Any hunter who has had to lug a downed bear out of the woods knows that it can be some of the most grueling work imaginable. A chubby bear has no natural holding points comparable to the legs or antlers of a deer. So even a 200 lb bruin is next to impossible for a solo hunter to carry out—especially if the bear is being retrieved from a thick cedar or spruce swamp.

Indeed, extracting a larger bear from such cover will put the strength and teamwork of a handful of men to an extreme test. It can be very warm during bear hunting season in many locations, and time is of the essence to prevent meat and hide spoilage.

One device that might be of assistance is the PowerLoader from Great Day Inc. of Tallulah, La. The PowerLoader is a lifting device that mounts to the front of an ATV or the back of a UTV and uses a winch (purchased separately) to hoist game up onto the vehicle’s rack or cargo bed. Then it helps to hold the animal in place for the ride out.

I installed the PowerLoader on a 2007 Suzuki King Quad 450. There is some assembly required with the device, and the process will vary depending upon what model of ATV you’re installing it on. This is because the PowerLoader attaches to the front racks with U-bolts and front rack designs are as individual as the ATVs themselves. It required a couple of attempts for me to achieve the proper clearances for the various moving parts. However, once the job was done the PowerLoader stayed put and had no effect on my day time trail riding. It does partially obscure the headlights, but if a night time trail ride is in your plans, all that is required for removal is to loosen the four mounting U-bolts, and to disconnect the winch cable. Then the entire assembly can be pulled off easily. Once I became familiar with the process, both installation and removal required no more than five minutes to perform.

For the PowerLoader from Great Day Inc. and other parts, shop with our sponsor partspitstop.com