The Best UTV for Hunting This Year: Our Top 3 Choices

Built for hard work and hauling heavy cargo, UTVs became hunters’ go-to vehicles in the past years. If you hunt, you know you need a rugged and reliable vehicle to take you where your game dwells. Moreover, it has to offer you excellent driving performance on challenging terrains together with great suspensions. Therefore, today we are going to present you with some of the best UTV for hunting models. From providing you with all the safety and comfort you deserve to hauling hefty loads, these side-by-side vehicles are hunters’ dreams come true!

What UTV is Best for Hunting?

Buying the best UTV for hunting requires some research. You need to know what you want from your vehicle, compare prices, and see what UTV aftermarket parts you need so you can budget them accordingly. To help you out, we did some heavy lifting and came up with three UTVs for hunting you might want to get this year!

1. The 2021 Can-Am Commander DPS

Most hunters swear by the Commander models – old and new. These machines pack an impressive punch when it comes to all-terrain performance, hauling cargo, and reaching places few humans have reached before.

Can-Am dedicated the 2021 Commander DPS to hunters specifically. Backed by 100 horsepower performance and up to 13 inches of suspension travel, the DPS is the king of the jungle in its price range. The company offers features no hunting pro cannot refuse: up to 2000-lb (907.2 kg) towing capacity, dump bed, and the outstanding LinQ systems. The latter allows you to keep safe and in place all your hunting tools, camping gear, and accessories without worrying about them for a second.

The Commander DPS model features a dark green color, perfect for camouflage. It is probably the best side by side UTV for hunting difficult games and spending days out there in the wilderness with no hassle. The best part is that you can upgrade it with anything you want, from an overhead gun rack to winches or tailgate extensions.

2. The 2021 Can-Am Defender

You should not be surprised that the next entry on our list is another Can-Am model. The 2021 Can-Am Defender features everything the Defender models have best, plus an excellent price on top! In case you remember, this Can-Am model is on our list of the most affordable side-by-side vehicles for all the right reasons.

You can consider the 2021 Defender as the best UTV for farm and hunting on this list. You can use this beast to tow up to 3,000-lbs off-road and cross any possible terrain, from mud to rocky hills. With its 6x6 traction, 15-in of clearance, 82 horsepower, and 69 lb.-ft. Of torque, the 2021 Defender makes farming, hunting, or trailing look like a walk in the park.

One of the many reasons we included the 2021 Defender on this shortlist of best UTVs for hunting is that you can take it out on any season and still enjoy the ride. The automatic climate control significantly improves any hunter’s experience during all seasons.

Besides the easy-to-camouflage color of this vehicle, we are also thrilled with the versatile 6 x 4.5 feet dump bed. However, when it comes to hunting in the most secluded and challenging of places, our hearts are set on the low-noise feature. You don’t want to scare the prey or announce the entire forest of your upcoming hunting party, do you?

Can-Am makes some incredible side-by-sides for hunting. The best news is that you can upgrade them even more! Get a compatible overhead gun rack, professional 4-point harnesses for improved safety and comfort, light bars for night hunting, and more! The Can-Am Defender is as versatile as it is powerful!

3. The 2021 Honda Pioneer 1000

Honda Pioneer models are legendary, and we have mentioned them on a few occasions before. Besides being one of the most reliable side-by-side vehicles in existence, the Honda Pioneer 1000 is the hunters’ favorite companion.

With its 2,000 lbs. towing capacity and 1,000 pounds bed capacity, you can take this bad boy out for a few days of big game hunting. You will also love the wheels on this beast – 27-inch tires on 12-inch rims. They offer increased ground clearance, improved riding comfort, better traction, and the capacity to climb, crawl, sneak, and cross any terrain with flying colors.

The vehicle allows for a hunting party of three. If you want more safety and comfort when riding this UTV in dense forests, steep hills, or dangerous areas, we recommend you consider changing the stock seatbelts with 4-point harnesses. It is probably the most popular safety-centric UTV mod all hunters perform once they get their dream vehicle.

Nevertheless, you can check out other Honda Pioneer aftermarket parts and accessories and upgrade your vehicle to your needs. We recommend you get a cab heater with defrost, night-lights, and more for work and hunting all year round.

What Makes a Good UTV for Hunting?

More than a budget choice, the decision to buy a hunting UTV should include a couple of criteria that you cannot skip:

• Towing and hauling abilities – your UTV should make it easy for you to haul game, hides, etc.;
• Storage – you need to consider the possibility to bring along companions, hunting tools and accessories, camping and survival gear, and more;
• The types of terrain you are most likely to cover in your hunting missions;
• Safety and comfort features, from roll cages and hard rooftops to harnesses and weather-proof accessories;
• Upgrading choices – most likely, you will want to add gun and bow racks, bow cases, gun mounts, etc.;

Factor in all these things into your purchase decision, and we are sure you will get the best UTV for hunting that matches your budgets and needs!

What Is the Best UTV for Hunting In Your Opinion?

Some other amazing UTVs for hunting include the Yamaha Wolverine, the Polaris Ranger and Sportsman models, and the Kawasaki Teryx. They are all amazing vehicles with excellent features and tech specs. But it is your time to tell us about the UTV hunting models you like best! We are happy to learn your suggestions & choices and decide upon the best UTV for hunting this year!