Hello and welcome to Kentucky Afield.

I'm your host, Chad Miles.

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

This week we're headed to the Red River Gorge to do a little stream trout fishing.

Then we're going to Woodford County to meet up with a biologist and his son and rabbit hunt.

But first, we're headed to Shelby County to meet up with a woman who has a passion for getting kids introduced to the outdoors.

Okay, Bentley, we're here on your farm behind your house, and we are deer hunting.

And this is during the youth season.

We've just set up this blind just now.

And so we're just kind of thinking about where these deer might come from.

We're thinking they█ll probably come from the woods over here to our left and hopefully come out right in front of us.

There's a chance they come in right behind us.

Yep.

So Bentley this is not your first youth season, hunt.

How many times have we been out here together?

A lot.

Yeah.

All right, so, thinking about tonight's hunt, do you plan to take a doe if a big doe comes out?

Yeah.

For sure.

Okay.

So we got a chance to be successful tonight, and hopefully we do.

Yeah.

So we have our cut cornfield this year.

And, every other year they do corn.

And so I'm really hopeful this year with the corn that the deer will come on out and they'll want to be here and step out in front of us, or at least somewhere where we can see them.

Yeah.

Me too.

I'm hoping that your shot is going to be down that way.

Yeah.

I'm also interested to see their reaction when they see the blind that wasn't here yesterday.

Hey, there's a little deer.

There's a little deer in the corner.

Do you want to shoot that little deer?

No.

That's a tiny deer.

Yeah well she flagged, she said, I see something is up.

Well, it didn't take us long to figure out where they were going to come from.

Yeah.

You said if it's brown, it's down.

Okay, well, I didn't know.

You have limits.

I get it.

I understand.

One hour and 50 minutes till sunset.

We'll have 30 minutes of shooting light after that.

We'll be seeing some deer by then.

I bet we'll see a deer.

Bentley, if you could hunt anything you wanted to hunt, what would it be?

Anything?

Yeah.

Anything.

Anywhere.

What would you choose?

I want to hunt like buffalo.

A buffalo?Like a big bison.

All right.

What about you?

I think a big a big African hunt would be really cool.

I mean if we're talking anything anywhere.

I don't want to hunt lions.

Not a lion.

Like a big oryx.

Like something that's like huge.

Yeah.

Or like an antelope?

Yeah.

Get ready, B. Back into the woods.

Did you ever see her?

Yes.

There's a deer.

It's a little buck.

Bentley do you see it?

Yeah.

Bentley, right in the same spot under the hedge apple tree.

You see him?

Looking at us.

Looking at us.

Can you get on her?

All right.

Wait till she moves out.

Oh, I see her.

Just wait.

Safety.

Wait for the broadside shot.

When you're ready.

Very good shot.

Now let's wait and see what happens.

Let's wait and see what happens.

Good job.

All right, so is safety on?

Yeah.

Okay.

We'll head down there in a few minutes after we give her some time to expire.

You did good.

You make a shot.

Thank you.

Feel good about it?

Yeah.

Are you excited?Got you a deer.

Yeah.

All right.

So our blind is that way, and your shot was down this way.

Down the hill.

Yep.

And then when you hit her, she was, facing uphill.

So she kind of ran back this way.

Yeah.

To that hedge apple tree that they were all standing under.

So we're going to walk up and see if we find any evidence of a shot, and then we'll just kind of look the way she went to see if we can find her.

Oh, I found her.

Oh, I see it.

We found her.

She didn't go very far in the woods.

Yeah.

What about the hunt?

What do you think?

It was really exciting.

Yeah.

She's big.

This is a very large doe.

You did a good job picking out a good one and making a good shot.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And, you want to hold her head up there and show those big ears?

You got a big ear doe there.

A nice, mature doe for Bentley on the youth rifle season.

It's the middle of October, and we're really excited about getting this deer.

So you still have your buck tag.

And then, we'll come out later.

Maybe during rifle season.

How about that?

All right.

Thank you.

Are you interested in learning how to fly fish?

Well, my friend Bill Carman in the Red River Gorge may offer the perfect opportunity for you.

Today we are in the Red River Gorge here in the Daniel Boone National Forest and I'm with Bill Carman.

Long term friend.

Yep, been a while.

We have some of the same passions as well.

Yeah, we sure do.

That's for sure.

You love to fish.

I do.

And you- What else is there?

Yeah.

So there you go.

You know, one of the things that I do not do that you are deeply involved in: That's writing.

You're actually an author.

You've got several books out.

Yeah, I've got currently got four books on the market, and I've got one more that's getting ready to hit.

By the time this airs, it'll probably be on the street.

The name of the book is Fishing with Daniel Boone: Fly Fishing the Streams of an American Hero.

Now, Daniel Boone was not a fisherman.

He for sure wasn't a fly fisherman, but he may have caught some fish from time to time with nets or spears or something, but, you know, for food.

But the book's point is that I was able to immerse myself literally in places where Daniel Boone had his adventures and did some exploration and had some tragedies.

So this book will really appeal to, obviously a fly fisherman because you're talking about fishing exploits on these bodies of water.

That's correct.

What you caught, what you caught them on.

You're giving all the details, right?

Right.

How you access the creek and streams.

But then you're also putting a lot of history into those pieces as well.

As far as what it may have been like when Daniel Boone was there, what they experienced, which would have been much different time.

Yeah, a little different time.

They probably didn't have cell phones like we do.

Well, I'll tell you what, this area behind this looks like It's a great opportunity to catch a trout.

This is a cold stream isn█t it?

it is.

So this is an opportunity to catch a trout.

I want to try to catch a fish and hear some more stories about Daniel Boone's time here in Kentucky.

Water is a little bit high today, which makes it a little more difficult to find fish.

Sometimes when there's quite a bit of current and the water█s high like this, sometimes they'll hang out in eddies right on the edge of the main current so they can see food.

Like right in here?

Yeah.

Give it a whirl right there.

This area where we are right now, the Red River Gorge, is an area that Boone spent some time on starting in the summer of 1769.

This is the Daniel Boone National Forest, and we're near the Sheltowee Trace, which is a hiking trail that is named after Daniel Boone█s Shawnee name.

The book takes the reader from the Yadkin River in North Carolina, where he spent his youth, all the way to the Femme Osage, the stream behind the house where he died in Missouri.

There are 25 streams in the book, and I fished all those streams and I wrote about the fly fishing, but I also wove the Boone lore through the fishing stories.

I'm going to walk over here and try this fly over here.

I'm really kind of in shock that we haven█t caught some fish here.

Let's walk down here.

Yeah.

And wade across.

See that big rock down there?

Let█s fish that little spot there by that rock.

Yeah.

All right.

Good cast.

There's a family in Lexington and for years they had this elk antler and it had “D.

Boone” carved in it.

And these people had this antler, been in their family for years, and they decided they were going to donate it to the museum at Boonesborough.

Okay.

And they said the museum said, well, you know, everybody's got something with “D.

Boone” carved on it.

Yeah, because how many “D.

Boone█s” were hunting in Kentucky in late 1700█s?

Yeah.

So they approached RMEF to pay for the carbon dating.

Of course RMEF is involved in the elk restoration here and everything.

They thought it'd be kind of cool.

So they did and it's sure enough late 1700s.

It's the correct age.

The antler was found in Hingston Creek in the mid 1800s.

And sure enough, the trip that they took when he was captured by the Shawnee, he was with a group of salt makers and he was their hunter.

He was hunting for food for them to eat while they were boiling salt.

That was the same year that was on the antler.

Wow.

So there's you know, you've got it's all circumstantial, but you've got the antler█s the right age.

You got Boone█s signature.

And he was a hunter who would have been- Yeah.

So where does it at now?

It's at Boonesborough.

That's amazing.

I know, isn█t that cool?

It█s very cool.

I keep getting hung on a stick here.

Always one stick guarding a beautiful hole.

Fish on.

Sweet.

That's why I like to bring people who know how to fish.

Well, we've got a trout.

We definitely have a rainbow trout.

Yeah.

You to work it over here?

Sweet.

Good job, buddy.

Pretty little rainbow trout.

Now, that was in that little seam- right there.

That we literally walked up and that fish was- That█s what did it, we woke him up.

We sure did.

Woke him up.

We got him up and rolling.

Very cool.

Come here.

I don't want to touch it.

You're not really- It's bad to get your hands on the skin of those things.

I was pulling it up through right there and all of the sudden, It just popped it.

Sweet.

There you go.

There you go.

Well, let█s stand here, you fish.

Fish it some more.

Fish that whole area right there some more.

There may be more right in there.

We went upstream and I was just dragging this little fly.

That keyed into what to do and where they were.

We got lucky.

I█ll have to pay you to come with me on all my trips.

I was being a little lazy and just with these overhanging limbs when I was keeping my rod tip up.

I ended up putting the- Here you go.

Perfect.

It's a nice one.

That looks like a decent fish there.

Yeah.

What do you know?

On the something here.

Nice.

Wasnt a whole lot bigger but a little bit.

Now we're getting some fish.

Hop out there and catch you one.

The one cardinal sin is for a guide to catch a fish bigger than his client.

And the way to prevent that is to just don't fish.

I got one.

Oh, there you go.

That looks like a pretty good fish, too.

Very cool.

I hope your rod there.

Perfect.

You throwing the same little bait?

No, I'm throwing that mop fly.

That's a better fish.

Yep.

Come down here- Look at that jump.

Look at that.

Look at that.

So much fun.

I missed him.

There we go.

You got the old bass set.

That was not quite as big, but still a fish.

He█s not as big.

But we'll take it.

Hey, down here, fishing the gorge, you█re taking in the beauty.

It's not about catching 10 pound fish, man.

Just looking round.

The beauty of the Red River Gorge.

If you've ever been here, you'll never forget the trip to the Red River Gorge.

I always enjoy coming out and fishing with you and I enjoy the stories.

I just enjoy your passion for fishing, the outdoors, and history.

Well thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

It's always a fun time.

Training your own hound to hunt small game is something that many young kids dream of, including my friend Ashton Lakefield.

Well, today we're out here in Woodford County.

This cold morning.

Got the beagles out, getting ready to chase some rabbits, and I don't often get to hunt with a wildlife biologist, but today I'm here with Joe Lacefield.

Joe, this is a piece of property you spend a lot of time on.

And, hopefully we're going to find some rabbits.

Hopefully.

I worked with the previous landowner 30 years ago, and we established native grasses in a lot of places.

And luckily, I'm still able to recreate on it with the new landowners.

You brought your son, Ashton.

Now he's got a couple of beagles he's doing some training with.

That's right.

What do you love about, training dogs?

Oh, it's just fun seeing how they learn and how fast that happens.

Even though you're 12 years old, you're obviously training dogs and you're an experienced rabbit hunter.

I tell you what.

The dogs are fired up, ready to go.

I say we get after it.

All right, let's do it.

Let's go.

Come on, come on, come on.

Now, my little lemon dog, when she barks, it's a whine.

And let me tell you, she doesn't bark until she pretty hot on, like.

I mean, she has to be hot, hot, hot.

All right.

I was going to say it's a single, single dog barking.

You might want to hop right back here.

We better load up, because I got a feeling they got one going.

Oh, boy.

Oh, you see it?

Went between us?

Lacey, here, here ,here ,here.

Lacey, here, here.

Oh, that was a squirrel.

About shot that squirrel.

I never seen a squirrel come through.

Brush pile, shoot across the trail like that.

I was like, I hope that's not what they█re running.

Oh, man.

Love that sound.

I have three dogs and the lacefields have two dogs.

They've never met, and now they all trust each other and they're running this rabbit together.

It's a beautiful thing.

There it goes.

Coming to you, Joe.

Suckers, dead.

Yep.

You smell one.

So that rabbit was jumped right there, and we saw it come down and go up the hill.

Right.

Snuck around and I saw what happened to us.

That rabbit set down for, like, 4 or 5 minutes.

And Lacey went by it 2 or 3 times and it shot out right to you.

Good shot.

Nice job.

Thank you.

Way to go.

Oh, we're on the board.

Let's see if we can get them back in here.

Because this is a good looking area.

That's all native grasses.

And then at the head of it, the top of that up there is a woodland that was 90% ash trees.

And all the ash died or they had them harvested.

And now there's tops on the ground and briers, and it's just a. Perfect habitat huh?

There█s some trails through it.

Anyway, we'll get on rabbits in there.

They got one up, you hear that?

Here it comes.

Dang it.

That's a good sign.

I hope he got it.

Ashton is the only one down there with a shotgun.

I'd say got it because he█d have shot three times.

I don't know how I missed it when it was running at me.

He was running toward you?

Yup.

Well that happens.

That's fun.

Come on Lacey.

Hunt in here.

Hunt in here.

Hunt in here, hunt in here.

Here's the different grasses, Chad.

So this is switchgrass.

Okay.

This is Indian grass.

Okay.

And then the third one is big blue.

Some people call Turkey Foot.

Those are three different grass.

Man they look similar, but.

Three different types of native grasses.

Okay.

Yeah.

This is big bluestem.

And this is great habitat for rabbits, quail?

It's great overhead cover, open underneath.

Even if it gets lodged by snow and wind it still has pockets of cover.

It doesn't just disappear.

Lay down like fescue does.

I might have seen the rabbit.

Yep, I did see the rabbit.

I think I just saw it too.

Right there.

Right through the woods.

Yep, yep.

That was your pond rabbit.

Yep.

There's always a pond bunny.

They jumped that rabbit right there.

And so they've pushed it out and they're going up that line.

It's a good chance it's going to come right back.

So why don't you stay in there, get yourself good shot.

And if it comes through the woods here, I'll get over on the side.

Okay?

Yes sir.

All right.

Get ready.

I█ll let you know when they're on their way back.

Right now, they're probably 130 out.

There█s something.

Down there, I see like ears.

Right here.

Getting ready to be in the road.

I'll tell you one thing.

We're out here having a blast today.

It's not a numbers game because for whatever reason, we're having a rough time getting in the right spot.

This rabbit has made a loop of about 200 yards.

300 yards, three times past this spot, I feel like, man, I got to go over to help these dogs out.

This has been a one hour or longer race to try to get this rabbit and finally able to put it down.

Man, we're having fun.

It's like I say, we're not killing a bunch of rabbits, but the dogs are working hard and we're having a blast.

Hey, Jose.

Hey, Jose.

Look, look, Jose.

Dead, dead dead dead.

Checkers.

Checkers.

Dead dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead, dead.

Where█s Bell?

Come on Bell.

Come on Bell.

Let me get up there and call the dogs.

Get them working in front of us.

Come here Bell.

Come on.

Good girl, Jose.

Come on checkers.

Come on Bell!

Hunt In here.

Hunt in here, hunt in here.

When we burn this, sometimes I've seen 20 or 30 rabbits come out of one field.

So how often you burn this?

Once every 3 to 5 years.

Something like?

Yeah, it's been.

It's due to get burned again.

Find a rabbit girl.

133 118.

96.

Got it.

Yep.

Sweet.

Nice job.

Thank you.

Got him one down.

I felt bad for him.

He, He missed a shot earlier.

He wasn't happy with himself.

Although it wasn't a real easy shot.

Got redemption.

Yeah.

Look at it.

Nice job, buddy.

Thank you.

Where'd he come from?

He came just right down hee through the woods.

Sweet.

We'll see if these dogs kind of follow him out.

Keep him out of your pouch real quick, and we'll, we'll let them see it.

Let them know that that race is over.

That's a big bunny.

Yeah.

Nice job.

Here they come.

Definitely the rabbit they were chasing.

Man, that rabbit was way out in front of them wasn█t it?

Yeah, those dogs are way back there.

Oh, there you go.

There you go.

Here, here, here.

Jose come here.

Dead.

Jose, come here.

Jose, come here.

Dead, dead, dead, dead.. Oh yeah.

Come on Checkers.

Checkers, dead, dead, dead.

Good job, buddy.

Yep.

Well I tell you what, I can't think of a better way to spend a morning out here doing this.

Watching the dogs.

We saw some great habitat.

We had a lot of good races.

Probably could use a couple more hunters.

These rabbits are smart.

You got to be in the right place at the right time.

And it's just luck sometimes.

Yeah, the game for me has never come out here and see how many I can actually harvest.

It's all about coming out here and learning something, watching the dogs.

And you know what, to finish the day off with this young man getting a rabbit, couldn't have been better, Ashton.

I hope you enjoyed yourself.

Yep, I sure did.

Next time I may have to get my son out here, we'll do a rabbit hunt together.

He loves yelling at the dogs as well, motivating them.

That's what he calls it, motivating them.

So thanks a lot.

We appreciate you letting us come out.

Thank you, Ashton.

Thank you, thank you.

It was a lot of fun.

We'll do it again.

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

Check out this great picture of Memphis McIntosh, the opening day youth deer season in Ledger County.

Congratulations, 12 year old Ben Butler went hunting with his guide and his mom, Erin Butler.

This nice buck was taken on the second day of the youth season.

Nice job.

Check out this crappie and Elijah dolls.

He went fishing at green River Lake and said he smoked his dad all day long.

Nice job.

Here we have 16 year old Bree fan and with their first year ever, this buck was taken with a crossbow in Johnson County.

Nice job.

Here we have eight year old Hayden Stewart with his opening day buck.

That he took and Pike County.

Congratulations.

Nicholas Garland went hunting in Laurel County with his papaw and took his very first year ever using a 350 legend.

Check out the smile on baler Haniger.

He shot his very first deer this year and he could not be more proud.

Nice job.

I hope you're making plans to get outdoors and enjoy this beautiful October Kentucky weather.

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 you in the woods or on the water.