The five accessories that change an Ontario hunt are a skid plate, a winch, LinQ cargo storage, low-glare auxiliary lighting, and weather protection. These five decide whether you get in, get out, and get your gear home dry.

Ontario deer and moose seasons run into weather that punishes an unprepared machine: frozen ruts, wet bush trails, and legal shooting light that starts before sunrise. Here is what to fit first, why each one earns its place, and the one regulation that catches people out every year.

What Makes a Good Hunting Setup?

A hunting rig is judged on three things: quiet approach, secure gear, and self-recovery. A machine that carries your firearm safely, hauls your stand and gear without rattling, and pulls itself out of a wet crossing is a hunting vehicle.

TL;DR

A skid plate protects the bottom of an ATV. It helps prevent damage to important parts like the engine, transmission, and frame.
A winch is the highest-value single purchase. It recovers the machine, loads game and clears blowdowns.
LinQ turns one machine into three. Tool-free cargo boxes, coolers and fuel caddies mount and dismount in seconds.
Wide beam beats bright beam. Low-glare flood lighting is more useful in legal shooting light than a maximum-output bar.
Late-season Ontario needs weather protection. A windshield, hand guards and heated grips extend the usable season by weeks.

The Five Accessories, Ranked

1. Skid plate

A skid plate protects the underside of the ATV or Side by Side from rocks, roots, mud, and other train hazards while helping prevent damage to the engine, transmission, and frame. Durable skid plates mount securely to the unit’s frame, providing reliable coverage without interfering with ground clearance or other accessories.

Choose one designed for your specific model and riding conditions, and inspect it regularly for cracks, loose hardware, or build-up mud and debris.

2. Winch with synthetic rope

The winch is the accessory that pays for itself the first time you use it. Synthetic rope is the modern default: lighter than steel cable, safer under load because it does not store the same recoil energy, and easier to handle with cold hands.

Match capacity to machine. Roughly 3,500 lb is the working minimum on an ATV, and 4,500 lb is the standard on a side-by-side. Some trims arrive already sorted, the 2026 Can-Am Defender XT HD9 on our floor ships with a factory 4,500 lb winch and synthetic cable.

3. LinQ cargo box, cooler or fuel caddy

LinQ is Can-Am’s quick-attach system: fixed bases on the rack, and boxes, bags, coolers and fuel caddies that lock on and off by hand. For hunting that means a sealed cargo box for optics and ammunition, a cooler for meat on the way out, and a fuel caddy for long weekends away from a pump.

The practical benefit is reconfiguration. The same machine hauls a stand in on Thursday and runs clean and narrow on Saturday.

4. Auxiliary lighting, low and wide

Most legal hunting light in Ontario falls in the half hour either side of sunrise and sunset. That is exactly when a factory headlight is at its weakest and when a maximum-output light bar is at its most blinding.

Fit auxiliary LEDs with a wide flood pattern mounted low, so you can read trail edges, ruts and ice at slow speed without lighting up the whole concession. Keep any high-output bar on a separate switch and off near your hunt area.

5. Weather protection: windshield, hand guards, heated grips

November in Dufferin County is the reason this is on the list. A full windshield stops wind chill and branch strikes, hand guards keep your knuckles out of the brush, and heated grips keep your hands working well enough to handle a firearm safely at the end of a long sit.

On a side-by-side, a cab enclosure with heat turns the machine into a warm-up shelter, which changes how long you can realistically hunt.

ATV or Side-by-Side for Ontario Hunting?

Accessory	What it solves	ATV	Side-by-side	Best for
Skid plate	Protects underside of vehicle	Essential	Essential	Rough ground conditions
Winch	Self-recovery, game loading, clearing trail	3,500 lb minimum	4,500 lb standard	Wet ground, bush lots, solo hunts
LinQ cargo / cooler	Tool-free gear and meat hauling	Rack-mounted	Box-mounted	Multi-day and pack-in hunts
Auxiliary lighting	Visibility in legal shooting light	Low flood	Low flood plus bar	Early-morning and late-evening access
Weather protection	Cold, wind, brush	Windshield, guards, grips	Cab and heat	Late-season November hunts

Browse the current Can-Am ATV inventory to compare trims, and the accessories themselves are in our Can-Am off-road accessories store.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the LinQ system on a Can-Am?

LinQ is Can-Am’s quick-attach mounting platform. Bases are fitted to the rack or cargo box, and cargo boxes, bags, coolers, fuel caddies and gun holders lock on and off by hand in seconds without tools. It is the reason a Can-Am can be a gear hauler on Friday and a clean trail machine on Saturday.

Do I need a winch for hunting?

On an off-road vehicle, yes. A winch turns a stuck machine from a lost afternoon into a five-minute problem, and it doubles as the tool for loading a downed animal or clearing a blowdown off the trail. Look for at least 2,500 lb for a small ATV, 3,500 lb capacity on a regular ATV and 4,500 lb on a side-by-side.

Is an ATV or a side-by-side better for hunting?

An ATV gets into tighter brush and generally costs less to purchase. A side-by-side carries more gear, seats a passenger beside the driver in comfort, has a larger towing capacity, and can be fitted with a cab and heat for late-season hunts. If you hunt alone on narrow trails, take the ATV. If you hunt with a partner and haul gear, take the side-by-side.

What lighting should I add for early-morning hunts?

Add auxiliary LED lighting with a low, wide beam pattern rather than maximum brightness. Most legal hunting light happens before sunrise and after sunset, and a wide flood pattern helps you read trail edges and ruts at low speed. Keep the high-output bar switched off near a hunt area.

How much can a Can-Am Defender carry for a hunting trip?

The Defender family is built around work-grade cargo capacity, with a dumping cargo box, integrated LinQ anchor points and a heavy-duty frame. The XT trim also ships with a 4,500 lb winch and synthetic cable from the factory, which removes the single most common aftermarket purchase from your list.

Action Steps

Ensure your skid plate is clean — Before riding, inspect the skid plate to make sure it is securely attached and free of cracks, loose bolts, or built-up mud and debris.
Check whether your trim already has a winch — XT and Limited packages often include one, which frees budget for other gear.
Standardize on LinQ bases — one mounting system across boxes, coolers and caddies keeps setup times short.
Mount lighting low and wide — flood pattern beats raw output for the light levels you actually hunt in.
Add weather protection before November — hand guards and heated grips are great for keeping your fingers warm (add handlebar muffs for more protection), and gets your machine ready for winter. Add a plow to fully maximize your machine.

A skid plate, a winch, LinQ cargo, low-glare lighting and weather protection cover the five ways an Ontario hunt actually goes wrong, and everything else is optional.

Top 5 Hunting Accessories for Your Can-Am ATV or Side-by-Side