Late Season Muzzleloading Success Again!!!

On January 3rd I was in the woods and headed to my stand area nice and early. I was moving slow but steady and had just started up the logging road toward my setup spot when I heard a deer snort and stomp off in to thicker cover. I wasn’t happy about it but the distance between where I was and where I was going seemed large enough that I didn’t let it discourage me too much. It was the last day of the “2008”, technically it was 2009, deer season and I was determined to enjoy my last day. It was a great morning, cold, foggy, and sprinkling rain. For some reason I love being out in the rain and especially snow. The morning did have a cold bite to it but I knew if I kept going and made it to my stand in time I may have enough excitement to keep me warm. I got to my stand before it was light and got set up. I knew there had been human travel in to the area recently so I thought the deer would come by my area bright and early, or not at all. I sat there for almost two hours and I was really starting to wonder if I would see anything, when I caught movement about 25 yards away. I looked up and right in front of me was a doe. I was standing about half behind a tree so I quietly and slowly slid my body further behind the cover. The deer kept walking toward me until she was about 10 yards away. She was so close that I just knew she was going to spot me. She looked right at me twice but never figured out that I wasn’t part of the tree, thanks to Mossy Oak’s new Treestand pattern! She was not presenting much of a shot and was looking my way so much that I didn’t have a chance at getting a shot on her. It was only a matter of time before the wind swirled and she caught my wind so my heart was pumping fast. I finally got the break I was looking for when she turned to her left and started to feed up the hill. I raised the Traditions Pursuit II, found my spot, and pulled the trigger. She pulled the neatest back flip ever and was dead before she hit the ground. I was happy to have another deer and happy that she had died quickly and easily!




Shot this one at 15yds on the ground wearing the new Mossy Oak Treestand pattern and using a Traditions Pursuit II muzzleloader.

Mossy Oak Treestand and Traditions Firearms Come Through Again!

Due to a late start on January 1, 2009 I was heading to my stand site when the light was coming up in to the sky. I generally like to be up my tree by this time but I figured that it was better to be in the woods late than it was to be watching TV on the couch. I was on National Forest with my pack and climber on my back looking for the right tree in an area that I had recently found on a scouting/hunting trip. I guessed that the deer would be coming through later in the morning and that I would have plenty of time to find a tree when I got to the ridgeline I was heading for. Knowing it was light out though I was taking my time and still-hunting to the stand so that I wouldn’t get busted. Much to my surprise as I neared the ridgeline area I was headed for I noticed movement coming my way. A group of deer were going to be passing by my stand site before I had a chance to arrive there. I looked around and found an opening that they would be going through where I would have a good shooting lane. They were above me and I was pretty sure my camo would keep me invisible to them if I just stayed still and calm. The first deer approached the opening and as I peered through my scope I realized that the deer were further back on the trail than I had thought and I didn’t have an ethical shot. I decided to let the group pass and then set up a stand and hope they made it back my way that evening. However much to my surprise a small group started coming down the ridge and were going to be passing by me on the right. I made a few quick adjustments and then found another opening. When the first doe came through I put the crosshairs behind her shoulder and pulled the trigger! She went down instantly and I was happy to have finally pulled the trigger on my new muzzleloader! I got her worked up as quickly as possible and my family and I have been enjoying her delicious bounties every since!

It was a cold morning and I was tired and for various reasons running behind schedule. I could have gotten frustrated and through in the towel for the day but I decided that being in the woods and enjoying the beauty of nature was the best place for me that morning. I knew I was heading to a spot that the deer were moving so my optimism put me in the woods. The old saying you can’t kill a deer if you’re not hunting holds true again!

Traditions Pursuit II Review by Cody Altizer

Check out the great Traditions Pursuit 2 Review by fellow Mossy Oak ProStaffer Cody Altizer over at ShowMeYourBuck.com! I'm even quoted in it a time or two!

Traditions Pursuit II XLT

I don't know how I forgot to post this but I received in my Pursuit II and I love it! It's such a great gun and it's so easy to load, shoot, and clean! I'll post more on it soon!