diff --git a/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl b/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
index 6b62bba..d589c97 100644
--- a/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
+++ b/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@
 
 -record(state, {table :: string(),
                 session :: wterl:session(),
-                cursor :: wterl:cursor(),
                 partition :: integer()}).
 
 -type state() :: #state{}.
@@ -135,24 +134,21 @@ start(Partition, Config) ->
 
 %% @doc Stop the wterl backend
 -spec stop(state()) -> ok.
-stop(#state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}) ->
+stop(#state{session=undefined}) ->
     ok;
-stop(#state{session=Session, cursor=undefined}) ->
-    ok = wterl:session_close(Session);
-stop(#state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
-    ok = wterl:cursor_close(Cursor),
-    stop(State#state{cursor=undefined}).
+stop(#state{session=Session}) ->
+    ok = wterl:session_close(Session).
 
 %% @doc Retrieve an object from the wterl backend
 -spec get(riak_object:bucket(), riak_object:key(), state()) ->
                  {ok, any(), state()} |
                  {ok, not_found, state()} |
                  {error, term(), state()}.
-get(Bucket, Key, #state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+get(Bucket, Key, #state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     get(Bucket, Key, establish_connection(State));
-get(Bucket, Key, #state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
+get(Bucket, Key, #state{session=Session, table=Table}=State) ->
     WTKey = to_object_key(Bucket, Key),
-    case wterl:cursor_search(Cursor, WTKey) of
+    case wterl:session_get(Session, Table, WTKey) of
         {ok, Value} ->
             {ok, Value, State};
         not_found  ->
@@ -169,11 +165,11 @@ get(Bucket, Key, #state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
 -spec put(riak_object:bucket(), riak_object:key(), [index_spec()], binary(), state()) ->
                  {ok, state()} |
                  {error, term(), state()}.
-put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, IndexSpecs, Val, #state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, IndexSpecs, Val, #state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, IndexSpecs, Val, establish_connection(State));
-put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, _IndexSpecs, Val, #state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
+put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, _IndexSpecs, Val, #state{session=Session, table=Table}=State) ->
     WTKey = to_object_key(Bucket, PrimaryKey),
-    case wterl:cursor_insert(Cursor, WTKey, Val) of
+    case wterl:session_put(Session, Table, WTKey, Val) of
         ok ->
             {ok, State};
         {error, Reason} ->
@@ -187,11 +183,11 @@ put(Bucket, PrimaryKey, _IndexSpecs, Val, #state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
 -spec delete(riak_object:bucket(), riak_object:key(), [index_spec()], state()) ->
                     {ok, state()} |
                     {error, term(), state()}.
-delete(Bucket, Key, IndexSpecs, #state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+delete(Bucket, Key, IndexSpecs, #state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     delete(Bucket, Key, IndexSpecs, establish_connection(State));
-delete(Bucket, Key, _IndexSpecs, #state{cursor=Cursor}=State) ->
+delete(Bucket, Key, _IndexSpecs, #state{session=Session, table=Table}=State) ->
     WTKey = to_object_key(Bucket, Key),
-    case wterl:cursor_remove(Cursor, WTKey) of
+    case wterl:session_delete(Session, Table, WTKey) of
         ok ->
             {ok, State};
         {error, Reason} ->
@@ -316,7 +312,7 @@ fold_objects(FoldObjectsFun, Acc, Opts, #state{table=Table}) ->
 
 %% @doc Delete all objects from this wterl backend
 -spec drop(state()) -> {ok, state()} | {error, term(), state()}.
-drop(#state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+drop(#state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     drop(establish_connection(State));
 drop(#state{table=Table, session=Session}=State) ->
     case wterl:session_truncate(Session, Table) of
@@ -329,7 +325,7 @@ drop(#state{table=Table, session=Session}=State) ->
 %% @doc Returns true if this wterl backend contains any
 %% non-tombstone values; otherwise returns false.
 -spec is_empty(state()) -> boolean().
-is_empty(#state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+is_empty(#state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     is_empty(establish_connection(State));
 is_empty(#state{table=Table, session=Session}) ->
     {ok, Cursor} = wterl:cursor_open(Session, Table),
@@ -341,7 +337,7 @@ is_empty(#state{table=Table, session=Session}) ->
 
 %% @doc Get the status information for this wterl backend
 -spec status(state()) -> [{atom(), term()}].
-status(#state{session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+status(#state{session=undefined}=State) ->
     status(establish_connection(State));
 status(#state{table=Table, session=Session}) ->
     {ok, Cursor} = wterl:cursor_open(Session, "statistics:"++Table),
@@ -362,7 +358,7 @@ callback(_Ref, _Msg, State) ->
 %% Internal functions
 %% ===================================================================
 
-establish_connection(#state{table=Table, session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=State) ->
+establish_connection(#state{table=Table, session=undefined}=State) ->
     {ok, Connection} = wterl_conn:get(),
     case wterl:session_open(Connection, wterl:config_to_bin([{isolation, "snapshot"}])) of
         {ok, Session} ->
@@ -374,13 +370,7 @@ establish_connection(#state{table=Table, session=undefined, cursor=undefined}=St
                  {lsm_bloom_config, [{leaf_page_max, "16MB"}]} ],
             case wterl:session_create(Session, Table, wterl:config_to_bin(SessionOpts)) of
                 ok ->
-                    case wterl:cursor_open(Session, Table) of
-                        {ok, Cursor} ->
-                            State#state{session=Session, cursor=Cursor};
-                        {error, Reason} ->
-                            lager:error("Failed to open WiredTiger cursor on ~p because: ~p", [Table, Reason]),
-                            State
-                    end;
+                    State#state{session=Session};
                 {error, Reason} ->
                     lager:error("Failed to start wterl backend: ~p\n", [Reason]),
                     State