Using The Traditions II XLT Pursuit for Hunting Whitetail Deer

When hunting Whitetail Deer there is nothing more thrilling then using a Black Powder Muzzleloader. The excitement of knowing you have to make one shot count. This challenge is no different than what I was taught when I was fourteen, which made me a better shot, more patient, and overall a better hunter.

For the past 20 years I have been using a Muzzleloader for Deer hunting, and I will continue to do so until my last day of hunting. The two Muzzleloader rifles I have used are the 50 Caliber Thompson Center and the Traditions Pursuit II XLT. Now both of these rifles are great, but I wanted something that would reach much further, so I purchased and switched to the Traditions Pursuit rifle.

Using A Thompson Center 50 Cal Muzzleloader

I used the Thompson Center for 15 years and shot many nice bucks. I sighted it in for 80 yards and anything within 130 yards was in the kill zone.

The dual trigger was fun to use, with the second trigger set feather light (hair trigger), so to eliminate any pulling or jerking action when pulling the trigger. My best two shots were running shots, one at 35 yards and one at 110 yards straight away. So if you are looking for an old style Muzzleloader, The 50 caliber Thompson Center is it. No regrets and I highly recommend it.

The powder I use for the Thompson Center is Pyrodex RS (FFG Equivalent), 90 grams. The rounds I use are Hornady Sabot, 300gr. I did not put a scope on this rifle as the iron sites worked well at this range.

To clean, remove the barrel and use warm soapy water with your barrel brush. Then use a dry cloth on your ramrod and wipe the barrel down. Apply WD40 on the both the outside surfaces and in the barrel. It’s now ready for next year’s hunt.

So why did I hang it up for the Traditions Pursuit? Because on the farm back in Michigan, the back field is approximately 300 yards across and I got tired of watching nice Bucks walk the edge, knowing I could not reach them.

Using The Tradition Pursuit 50 Cal Muzzleloader for 300 Yard Shots

300 yards with the 50 Cal Tradition Pursuit, yes! However, before purchasing the rifle I did my research and called the Company’s technical experts. Tradition’s technical experts told me that the maximum they have sighted this rifle in was up to 200 yards, but that it could be possible to shoot 300 yards, if I use BLACKHORN Powder and a 300 gr round. So I purchased the Pursuit 50 Cal Black Powder Muzzleloader. Traditions Pursuit Review.

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I then took it to Cabelas and had the Omega Muzzleloader Rifle Scope mounted and the rifle bore sighted. Once back on the farm I took 3 shots to see where it was shooting and all three were in the bulls-eye.

Now it was time to hunt, so with my new Muzzleloader, a Bushnell range finder, and a good set of binoculars I was on my way. As expected my first opportunity, for a nice Whitetail Buck, came from across the field. I use my range finder and scoped the Buck at 238 yards. I then placed the corresponding cross-hairs on the Buck, took into consideration a small amount of wind and fired. I could not see much and lost site of the Buck due to the smoke, so like all good hunters, I walked over to the spot the deer was standing to check, too my astonishment there he laid.