ATV Hunting Accessories Buyer's Guide: Gun Boots, Winches & Cold-Weather Gear for Can-Am Outlander & Defender

The Best ATV Hunting Accessories for Ontario's Fall Season

There's a particular kind of quiet at 5:30 a.m. in late October: frost on the seat, breath hanging in the headlights, and the nagging feeling you forgot something back at camp. The right gear fixes most of that.

The best ATV hunting accessories for a Can-Am Outlander or Defender come down to five things: a secure gun boot or gun holder, a properly sized winch, lockable LinQ cargo storage, heated grips and wind protection for cold dawn rides, and skid plates or bumpers to survive bush trails. Get those five sorted before opening day and your machine stops being transportation and starts being a hunting tool.

Below we walk through each category, machine by machine, with the exact parts our team recommends and stocks. Everything here ships anywhere in Canada from our Oakville store.

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Gun Boots, Gun Racks & Gun Holders

A gun boot is a hard, padded case that mounts to your ATV's rack and carries a long gun fully enclosed, protected from mud, rain and branches. A gun holder is an in-cab mount that keeps a firearm upright and within reach inside a side-by-side. Which one you need depends entirely on whether you ride an ATV or a side-by-side.

For Can-Am Outlander ATVs: Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0 Impact

The Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0 Impact is the one to get. It has the largest interior of any Kolpin gun boot, holding firearms up to 51 inches long, including pistol-grip models and rifles with small bipods. Shock-absorbing foam and a nylon impact liner protect your optics, the hatchback lid opens from either side for left- or right-handed shooters, and the snap-close cover can be locked.

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The boot needs a steel rack to bolt to your machine. The standard Gun Boot Rack mounts to the tubular rack on either side of the vehicle. The Can-Am Gun Boot Rack for Outlander G2L fits MAX models only, so two-up riders should choose that version.

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A quick note on platform codes: Can-Am identifies its chassis generations with codes like G2, G2L, G3 and G3L. For hunting accessories, that code matters more than the model name, because a rack built for one generation won't bolt to another. Your VIN or owner's manual will tell you which you have, or send us the VIN and we'll check.

For Can-Am Defender Side-by-Sides: Dual Gun Holder

The Can-Am Defender Dual Gun Holder mounts on the floor of the Defender's middle seat position, between the driver and passenger. It carries two shotguns, rifles or muzzleloaders upright, with a shaped base that cradles the butt, rubber pads that protect the finish, and a rubber latch that holds each gun in place. Both people in the cab get quick access without anything riding loose in the bed.

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For Late-Season Sled Hunters: Ski-Doo LinQ Gun Boot Holder

Northern Ontario seasons often run into the snow. The Ski-Doo LinQ Gun Boot Holder mounts a gun boot to either side of a snowmobile tunnel, installs and removes with the LinQ system, and leaves your other LinQ accessories usable.

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Browse the full range in our Can-Am ATV LinQ, bags, racks and cargo collection.

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Winches: Recovery Gear That Earns Its Keep

A winch is the single most useful hunting accessory you'll never think about until you need it. Swamp edges, beaver-flooded trails and steep logging cuts are exactly where you'll be riding, often alone and before sunrise. A winch turns a stuck machine into a ten-minute inconvenience instead of a long walk out.

ATV Winches: Can-Am HD 2500 and HD 3500

The Can-Am HD 2500 Winch delivers 2,500 lb of pulling capacity with 50 feet of 3/16-inch steel cable, all-steel gears, an automatic load-holding brake and a sealed solenoid for wet weather. That's the right size for most mid-displacement Outlanders. For heavier machines, the Can-Am HD 3500 Winch fits Outlander G3L 2024 and prior models.

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Side-by-Side Winches: Can-Am HD 4500 and HD 4500-S

Defender owners should step up to the Can-Am HD 4500 Winch, rated to 4,500 lb. The "-S" in HD 4500-S means synthetic rope instead of steel cable: 50 feet of 1/4-inch synthetic line that's lighter, floats, and won't kink or splinter your gloves. It's the one we recommend for hunters who winch in wet ground. A mounting plate is required for installation.

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Add a corded remote so you can stand clear of the line and watch your anchor point while you pull. The Warn Wired Remote Control is a genuine WARN handheld controller that plugs into your existing Can-Am winch setup.

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For a deeper comparison of capacities and fitment by generation, read our ATV winch buyer's guide, or shop the Can-Am ATV winches and hitches collection.

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LinQ Cargo Boxes, Coolers & Storage

LinQ is BRP's tool-free quick-attach mounting system: accessories lock onto anchor points on your rack or cargo bed and come off in seconds, with no straps or bungees. For hunters, that means a weatherproof box for calls, scent control, knives and licences that goes on in the driveway and comes off at camp.

LinQ 12 Gal (45 L) Cargo Box

The Can-Am LinQ 12 Gal (45 L) Cargo Box is the most versatile box in the off-road lineup. It installs on any LinQ-equipped rack or cargo area, and its compact footprint leaves room for a gun boot on the same machine. The wide top opening makes it easy to grab a range finder or a thermos with gloves on.

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LinQ 8 Gal (30 L) Cooler Box

Long sits need food. The Can-Am LinQ 8 Gal (30 L) Cooler Box is rotomolded, foam-insulated, has a removable inner compartment and a drain plug, and seals with rubber latches that stay shut over rough ground. It's also handy for keeping heart and liver cold on the ride back.

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Defender Cargo Bed & Cab Storage

The Defender's cargo bed is where decoys, ground blinds and harvested game ride. The Can-Am Defender Cargo Bed Net hooks to the bottom of the box and pins your gear flat against the bed floor, and the Defender Cargo Bed Rails add tie-down points along the sides.

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Inside the cab, the Defender Dash Storage Compartment Nets keep shells, a headlamp and your phone from sliding around (note they aren't compatible with the Defrost, Heat & Ventilation System). The Defender Center Underseat Storage Bin adds 2 US gal (8 L) of hidden storage under the bench.

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See every option in the Can-Am SxS LinQ, bags, racks and cargo collection.

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Heated Grips, Handguards & Wind Protection

Ontario hunting mornings regularly sit below freezing, and a 20-minute ride to your stand at trail speed feels a lot colder than the thermometer says. Cold hands make for a shaky shot. Heat and wind protection are the comfort upgrades hunters thank us for most.

Heated Grips & Thumb Throttle for Outlander

The Can-Am Heated Grips & Thumb Throttle Combo Kit has four temperature settings with separate controls for the grips and the thumb warmer, an LED dimmer so you can read the settings in the dark, and one-touch shutdown. Pair it with the Can-Am Heated Visor Outlet if you wear an electric-visor helmet, so your visor doesn't fog on the way in.

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The Can-Am Driver Full Wrap Handguards block wind and deflect branches on overgrown trails, using injected plastic deflectors on a lightweight aluminum frame.

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Windshields and Cab Comfort

The Can-Am Outlander Adventure High Windshield stands 14 inches (36 cm) tall with three height positions, molded from 4 mm polycarbonate. Fitment note: the Console Extension (715005368) is required to install this windshield on the Outlander.

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For the Defender, the Half Windshield deflects wind with a reverse-angle lip and installs or removes without tools (it isn't compatible with soft doors). The Defender Soft Rear Window stops backdraft and is rated against cold cracking down to -20 °C, and the Cab Insulation Kit keeps heat in if you run a full cab enclosure.

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Browse more in the Can-Am SxS windshields and wind protection collection.

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Bumpers & Skid Plates for Bush Trails

Hunting trails aren't groomed. Stumps, rock ledges and deadfall hiding under leaves will find the underside of your machine. Protection is cheap insurance against a repair bill that ends your season early.

The Can-Am OEM Expedition Bumper for Outlander is built from heavy-duty 1.5-inch profiled steel tube and protects the front end without blocking the headlights. The Can-Am Front Skid Plate fits Outlander and Renegade G2L and G2S models.

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Defender owners should start with the Front Skid Plate for Defender, which shields the front underside where most hits land.

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Lighting & Mirrors for Pre-Dawn Rides

Legal hunting hours in Ontario generally start half an hour before sunrise, so you'll be riding in the dark to get set up in time. Stock headlights do the job on open trails, but a light bar makes a real difference on narrow, twisting bush roads.

The 40-inch Baja Designs OnX6 Arc LED Light Bar is the premium choice for side-by-side owners who ride a lot of dark trail; confirm the mounting kit for your model before ordering. One important point: use it for riding only. Using lights to search for game is illegal in Ontario.

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Mirrors matter more than you'd think when you're towing a game cart or riding in a group. The Can-Am Handle Bar Mirrors are an easy, inexpensive add for ATVs.

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Ontario Rules Every ATV Hunter Should Know

Accessories make hunting from a machine easier, but the rules still apply. A few points our customers ask about most:

• Unloaded in or on a vehicle: Ontario law prohibits having a loaded firearm in or on a vehicle, and that includes ATVs, side-by-sides and snowmobiles. A gun boot or holder makes transporting it unloaded and secure easy.
• Off-road vehicle access varies: Rules for riding on Crown land, municipal roads and in specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) differ across the province. Some areas restrict ORV use during certain seasons.
• Blaze orange: During gun seasons for big game, hunters must wear hunter orange. Don't let a camo machine tempt you into skipping it.

Always check the current Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary and your WMU's rules before the season, since regulations change year to year.

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What to Spend: Hunting Accessory Budgets

Here's how a typical hunting build breaks down in Canadian dollars:

• Essentials, under $500: a Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0 Impact and gun boot rack, handlebar mirrors, a heated visor outlet, or a Defender cargo bed net.
• Mid-range, $500 to $1,500: add a Can-Am HD winch with a wired remote, heated grips and handguards, or a LinQ cooler box.
• Full hunting build, $1,500 and up: a complete setup with gun storage, winch, LinQ boxes, windshield, skid protection and an LED light bar.

If you're only buying one thing this fall, make it gun storage. If you're buying two, add a winch.

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Get Your Machine Ready Before Opening Day

Our parts team rides and hunts across Ontario, and we're happy to help you match the right accessories to your exact machine. Send us your model, year and VIN at estore@energypowersports.ca or call (905) 901-5500, and we'll confirm fitment before you order. Shop the full Can-Am off-road accessories collection, with shipping anywhere in Canada.