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 going to take a beautiful fall float down the Green River.

Then we're going to grab a couple beagles and join in on my favorite activity in the fall.

And that's rabbit hunting.

But first, this is my favorite hunt of the year.

A youth deer hunt with my son Leo.

Well Leo, I'm pretty excited about tonight█s hunt.

You know, you're still eligible for the youth hunt.

We're going to go hunt a really good spot.

We actually hunted there yesterday morning.

Saw a buck but that was it.

Yeah.

What are you looking for on this hunt?

Real nice doe.

Put one in the freezer for us.

You know, last year you were able to get out during the youth season, and you took a really, really nice buck.

And that buck came in there yesterday.

Gave us a chance.

But you know what?

You've kind of decided if it's not bigger than last year, the does eat pretty good.

We're going to put 1 or 2 of those in the freezer.

So we're looking for a doe or something bigger than what you got last year.

It's going to be tough, but that's what makes hunting fun.

You know.

So I love this wind for where we█re setting up.

It is a little hot but we're going to be in the side that's going to have some shade.

We should be in really good situation.

So maybe we█re going to see our friend, that little, white squirrel.

We're going to be real close to him.

That was pretty cool.

That was awesome.

You may never see another one of those again.

That's that's pretty rare.

So are you excited?

Yeah.

Hopefully something comes out and feeds on this winter wheat that█s planted out here, and we get a shot.

Let's make it happen.

Let's go.

It went straight down.

It went straight down.

All right.

That one went straight down.

Hey, that█s a great shot.

There you go.

All right.

Nice job, buddy.

There you go.

Let's walk up there before it gets too terribly dark and see.

I think it was that way.

All right, Leo, your second deer obviously went straight down.

Your first one is also hit.

Look at this little blood spot?

So he█s going this way.

Let's see if we can find some more blood.

Look.

Some right there.

So we got to find out where it entered the woods.

Oh, look, Leo.

Oh my gosh.

Look, I found blood.

I mean, that is a perfect shot, buddy.

Look at that.

That's the first one.

There you go.

That's a big doe.

Awesome.

Nice job.

Let's let's drag this one out there to the other deer.

Leo, this was a awesome youth season before we left the house today, I said what would be a perfect evening, and you said, what?

Just a nice doe.

And it turns out I got two.

two does.

Last year was a fantastic year for you.

You took a really big buck, so you kind of set your sights on a doe, but you don't want to burn your buck tag because you have the adult season as well.

Yeah.

You wanted a big doe and you got two.

Yeah.

This here will help top off the freezer for quite a few months.

Oh, yeah.

Nice job.

Here in Kentucky, most people think about getting in the woods in the fall.

But it's also a beautiful time to grab a kayak and float down one of Kentucky's many rivers.

Today I'm at the historic green River right outside of Greensburg, and you probably tell by the way, the trees look.

It is fall.

It's actually late October.

And this is the time of year that I usually spend in a deer stand.

But the last few days it seems like the deer movement has gotten a little bit slow.

And I can't think of a better time of year to be on one of the river systems here in Kentucky and doing a float, checking out all the beauty and hopefully catching some smallmouth.

Green River is a great place for it, but there are rivers all across the state of Kentucky that are absolutely perfect.

For whatever reason, people are getting really excited to get on the rivers in the spring and the summertime because they're cool and refreshing.

But the fall, this right now is the time of year where these bass, muskie and all other fish species, they know the temperatures are going down.

They feel the water getting cooler.

They know it's time to fatten up for winter.

So this could be a really good time to catch fish.

I'm super excited.

You know, I've been quiet, I've been worried about my sent control.

I've been fully camo█d up, sitting in a deer stand, and today I can't think of a better getaway to spend an afternoon out trying to catch a couple smallmouth fishing from a kayak.

Here we go.

What do we got here?

A rock bass!

Not exactly what I was expecting to catch.

But you know what?

Happy to have it.

Nice little rock bass.

Man, these creeks and streams.

We got a lot of these rock bass in them.

All around this area of Chaplin River, Salt River, Green River, rock bass and man, they are very quick to hit a jig.

Now, today it's been a little slow, but this little guy, not a smallmouth, but a rock bass.

Yeah, now we got us a smallmouth.

Seems like a today, I threw my swim bait for a while, which usually produces some fish.

And had to go to this jig, and it's all about getting a jig that is the right weight that you can just get it on there as slow as you possibly can, and let it just tumble down with the current.

And, this is a three 16 ounce and, you know, it's a fun way to catch fish.

It takes a lot of patience.

It's got to stay contacted to the bottom and really, really slow.

But it is a way you can catch some fish.

This is your, you know, 13 inch small mouth bunch of them in Green River.

And, you know, this tree lay down here.

I haven't been seeing any fish, like I've been floating through normally in the summertime and spring, you'll see them.

So I'm going to spend the rest of my float focusing on some of this lay down structure and see if these fish aren't sitting in their nice little fish.

What do we got here?

Looks like it might be another rock bass.

Sure is.

Ole rock bass.

These things are aggressive.

They love a jig.

They're fun to catch though, especially on a spinning rod.

Dragging that jig right on the bottom.

Every fish that I've had bite today.

Now, normally I like the swim bait.

Every single fish I've had bite today, the bait has been in contact with the bottom, moving slow, and most of it has been out of timber just like this.

Here we go.

Oh, a smallie.

Barley got him hooked Again, it's been a broken, broken record.

I was wearing these polarized lenses floating down this river.

A lot of it is four feet and shallow.

I can see the bottom.

I'm not seeing any fish whatsoever.

Zero.

They are up on in this cover, in these deeper pockets.

I wish I'd have known that earlier.

I spent way too much time throwing a swim bait up in the water column.

Every fish on the bottom, in the timber.

Deeper pockets, near current.

Not a big smallmouth, but a lot of fun on this beautiful fall day on the Green River.

Well, today has been an extremely relaxing, beautiful trip down the Green River.

I didn't catch much fish, but I caught enough to keep me interested and I learned a little bit about fishing in the fall.

I do a ton of smallmouth fishing on on big reservoirs throughout the winter.

And it seems like you always catch fish if, in all those points where current comes in close to deep water.

Well, this float that I chose today, didn't have a lot of deep water.

It was mainly shallow.

But, if I come back and do this again in the fall.

First off, it's stunningly beautiful.

Secondly, I will choose a spot that has deeper pockets.

And, I'll tell you what.

The fall color here in Kentucky.

Floating down a tributary or a river like the green River.

Absolutely, a beautiful way to spend an October day and throwing a fishing pole, catching a few fish.

Well, that's just icing on the cake.

November the first is always a day that I have marked on my calendar.

It's the opening day of rabbit season here in the eastern zone of Kentucky.

I'll tell you right now, rabbit is really good.

Do you like chicken tenders?

Fried.

Fried?

Well you can't be fried.

It's always good way to have them.

I had fried rabbit this past Sunday night.

Oh, you did?

Rabbit, gravy and biscuits.

Gosh.

There you go.

Good girl Josie.

Hunt them up Josie.

Come here Checkers.

Once they jump it, that rabbit will take off.

And the dogs will run them out.

And then the rabbit will circle, and when that happens, usually they'll come right back, almost where they took off from.

And you'll be standing there waiting, and ready.

So earlier this fall, I received an email from a Mr.

Gene Taylor, and that email included some pictures and a little bit of history about rabbit hunting in Kentucky and the love of the show, Kentucky Afield, dating all the way back to the 60s.

Mr.

Taylor, who we're hunting with today, told me he had a nine year old grandson who has never experienced rabbit hunting with beagles.

There was some communication back and forth.

Well, sure enough, right here during the holiday season, we were able to communicate and get Mason out here today to hopefully harvest his very first rabbit.

That's the plan.

Right here's a rabbit.

Right here's a rabbit.

Right here█s a rabbit.

Coming at you Bryan.

Yeah it ran right through here.

Went up that fence line.

Did you get to see it?

No, I didn█t see it.

The white dog jumped it right there and pushed it right in past them.

And then they took off that way.

Let's walk this way Mason.

All right.

Good luck, buddy.

They're coming back.

They're coming back.

250 yards out.

Bryan, get ready because if they get by him.

You really like when dogs, when they pack, when one, when one dog opens up, other dogs will come in and start the chase with them.

But not when they█re random strays.

We don't even know where this dog came from.

He said he was going to pack and get in and all the fun.

I don't know you.

You're just out rabbit on with us today, aren't you?

They're coming back hard.

Here he comes.

You got him?

You got it.

I can see his ears set there.

And I was like, hey, there he is.

Hey, look look look look look look look look look look.

Turn loose.

Turn loose.

Turn loose.

Turn loose.

Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

Checkers, or Josie.

Dead, dead.

Well, I tell you what, we've seen this rabbit.

Boy that was a good chase.

We were hoping to get Mason a shot, but the way it kept running was down here in this real tall grass.

It ran through here three times, and I just don't think he could, see this one, so.

No.

We needed to give the dogs a reprieve and get them on another rabbit.

We█ve got plenty of land still to hunt, so.

Yeah.

Good shot.

Thank you, brother.

Appreciate it.

Thanks.

All right, let's get them loaded up.

Come on Checkers.

Come here Bell.

Come on Frankie, come here.

Hunter in here, Josie.

There ought to be a rabbit in here for sure.

There he goes, there he goes.

Coming over your way.

Do you see him?

He was too close to the dogs.

The dog was too close on him.

Trying to get Mason on this outside, this field edge is much easier to get a shot.

So they█ve push it out now, I'm going to guess 80, 90 yards.

Hopefully they're going to turn it, bring it right back to us.

We, somehow picked up a stray fifth dog, not a hunting dog.

And sometimes it's working out in front of us with the other dogs.

I think we could be scaring some rabbits on us.

So, not running rabbits, just turning them when they're coming back to us.

Get back here.

Coming back.

There it is.

Coming at you.

Coming right to you.

Oh, you got it.

It jumped straight up in the air.

Brian did you get him?

Yeah.

Number two.

What do you think about watching the dogs and coming out here with your Papa and getting a little exercise in the middle of Winter, are you having fun?

Yes.

Yeah.

You're doing really good.

I'm having a fun time with you.

You guys got a beautiful place to rabbit hunt.

Have you have a rabbit hunt without dogs, or is today your very first rabbit hunt ever?

Today is my very first rabbit hunt.

You got to get a rabbit out there in front of you and let you pull a trigger.

That'll change the game for you.

But I'm having fun.

You gonna over and check the rabbit out that Brian got?

All right, you can walk over there.

They█re having a rough time for whatever reason, I don't know why they're having a rough time holding a scent trail.

They're just a little.

Well, they're extremely loose.

They're overrunning it.

The big dogs are honoring the young dogs for some reason, I don't know what's going on there.

Hunt in here.

Get in here.

Come here, get in here.

There he goes.

I saw something take off running and all four dogs took off running after that rabbit.

Hopefully they bring him back around.

So the rabbit could go up that ravine and come back down this upper the fence line too.

Yeah.

So your Papa is telling you that, if those dogs get up here on this side of the field, we'll go hunt this this tree line, because they may come back this way.

Right now we're going to kind of figure out where they're going to be.

Right here.

Come here.

Mason.

Get ready buddy, right here.

There he goes, there he goes!

It's not.

Safety was on, wasn't it?

Did you see the rabbit?

Better safe than sorry, buddy.

It's okay.

Maybe they█ll run it back again.

I guess, maybe I should trust Bell.

Yeah, we were asleep at the wheel on that one.

Did you see how close that rabbit was?

Did you see him, the rabbit?

Okay, good.

There he goes way down in the corner down there.

You see him down there?

In the corner, going this way.

Good luck buddy.

You know, you come out with a young kid, it's all about coming out and let them make their mistakes.

Let them tell you when it's time to go.

Mason's been a trooper, we█ve been out here for about 3.5 hours, maybe a little longer.

He's still with it.

He got that close to getting a shot at his first rabbit, but we still got that same rabbit is up and running, and I think it's going to come right back down through here again.

So hopefully he set up to, finish the deal and get a shot.

There it is.

Coming up this side.

Did you see it?

Nice!

Well, I'll tell you what, I█m going to tip my hat to this rabbit, because that thing has ran by us 3 or 4 or 5 times and was cunning enough to never give up a shot, or a real good shot.

But, I think we got him finally.

(Good Shot) Thank you!

Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

Did Chad get him?

I did, yeah.

Good, good.

How many times did he slipped in this corner with us seeing him?

3 or 4.

At least.

Dogs did a great job on this one.

You know, I was not extremely happy, especially the early.

I didn't think they did very good at all.

But on this rabbit to run it by 5 or 6 times.

Yeah they did a nice job.

Everybody thinks, well, you know, the dogs are not running the rabbit by.

The dogs can't steer the rabbit.

They just got to push it.

And, that rabbit just kept running by us and we were just not in a spot to kill it.

It's been a lot of fun, guys.

He didn█t help that much.

That dog getting help much?

Yeah.

No.

Well, that's a good note to get this boy back home.

He█s getting worn out.

Hey, I tell you what.

You have been a complete trooper, and I know that it didn't go the way exactly the way you wanted it.

But you know what?

I probably went on 4 or 5 rabbit hunts before I got one.

And the first time you get one rabbit, you might get 2 or 3, or who knows?

You're allowed 4, a day.

Yeah.

Well, let's get em moved in the right direction.

All right, let's head on back.

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 nine year old Waylon Holloway with a beautiful eight point buck that he took in Callaway County using his 243 rifle.

Nice job.

Patrick Everson cut this beautiful blue catfish out of the Ohio River in Boone County.

It weighed 15 pounds and was released to swim another day.

Nice job.

Check out this monster buck that was taken by Anna Teeter Harvard.

This buck was taken in Jessamine County and she's super excited for the extended youth season.

Nice job.

Nine year old Tristan Cloyd is all smiles.

And he should be because he took this beautiful buck in Clark County.

Congratulations.

Check out these two beautiful white crappie that were caught by Joshua Bratcher.

He caught these fish on Energy Lake in western Kentucky.

Nice job.

Check out this beautiful ten point buck that was taken by Matthew Rieger and Owen County.

This deer was taken with a muzzle loader.

Congratulations.

This year, Kentucky's modern farm season for deer opens a little early on November the 8th.

I hope you're ready.

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.