Big Game Hunting; Big ATV Time! Leave a reply

Nov 17, 2020 by Tom Nelson

Now that our big game seasons are winding down, it’s time to reflect on what we love about hunting, how our gear needs to evolve and what we can do to improve in ourselves. None of us are getting any younger and so I also look to what we can do to minimize what we don’t necessarily enjoy about filling our freezers, namely packing out our game. Don’t get me wrong, notching my tag is definitely one of the best days of the year but as we all know, that’s when the real work begins and that’s where the ATV’s come in!

I started this year out recovering from a total knee replacement so I was thrilled to be able to fill my Washington State elk tag this year and happy that I was able to pack it out but it’s not my favorite part of the hunting experience.
I’ve been a HUGE fan of the Can-Am Defender MAX 10 ever since it’s introduction to the ATV market over five years ago and most importantly, Bailey the black lab loves it too!

The dash of the Can-Am Defender Max provides full instrumentation as well as accommodating other gear such as the iPad to the right which is running the OnX Hunt ap that functions as a wonderful navigation tool that’s powered by the cigarette lighter plug just below it!
The cargo box is plenty big enough to hold a couple hefty mule deer…
…but if you’re going to try to get more than one Roosevelt bull elk in, it’s gonna get tight!
We had two feet of snow the night before the 2020 (go figure…) Montana elk opener which made walking on slopes very difficult and getting an animal out would have been nearly impossible without the Can Am Defender,
Getting a bull down in the afternoon means you’re going to be working in the dark and with a second Montana snowstorm in the forecast, you need to work hard and fast.
Any time you can get an elk out whole it’s a win. Rolling this bull into a Shappell “Jet Sled” made getting this bull down to the road ahead of a snowstorm a welcome relief!

You can check out the entire line of Can Am ATV’s at Lifestyles Honda In Mt. Vernon and tell them Nelly sent you!!

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