This week on Kentucky Afield, Chad and friends are at Kentucky Lake grabbing catfish by hand.

Next, we'll visit with a veterinarian and find out how to keep our hunting dogs in top shape.

Then, deer archery season is so close that you can almost feel it in the air.

We'll look back on a hunt to get ready for season.

It's all next on Kentucky Afield.

Hello and welcome to Kentucky Afield.

I'm your host, Chad Miles.

Join us as we journey the Commonwealth in search of outdoor adventure.

I have a good friend that's always wanted to go hand grabbing for catfish.

So we loaded up and headed west to Kentucky Lake to do just that.

just go all the way.

Yeah, I go all the way under and reach in all the way up to your shoulder.

If you can.

Got you.

Oh, Good luck.

We're down here at Kentucky Lake, noodling or hand grabbing catfish.

and I'm with, familiar face Will Brantley.

And one time.

I've been there with you before.

And when we had a blast.

there's a season for this.

We've talked about that before.

We're in the season but we're a little late aren't we?

We are, So we're here, I think it's the last day of June right now.

We're close to it.

And, I wouldn't expect it to be a little slower than it was last time you guys were here.

we don't have to catch many.

But we do have to catch one for this guy right here.

This is, Dan Walker, who's been a friend of mine for quite some time.

And you spend a lot of time in the water, haven't you?

I have, I was, I've been a firefighter in Indianapolis for 23 years.

And, of that, I was a scuba diver for, a little over 18 years.

Yeah.

Why did you want to do this?

You know, it's just something exciting.

I'm really comfortable in the water, you know, being a fireman.

just something exciting about it.

And adrenaline junkie, you know, and, hand wrestling a fish doesn█t getting better than that, it's it's there's no more primitive method of fishing is there?, That's it.

Find a fish.

Hold him in that hole.

Reach down, grab him and let him use your hand for bait.

Heck yeah.

Your wife told me to make sure you brought all your fingers back.

We can no promises yet.

But right now, they're all there.

Oh, yeah.

They're.

Look at that guy!

Holy moly!

Look at that.

Oh.

That's awesome.

We weren't sure we were going to get that fish out there.

Oh, I'll tell you what.

Tim did a great job.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Tim.

You got down there and.

Oh, man, I should tell you, you started kicking a little bit.

You were shaking a little bit.

I was like, he might be fighting something.

This guy's got an attitude.

We know, what you think about that Dan?

Oh, that a incredible adrenaline rush right there.

That is awesome.

that's a perfect size first catfish, because it's big enough to be pretty impressive.

You have to get your butt kicked on fish one.

That's it.

Yeah.

Now we'll go for an 80 pound.

Let's do it.

Oh that's great.

Well, I'll tell you what.

We're going to turn him lose, all right.

He█s gonna get Face to face.

Look at the catfish in the Beaty little eyeball This is what I like right here.

let me get my feet under me.

I got my thumb in his mouth.

You█re doing good.

Oh boom.

Got him.

Nice job.

Yeah.

Look at there.

Nice job buddy.

Thanks.

I'll tell you what.

Tell me, what's that?

What do you like?

What's the most fun about going out?

Can you take my googles?

Oh.

He's wrestling.

Oh, you got him?

Hey, hey.

It█s all right, we saw him.

He went right back.

Where we going to put him anyway?

You got.

You got proof?

I saw, you know, what just happened that just went from being 6 to 8 pounds.

18, 40 pounds.

Just that little real quick release.

Nice job.

Way to go.

Was that fun?

Tell me what you like about doing this out here with your mom and dad and your friends.

What do you think about this?

I like, feeling their squishy skin and getting in the mouth and grabbing it.

Yeah.

You ever tell your friends at school that, what you like to do on the weekends?

Yeah.

What do they say about that?

That's pretty cool.

That's pretty cool.

Well, that is pretty cool.

Your friends are right.

I'm really impressed.

No.

going like Alright Dan, this is a good one buddy, Let's get him.

Anz get ready.

You're getting ready to take a ride on that rock.

Because the whole rock is going to move.

Yeah.

Oh, there he was.

Oh, he's got him, he's got him.

Oh sticks up, sticks up.

You got him!

Oh you got hold on that rock.

That was awesome.

Oh, that was so much fun.

You want to lift him here like this?

Oh, what do you think about that?

Oh, my goodness, what a rush.

And that was so much fun.

You said you wanted to come catch a catfish.

We got maybe more than what we bargained for?

Oh I love that fight too though.

That was fun.

I love it so much fun.

Bubbles are coming out.

We could feel it thrashing under under the under the rock that you had him or he had you.

He had me more or less.

I was just holding on.

Well, have you ever caught one on a Rod and real this size?

No.

Oh Lord heavens no no.

that is a great.

That is a great fish.

look pretty awesome trophy.

Look at it.

Though you can see there's crushers in there.

You're just reaching in.

And I got a lip right here.

And he can see that lip right there.

What he's doing is he's sticking that stick in there.

He's turning that stick down under that lip and just pulling him out and run his hand down the stick and then grabbing and putting their hand in.

And there.

Like that.

Yeah.

All right buddy?

Yeah.

It's a little wrestling match.

Anz, you can hit the face?

Yeah, That's pretty much what he was doing under water.

You all right?

What a trophy catfish.

Well, you guys ready to turn it loose?

Ready?

That was awesome.

Wow.

Oh, awesome.

Oh, that was great, man.

Let█s go catch this catfish.

You're ready buddy.

Go get ready to catch fish.

I'll be your wingman.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, he's got him in there.

I hear him thumping.

Is he over there?

He's right where that sun drop bottle is.

Louder.

It's like his bobber.

I heard him thump!

I felt the swirl over here.

He just shot out.

He went out.

He hit me right in the shoulder.

Oh, the hole bigger than I thought.

You know when you have that big ole bass blow up on that top water?

Oh, yeah.

And yanked the lure back to the boat like, man, that thing was.

That was a good.

This was a small strike.

That one over there was better.

That one over there was a lot better.

We got other spots.

It's just like fishing.

You don't catch a fish on every cast That's it, that's it.

You don't catch a catfish in every perfect hole.

this one a lot of times they'll they'll bite your hand.

Okay, No, no, I didn't sound that big.

Now that one sounded bigger!

He's still down there.

Maybe.

Maybe two.

He's got a fish.

I hit him, but he didn't hit it.

Let me get my stick.

Turn right.

Oh!

He just come out of there.

Come out!

He knocked your shoe off on the way.

Yeah.

All right.

So we had a another hole right here.

Yeah.

Oh, there he is.

Come on, bring him out of there buddy.

He's got it.

Oh, he's trying to come up.

Got him?

You got hold of him?

I do, yes.

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh, you.

You had him out though!

Yeah.

Oh, man.

Oh, that was a big one too.. Yeah.

He's twisted loose there, Yeah, well, I had my hands in his jaw and then you had him out, I'm like, okay, he's got him, because I only had the three fingers.

I'm like, I don't want to get a broken fingers.

Dang it.

Yes!

I saw him though man that was awesome.

Oh, Oh, you think you got another fish in there?

I hope.

We definitely get another one in here.

Oh, we do?

Do you need a little bit longer stick?

I█ve got this fish halfway out of the hole by the tail.

Dragging him up.

Just very still.

He's docile, but I gotta get up to his head.

I got my foot still in the hole.

You got it?

Oh, there it is.

Hey.

Oh, it's a nice fish.

Holy cow.

I can feel the tail.

And I scooped that fish out.

Swiped him toward me.

And got ahold of his tail and pulled him halfway out.

And he just laid there late, and I went, man, as soon as I grabbed this fish█s head, he's going to lose his mind.

I'll tell you one thing.

there's a million ways you can catch a fish.

You know, people have been doing it for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Thousands and thousands of years.

But there's probably not a more exciting way than just reaching in and grabbing right by the face and pulling that fish out.

You reach in that hole, It's pitch black, and you think that that thing's laying in there quite waiting for your hand?

It's pretty cool.

You know, when Dan first saw this and he was like, that's something I really want to try.

And I was like, well, I've got I've got a guy for you.

We just got to line it up.

Was it everything he thought it'd be?

It was everything and more.

Yeah.

You definitely created a fan of me!

Well, I didn't do so hot today, but I did get my hands on a couple fish.

And I'll tell you what.

It's, it's an experience that you'll never forget.

And I'm sure you're going to be telling these stories for a while.

You know, catfish noodling is.

It's hard.

You know.

It is.

Yeah.

Oh, definitely.

I mean, they█re such a just a cool fish.

I mean, look, big old beautiful, almost marbleized.

Looking size on that fish.

A lot of people will catfish their whole life and not catch a fish that size, on a line, rod and reel.

And today we've got 3 or 4 fish that are over 20 pounds.

Yeah, for sure.

So cool.

And all of them are being released.

Hopefully this won't be the last time, right?

That I have a hand in this fish's mouth.

Hey, man, I thank you so much.

Oh yeah.

You got such a thank you all for coming.

Thank you for what you do.

It's such a great group of guys that are coming down here.

True conservationists, you know, you You're raising your kids to be in the outdoors to truly Anz by his age, he's already done some things that some people will never get a chance to do, so Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Many of our Kentucky hunting seasons are right around the corner, and if you're like me, you like to utilize your dogs while hunting.

So let's meet up with a veterinarian and find out what we need to know about taking our dogs in the field.

Well, if you're a fan of Kentucky Afield, it will be no surprise to you that we love to hunt using dogs.

I personally own dogs and that makes the experience so much more exciting to be in the field with a dog.

So today I have a professional with me who is a semi-retired veterinarian, as well as a dog trainer, and you just have spent a lifetime around dogs.

Dr. Heye, how are you doing today?

I'm doing great.

So many people own dogs.

But if you're a hunter and you have a dog, there's certain things you need to know about your dog's health and conditioning and nutrition.

So let's talk a little bit about how you should manage that hunting dog, both in season and out of season.

Yeah, it's really important for them to be as healthy as possible, especially during the season.

So you want to keep them that way throughout the year.

About three things that you can really do to help is, feed them well and feed them a good plan of nutrition.

It's well worth the money to use dog food that's been researched and developed by companies that know about and work with sporting dogs.

Another important aspect is maintain their level of activity and keep them in good shape.

You can do that a number of different ways throughout the year, because when it gets to be hunting season, you want them in top flight shape to enjoy the hunt with them.

One way I do it is train them year round and also compete in field trials and hunt tests.

And there's a number of different activities for almost every breed of dog, a sporting dog.

It's fun for the dog and for the family to participate in.

I encourage people to do whatever they're interested in, including especially beagles.

Keep them in shape and if possible, compete with them.

Beagles can put on some weight, especially older beagles.

If you keep feeding them the exact same amount, they can put some weight on pretty fast.

Yeah, well, you have to be careful with that.

The food intake and you might have to reduce it during the off season.

And feed restricted amount and try to maintain their weight.

And there's other things you can take them for walks and swim.

I had a beagle and he swam all the time with my other dogs.

So that's important even in the off season to maintain their weight and throughout their life, that's going to help them live a better life and be able to enjoy the hunt.

The third aspect of maintaining would be the health, and prevention of disease processes, including ticks and fleas, heartworms, internal parasites, and vaccinations are all extremely important to help the dog throughout its life.

I think it's a good idea to visit your veterinarian on a yearly basis and make sure they have a heartworm check and their own heartworm prevention and flea and tick control.

And most of the heartworm medications take care of internal parasites also.

Some of the disease processes when I first started practicing have almost been completely eliminated because people are vaccinated.

But it's also important to check the dog and make sure there's no other problems.

When you get them vaccinated.

Check the heart, check the skin.

You know, check the ears and eyes, and teeth.

That's important.

As well as getting the vaccine.

There's a lot of ways to handle fleas and ticks.

What do you kind of recommend is one of the best ways for a sporting dog?

There's a number of different products on the market, including injectable medications that last six months or a year for heartworms, and flea and tick medications that are both topical and oral.

So it's the owner's choice, and many of them are excellent.

Rarely, if ever, find a live tick embedded in the skin of my dog.

Now, I might occasionally see one crawling on them, but the medicines that are available are extremely good.

One of the other things, if you take a dog out and you work that dog in the field and say it's a 3 or 4 hour hard day of work for the dog and you bring them in.

What should be your level of inspection of that dog before you put them up?

A cool-down period after the exercise is important, and let them relax and walk.

And then you look for potential problems, lameness, any cuts or abrasions, and then watch their temperament and their breathing, their food intake, their urination, defecation, all those things are important to watch for after you train them.

Pretty common that after a dog works that hard, you may get something in there paw.

A briar in their paw or they have a little cut or scratch on their ears because, man, they're all out.

I mean, you think about how I look like sometimes coming back through the woods I'm cut up too, you know, you're so focused on what you're doing and you█re enjoying what you're doing, that a little cut becomes just part of the game.

Kind of the same way for the dogs as well, but they may need your help to help tend to those wounds.

They may need some help.

And if you ever have any question, of course, whether they need additional help more than you can give them, then contact your local veterinarian and maybe even describe the problem and see if they recommend coming into the clinic.

Many of the little scratches can be cleaned up just with soap and water at home by yourself.

And, removing any of the burrs.

Or there's some weeds during the summer that produce some thistle type growths that can be dangerous to the dog too, inhaling them.

And, so that's something to be aware of also.

Any other tips for us dog hunters out there?

Things that we should consider when it comes to training our dogs, both off season and in season?

My philosophy is don't train for tomorrow.

Train for the dog.

If you have a 13 month old dog you want to train for two, three, five, seven year old.

So they learn over time.

Just like going to school, kindergarten, grade school, high school.

And, don't expect them to be perfect the first time you take them out.

It's good to take them out in a controlled situation when they're first experiencing the hunt, and you can control the situation.

So there's not ten dogs running and people shooting everywhere.

For the beagles you can control the situation and have them have good experiences.

As far as working and training a female dog during her heat cycle, is there any precautions you should take there?

Well of course, keep an eye on them.

Most of the people that I work with continue to train their dogs during the heat cycle.

Sometimes train them after training the male dogs so that there's no interference with that.

The question everybody wants to know... male or female dog?

Which one makes a better hunting dog?

Statistically, in competition, and hunt test and field trial, the males are slightly more popular than the females, but it may be just because of the heat cycle twice a year that they're not able to compete during that time period.

So you've had great both males and females?

Males and females.

Me too.

I tend to like the females, but I've had both.

Well, as a dog owner and a hunter myself, it's really great to get out here with a veterinarian and a passionate dog lover and trainer, to kind of get your take on overall dog health and what we should be looking for.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

It is hard to believe, but Kentucky's deer archery season is right around the corner.

Opening up this year on September the 7th.

Let's take a look back at one of our previous early season bow hunts.

I've got a major soybean field right here.

The deer are really, really destroying it.

I know this farmer would love me to take a couple of does out of here for him.

The last time I hunted this stand, there was a deer at the whole time.

When I walked in, climbed up the tree, got settled down, I just looked out There and saw its ears moving around there the whole time.

There could be deer really close right now.

In the woods behind me, I have a heavily used trail that█s alongside a creek.

On the other side of that is another soybean field.

So these deer in the middle of the day, they█re going to be bed or use this to move to different areas in the shade or the cooler areas in the field to feed.

They can show up at any time.

I really like this spot.

This weather is changing fast.

You know, we had a rainstorm earlier today and now it's gotten windy.

It█ll rain and it'll kind of slow up.

The deer are already in the field.

I don't know how many there are, but there's close to ten.

So I know the deer moving, as long as I see them out there I'm going to try to wait this out.

This type of condition requires a perfect shot.

If I don't think I can make an absolute perfect shot or hopefully i hear the deer go down, I probably won't shoot.

I don't want a situation where it's a deer that I got to rely on a blood trail because with rain coming and going, I may not get one.

But I'm still very confident that I know those deer are excited to be getting this cooler weather just like I am.

You don't get these type of days in September very often where the temperature just bottom falls out.

Unfortunately, it brought rain.

Oh, we█ve got a doe 25 yards right on the edge of the beans.

I've got a tree right here between me and the deer.

So, oh there█s two.

These deer are in range, but they got to make their way to me to get around this tree.

Man, if they come forward eight or ten yards, its going to give me a perfect shot.

All right.

That second doe is the biggest.

That's the one.

I'm going to try to get a shot at.

Alright that deer is hit really good.

She's going down.

I'm going to give it the normal 30 minutes and go check it out.

Well, last night in the tree stand, we were hunting our soybean field and there were a couple of does that came by and we let them come right up to us until I decided all right, this is a shot that I know I can make.

Thought I made a beautiful shot.

The deer went about ten yards, laid down in the soybeans, thought, okay, this is great.

Got down out of the tree, walked up, actually bumped this deer.

I decided with the rain, there's probably not going to be any way to blood trail this deer.

So I decided that, you know what?

We're going to wait and come back.

It's going to be cool all night.

Temperature in the forties.

Let's get back out here and see what we can find.

So we decided to walk this creek bed, and lo and behold, about 200 yards from where the shot was taken, here she is.

Walk right in on the deer, laying right here in this creek.

Completely cold.

Feels great.

The shot was right where I thought, but you know what?

I learned something.

I thought I was going to take a shot and hit this deer right in the heart.

That was the plan.

End this really quick.

No blood trailing required.

You know what?

These deer are tougher than you think.

Looks like a good shot.

Next time I'm going for two lungs.

But, I can't be more excited to have this to put in the freezer early in the bow season.

Now let's check in and see who else has been out having fun in this week's ones that didn't get away.

Here we have a nice smallmouth bass that was caught by Matthew Thacker in Russell Fork River.

This fish was caught, photo█d, and released.

Nice job.

Nine year old JB Brewer punched his turkey tag during the youth weekend in Warren County.

Nice job.

Do you want more Kentucky Afield?

Well, good news, we're always available on YouTube, but during the next two weeks we will be preempted and off-air, returning on September the 14th with an all new show.

And remember, hunting and fishing on private property is a privilege.

Always ask permission and thank the landowner.

Until next week, I'm your host, Chad Miles, and I hope to see you in the woods or on the water.