take issue with how people answered our question -- and their possible confusion with what federally designated wilderness is -- but the whole point of Street Talk is to hear the word on the street. Complaining about those answers is like being mad at us when, for instance, someone answers a different question by saying Wal Mart is a locally owned store.
In regards to the lengthy comment from Mr. Jarnevic concerning the “Pedaling Protein” Brief from this week’s Indy, I can say that I most certainly did NOT ride a bicycle or use a wheeled trailer within the limits of the Rattlesnake Wilderness while hunting this fall. I parked my bike and trailer at my camp - a quarter mile outside of the wilderness boundary – and packed the meat on foot from the kill-site to my camp.
I believe that it is important to outline the restrictions and true definition of “wilderness”, especially as more people use our backcountry each year and must be trusted largely to police themselves. I take exception, however, to Mr. Jarnevic’s statement that “…the Independent that its staff has no idea what wilderness is and what it is not.” The Indy staff that I have met through the years in Missoula has been a hard-working and educated group. I know that more than a few of them are serious advocates of Montana’s “wildness” as well as the “wilderness”. The reality of journalism - especially with a weekly paper like the Indy – is that the writers must transform large stories into a few concise paragraphs. It may have been more accurate for Mr. Frank to state that “…Ethan Smith pedaled his bicycle some 15 miles from outside the boundary of the Rattlesnake Wilderness to his car…” But if it was written that I rode my bicycle from the grocery store to my house, would anyone imagine that I started riding my bike in the produce department and stopped pedaling in my bedroom?
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