I’ve had the pleasure of hunting in the cold poplar forests of northern Canada and all the way down to the dry, hot, rolling ridges and canyons of West Texas. Each hunt presented its own set of challenges, stemming from both the environment and the animals. However, everything I knew was turned on its head when I was invited to California to hunt for Columbian black-tail deer—not in a remote forest or rugged canyon, but in a vineyard.
Hunting Colombian Black-Tailed Deer – In Style
The Columbian black-tailed deer, a medium-sized subspecies of mule deer native to western North America, typically matches the size of a medium or small white tail. For this hunt, I traveled to Paso Robles, California, and our location was the Steinbeck Vineyards. Steinbeck Vineyards is a beautiful place. They have been making wine for over 140 years. That is seven generations and all in one family.
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Another unique part of this hunt was that if you were able to take a deer in one of the sections of the vineyard, you would then be given a glass of wine from that specific area in order to celebrate your success. Our host was the ever-gracious Linda Powell. I believe Linda could read my mind and shared with me, “Don’t be fooled. This is harder hunting than you think”. And honestly, it was.
500 Acres of Vineyard
Measuring approximately 500 acres, the Steinbeck vineyards offered plenty of ground to cover. Yet the real challenge came from the relatively narrow lanes between grapevines, each about four feet wide. A deer might suddenly step from the thick grapevines into the next section, providing only a brief window of distance and time to take a shot. Like other deer hunts, we spent significant time glassing and searching for a good-sized deer, usually from a decent hill where we would set up and begin our search.
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This is where the vineyards were very misleading. On the hill, we would spot a good deer and start moving down to where we last saw them. And as the case many times, they were simply gone. We would move row to row, hoping to find them, but it appeared they had just vanished. It honestly made you ask yourself, where the heck did they go?
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Rifle of Choice
The rifle I chose for this hunt was the Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical in 6.5 PRC. I chose this rifle to prove a point that I have been talking about for years. While many people still fill their tags with modest setups, there has been a growth in what I term precision hunting. This is when “Tactical” and hunting merge. My guide was a perfect example. He hunts all over the world, and he uses a custom rifle. A 7mm Rem Mag with an AG composite texture stock, 22″ proof research barrel, Defiance Machine Anti-X action, and a Leupold VX-6, 3-18×44 scope. The point was that if you are hunting, you can’t miss. This is especially true on major hunts that can cost upwards of $50,000.
My Opportunity
My opportunity occurred the morning of the second day. We had barely rolled out of the lodge area, and there he was. A large buck was daring me to try and get him. My guide and I quickly bailed from the truck and crept from section to section. The deer strolled between the vines. We moved to get ahead of him and began to set up. I grabbed the shooting sticks and balanced the rifle.
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He emerged and continued walking through the open space between rows. The guide quickly ranged him and whispered 195. I had pressure on the trigger as he began to disappear into the next row of vines. My guide did what most guides do when a good animal presents itself. Almost instantly, he was whispering forcefully, “Shoot, shoot, shoot!” However, the deer was still walking, and it appeared that he was going to disappear into the next row of vines.
Shoot – Don’t Shoot
Now he was urging me to wait. But for some reason, the deer stopped. I could see my target area, but vines mostly obscured his head and neck. As my guide was asking, “Can you make that shot?” I broke the shot and placed the round right through the lungs. I quickly ran the bolt for a follow-up shot, but it wasn’t necessary. The Blacktail took two steps and fell over.
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Even in this almost luxurious environment, I still felt the familiar rush. Small tremors in my hands, an accelerated heart rate, and feeling slightly short of breath.
We waited a couple of minutes and were very confident that the deer was indeed down. At that point, we slowly moved forward to collect what would be an exceptionally large Columbian black-tailed deer. He turned out to be an older ten-point with good body mass. The guide and I carried him the few hundred yards back to the truck, and soon we were on our way back to camp. As promised, the vineyard owners were waiting for me with a glass of wine as we pulled up. It was a unique and memorable celebration.
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Hunting Colombian Black-Tailed Deer
Every hunt I have ever been on, I consider to be a memorable one. The memories are rooted in the environment, the animals, and the people I get to share camp with. This hunt, however, will go down as one of the most unique and enjoyable opportunities I’ve ever had the chance to be a part of. If you ever get the opportunity to hunt at Steinbeck Vineyards, I highly encourage you to grab it.
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