Missouri’s Conservation Department increased the number of deer tags for hunters this year, and also, added extensions to the season. Stag Arms’ Marketing Manager, Torrie Roodhouse, hails from Missouri, and planned to visit family during deer season and Thanksgiving this year. We invited her to join us here in southwest Missouri, and she showed up with a Stag Arms Pursuit Bolt Action Rifle, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and equipped with an Aero Precision LAHAR-30.
Sponsored by Stag Arms
It didn’t take long on the range to see that Torrie knows her way around a bolt gun, as she quickly got the scope sighted in, and shot a tight group of three at 50. We couldn’t go to the regular range to sight it out to 100 and 200 yards, as that is where the first deer blind stands. She would begin there the next morning.
Stag Arms Pursuit Bolt Action Rifle
Torrie explained that this gun is meant to be used for hunting and also, for precision shooting. Developed with the input from hunters and precision shooters, the Pursuit offers a modular design that allows hunters and shooters to customize with suppressors, bipods and optics.
Here are its specs online. As a deer hunter, here are the specs that stood out to me:
And, the finish … it’s beautiful. Stag Arms dubs it the “elite Cerakote finish.” Torrie attached a sling later, for hunting in the woods on the ground.
Meanwhile, on the first morning, she and I sat in the blind, watching the field that spread out 400 yards in front of us – which, if you know the Ozarks, you’ll know that it’s a stretch (unless it’s a cattle pasture already). Suddenly, Torrie whispered (excitedly), “There’s one! Right out here!” And sure enough, a beautiful doe had begun working her way through the woods to the right of us. We watched her browse in the brush, accompanied by a smaller doe, and then, she finally made her debut on the main stage – the field. To which, she started trotting away from us, by now in center stage, slowly. Torrie tried a short grunt call, then a cluck and I let out a little whistle. Whatever it was that caught her attention caused the doe to turn and look over her shoulder at about 45 yards. Her compatriot flagged and took off, and the bigger doe turned a little more and looked ready to exit stage left. Torrie took the shot as the deer started to leave the field and we saw her buck up and head for the woods. We waited about 20 minutes and followed the blood trail to her, where she lay not more than 25 yards from where she had been hit – a perfect lung shot.
We field dressed her quickly, dragged her out, loaded her up, and took her to the local processor, where Torrie ordered several rings of jalapeno bologna, along with other cuts and grinds.
Deer Hunt Turns into Coyote Hunt
The next morning found us in another blind on another field. Again, Torrie’s target came in from the right side and began the familiar pattern of trotting down the field away from us. This time, though, it was a beautiful coyote. Since Torrie had a tag for small game, she made the decision to take the shot and dropped him flat at about 70 yards. He made the mistake of looking back over his shoulder, and that’s when she took the neck shot.
We had other fields and the woods to hunt but decided to stay put and saw a small buck – with two points on one side and no points on the other – come in. Torrie opted to let him walk.
In the Woods
The next day, Torrie slung that gun and carried it into the woods. This would be her first time ground hunting, and also, she boned up on how to rattle antlers. We spent the afternoon overlooking an area, like a bowl, full of trails, and she practiced rattling antlers and added another new skill – using the grunt call. We could smell musky deer scents, and at sundown, we spooked two big whitetails as we headed out of the woods. I have no doubt that Torrie could have made a successful shot from a sitting position, had she been afforded the option.
Another Blind and a Spike Buck
We spent the next morning in another blind down in a valley near a creek, where we saw two does come out of the woods while she rattled away. Then, a spike buck showed up. Again, she opted not to shoot.
It’s clear that Torrie has spent time afield hunting and has developed a mindset that is ethical and respectful. It was refreshing to see a young hunter adapt and develop more skills for hunting that she can use in the future. It drove home the point that as long as you are confident behind the gun that you’ve chosen to use, you know what it will do at varying distances, and you understand the ammunition you’ve chosen, you are free to work on other skills without distraction. The important part is done.
About her Ozarks’ hunt, she said, “Hunting in the Ozarks with Barb gave me the chance to step outside of my comfort zone enough to learn new techniques. I had the familiarity of hunting whitetail in Missouri, as that’s where I grew up hunting, but the terrain on Barb’s land is a bit different than the river bottoms I call home. Since Barb was in the stand with me and offered an additional set of eyes, I was able to experiment with grunt calls and rattling antlers while she helped watch in all directions for activity. We were able to cover each other’s blind spots in certain stands, and she walked me through field dressing step-by-step to reduce mess and increase efficiency. Whitetail hunting has been a part of my lifestyle for as long as I can remember and being able to hunt with Barb and learn new things is an experience I will never forget and look forward to doing it again!”
The Stag Arms Pursuit Bolt-Action Rifle comes in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC.
MSRP: $1899.99
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
