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 look back at a few of our favorite segments of 2025.

We're headed out the Ohio River at McAlpine Dam in search of hybrids.

Then we're going to take a look back at the opening day of Dove season.

But first, we're headed to Western Kentucky to join in with a few campers as they experience their first duck hunt.

Hello.

Hello.

All the girls are on this side.

All the boys are on this side.

So you'll be in the first cabin behind this building.

Cabin eight.

Okay.

Thank you.

Take care.

See you at 4:30.

So this is our Green Wing Adventure.

We put it on every year for kids that have come to camp.

And it's not just at Currie.

It could be at Wallace or Webb, our two other camps throughout the state.

And the ones that came and got all their patches, their name gets put into a drawing.

We draw nine boys and nine girls to get to come on this great duck hunt.

So we were on the couch and just watching TV then my dad got a call from the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, and we were drawn for the duck hunt and I called all my friends and told them that we are going hunting.

I was going to bed and my dad called me and he was like, you got selected for the duck hunt.

So I got up, I went to my mom and I was like, mom, I got in the duck hunt and I was like, jumping up and down.

I was really excited.

So right now, the kids and the parents are starting to come in and roll in we give them the lay of the land.

Some of them have been here, some of them haven't been here, but we're just getting them situated in cabins and we'll see everybody down at the introductions at 4:30.

We do some introductions.

We want them to get to know us, but we also want to get to know them.

So we'll spend a little bit of time doing that.

And as we move through the introductions, we also want them to get involved in potentially learning how to take what they harvest and actually put it on the table.

So the kids helped doing a wild game appetizer.

We did venison meatballs.

All right guys, so we're going to give you all some hands on experience with some wild game cooking.

So right now you all have got all the ingredients for some spicy cocktail venison meatballs.

So first thing you got to do is we got to mix it up.

So start mixing and let's see who's got the best tray.

We assign shotguns.

The department provides the guns that we will actually be using and the ammo.

And we also assign which blind they're going to.

We'll get a very good night's sleep, and hopefully tomorrow we'll have a really exciting hunt.

So it's Saturday morning.

Day two.

Hopefully everybody got a good night's sleep.

We are going to get breakfast in a few minutes.

And then we're going to go shoot some shotguns to get the kids familiar again with shooting those guns before we head out to the blinds today.

Pull.

There you go.

Pump.

Hit that safety for me.

There we go.

Put that shell in.

Pump forward.

Left hand there.

Right hand there.

Yell pull when you're ready and he'll throw the pigeon.

Pull.

There you go.

Good stuff.

They're doing pretty good.

They've all been to camp before.

And most of them are shooting at least two out of three.

So if we see a lot of ducks, that'll be a lot of ducks that get taken.

Yay!

Most of the hunting spots that these kids are going to be in are in Ballard County.

We just got here at the hunting location.

We're meeting the landowner right now.

These are usually guides who throughout the whole season.

They've put on some really, really good hunts for clients.

And these kids get to go out there and hunt these great spots for free.

I cannot be more grateful for them, for allowing us to hunt on their properties, because they're really going to be making the event what it is.

Don't be claiming her ducks, okay?

You can't do that.

You will be claiming my ducks.

I will shoot all the ducks.

This is actually my first green wing as well with the department, so I'm very excited to go out with the kiddos this evening.

I'm going with Ellie and Colton.

And so I think they're excited and I hope I get to see them harvest some ducks.

We're about to head out to the blind, and we've seen a few ducks so far.

I'm going to miss the Louisville basketball game, but that's okay because we are going to be hunting.

Hopefully we can get something.

We've got it set up out here for snow geese, speckled bellies, ducks so we can decoy them all in.

We've had an exceptional year this year.

I think this is just a great thing that the state does.

We've got to keep these kids interested in hunting and keep bringing more and more in.

When we get to the blinds, we'll show them exactly where to stand, exactly how to pop up, and we'll practice that before they even take their first shot.

This is my grandson, Bailey.

He really likes to do the calling.

They usually tell me to put my call up.

I had to look for it this morning.

Most of the blinds will have dogs.

The ones that do not will have guides there that will walk out and retrieve the ducks afterwards.

Get on your whistle.

They are right in front of us.

Get ready.

They are coming back.

Get ready, get ready.

Kill them.

Shoot shoot shoot.

Shoot again.

I got one.

Got two.

Good lord.

What are you talking about?

Okay.

Oh I killed my first duck.

That is great.

Yeah.

It's going to be good.

It's going to be really good on the dinner table.

You see that duck right over top of those decoys?

Right there.

See him right there.

See him right in that gap?

Kind of.

No.

Okay, wait just a minute.

I think he went in the corn.

Okay.

Got some more coming in.

I got one on the right.

Kill him.

Take him.

I got one.

I got him.

I got him.

Yay!

There you go.

I just smoked him.

I went boom and he is down.

So my safety is on.

Oh.

That's good.

Yeah.

Yeah, Ellie.

This is the one I shot.

That's the one he shot.

Hers, I think is the dogs getting it.

So this one I shot.

He was still like fluttering in the air.

And I was like, okay, well I guess I'll shoot him.

So I pumped it again, and then I shot him again and he fell.

All right, so we've got two ring ducks that they've shot and one green wing teal, and we've got one more out in the corn.

But these ducks are coming in so good right now.

We will wait and then we'll go get that other duck later.

Kill it, kill it, kill it.

Oh.

Nice.

That was a good one.

Yeah.

Nice shot.

First shot.

Awesome.

It's a mallard.

Big one too.

Oh, yeah.

This one's going on the wall.

Oh, it's a swan.

It's a swan.

Don't shoot.

There's your eagle right there.

We've seen a couple of eagles, a swan, and ducks and geese.

We're just having a big old time.

This looks good.

Get ready down there.

Kill him, kill him.

Let's go.

Oh me.

That is great.

I think we're doing pretty good for our first duck hunt.

Try him.

Shoot shoot shoot.

Oh, he going down, he is down.

There you go, girl.

You going to be a natural.

Yeah, that was a long shot.

Okay.

Stay low.

Kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him.

Oh!

Did you see that?

Oh, what a shot.

What a shot!

Nice job.

He's a nice little mallard actually.

We had a great hunt here today.

Hopefully seeing the experiences these kids got to have will inspire other kids to want to enjoy camp and come to camp and hopefully get drawn for this great experience.

And we hope that they continue this on into their lives.

Did you guys have fun today?

It was awesome.

We had a blast.

I'll tell you, I've really enjoyed it.

I've been doing this for 30 years and these two did the best shooting that's ever been done.

It's their first duck hunt on top of that.

I'm mighty proud of them.

When the river levels are right, there's always a fish species willing to bite at McAlpine dam.

But my favorite species to target is the hybrid striped bass.

Well, late summer, early fall.

When it's a little hot to be in a deer stand, and you still want to go fishing.

What I'm doing today is one of the most impressive opportunities for hard fighting fish.

And that is I'm here in Louisville at the lower McAlphin Dam.

Now, a couple of things you need to do before you come out here.

First off, definitely don't come out here in this water without a life jacket.

Secondly, make sure you've made this trip few times before with people who have been out here and done this before, because there's a little research that has to take place before you come out.

I know today we called, got the report.

They're running zero feet of dam on the top, and they're running 1.5ft at the lower.

So I had to make sure that there was enough water to make our way up here, and two, that it was safe to fish.

So we're going to respect the water.

Keep a person driving the boat at all times.

Get up there early, and hopefully that last two hours before dark is going to be gangbusters.

This is a great opportunity to catch some massive white bass, hybrid bass.

You could catch a striper.

Bass species can sometimes be in there.

As all that water comes through the dam it stirs that bait up.

All the fish push up to get that oxygenated water.

And it's a feeding frenzy.

We're not the only people that had this idea today.

It looks like we've got about four boats out there.

So we're going to see if we got room to get in here and see how they're doing, and hopefully catch a fish.

Here we go.

We got a fish on.

And that thing was right in that white water.

I don█t know what it is, but it feels like a pretty good fish.

There we go.

We'll take it.

It's a smaller one but man.

He smoked that bait.

Sure thought he was bigger than that when he hit.

Hybrid bass.

Man, they get about 10 pounds out here.

Or even bigger.

Hopefully we can get a hold of a couple of those.

There we go.

Fish number one.

Here we go.

It feels like a real little one.

Yeah, this might be a white.

What we got here?

No, it's a hybrid.

It's just a small fish.

We haven't found the big ones yet today, but, man, when they're in this current.

There we go.

When they're in this current, they all they all fight pretty good.

But I can tell that wasn't a big fish the second he hit.

Got one right here.

I was watching that guy over there.

He was fighting a fish.

He's still fighting the fish.

And I was like, oh my gosh, I hope I haven't hooked him.

Oh, it's a drum.

Might not be what we wanted, but by golly, it's what we got.

Fun to catch.

Not what we're going for today.

This is a fish.

Looks like another small one.

There we go.

Perfect.

Come right out.

It is a hybrid, but they're just not big.

These are little two pounders, two and a half pounders.

But, man, they're fun to catch.

Another one.

Even smaller.

All about the same size.

Probably all the same year class fish.

Probably about 17in long or so.

Now we need the big ones.

We've got to find the big ones.

I want those six pounders, man that will rip this rod and reel right out your hand if you're not careful.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

Hey, that might be the biggest one so far it's probably four and a half pounds or so.

Such a hard fighting, strong fish.

I'll tell you what, that sun is getting down.

Usually you got about an hour, and hopefully they keep getting bigger.

Here we go.

It's a better fish I think.

No, he's not either.

He's just in that current bout like the rest.

Normally you're not able to just boat flip hybrids.

They're so aggressive.

But this one wasn't quite as big.

Man, they just... They fight to the end.

Here we go.

Another hybrid.

You know, this kind of been the order of the day.

Undersized for what I'm used to catching.

Less flow, but still well worth the time and a lot of fun.

It was just a great opportunity to get out here today and catch these.

One of these days, I'm going to catch one of these ten pounders out here.

They're here.

And there's quite a few of them.

And I can't imagine the way they fight in this current what that's going to be like.

But, you know what?

Who knows?

It might be the next cast, but today is winding down.

That sun is getting low.

For many families across the state of Kentucky, it's a tradition to hit the field on the first day of September, the opening day of dove season.

Well, today is the day that most hunters wait for, and that is September the 1st.

Every year in Kentucky, the opening day of dove season.

I look forward to this day every single year, because I know all the great hunting that is coming for the next 4 or 5 months here in the state of Kentucky.

Dove season is something that you see groups of people, family, friends all come together, spend some time out in the field shooting doves, which, if you've never done it, they're not really easy to hit.

When they're flying good, it's a lot of action and a lot of fun.

And I'll tell you what, they're fantastic on the grill.

So I absolutely love dove season.

And I'm out here in Henry County today on a small family hunt.

I think we've only got about 5 or 6 shooters.

20 acre farm.

Got a few sunflower seeds here behind me and I've already seen quite a few birds, so hopefully the birds fly good and we get a limit.

That would be a perfect day.

Look at there.

We've just got five hunters out in this field.

Little small family shoot.

But I guess there was some shooting going on.

We have a game warden over there that is out doing his job today, on the opening day of dove season and checking license and firearms.

Good to see you today.

Good to see you.

Any luck?

Well, we just got out here.

I don█t even need to check it.

Yeah.

It's hard to put three in there, isn't it?

It█s good to go.

Here's my license.

That just took a few minutes.

Came in, did what normal officers do.

They want to see your license, ask you how many birds you got, and check your gun to make sure you're legal.

He's on his way to check some other hunters, and we're back at hunting.

That bird went down.

Got a little help here.

Hey, thank you so much.

Yep.

Hey, look at that.

That's a collared dove.

See that black band?

And it doesn't have any white dots out on his wing.

You can eat them, and they look the same on the wing when they're flying.

But this is actually not a morning dove, so.

Hey, what do you know?

There we go.

Now, this is a normal morning dove.

Kind of got that light tan color underneath.

No ring on its neck.

That's what we're out here for today.

So you get 15 of these, and, hopefully they keep flying hard and fast, and we get a chance to get a limit.

Better get reloaded.

That bird landed over here in this corner somewhere.

Here it is right here.

There we go.

Almost made it to the water on me.

That would not have been any good.

Look.

Every time we leave, they fly right over my seat.

Look at that.

That's dove hunting for you.

I walked out to pick birds up, and both times I've had birds fly 15 ft over the top of my chair.

Let's go back and see if we can't get some action.

We had us a little twister.

It's been pretty calm.

Man, that thing picked up right here and shot right down this fence line.

That was pretty intense.

I'm glad I had my sunglasses on because I would have had dust and leaves in the eyes.

Felt great, though.

That thing need to come back every 20 minutes.

Coming to you, K.C.

Hunter is going to retrieve a bird, and we have a bird on a fence.

We'll see if he takes off here in a second.

Got him.

Good shot.

It's so nice having a bird dog like that to go retrieve your birds.

That is such a luxury.

Good shot.

Coming to you.

Right here.

Here we go.

Man.

I was on a dry spell there.

Seems like the birds been coming in either really, really high or too low to shoot at.

And, finally got another bird down.

Good shot.

Tell you what, let's go check in on this family.

We're hunting on the Adams farm.

Let's go check in with them and see how they're doing.

Good shot.

Good shot, Buddy.

I got one.

Good shot.

Pretty good day today.

Got 6 or 7 of them, I think.

Well K.C., you told me you're going to have a small little family shoot today.

And I appreciate you having me out.

How cool is it to get out here and hunt on your dad's property with your son and your wife?

So Hunter is just kind of getting in to...Hunter, behind you.

Coming right here, buddy.

There we go.

Took three of us on that.

Yeah there you go.

I'll tell you what.

What a cool experience.

Yeah.

We do this every year.

You know, we have one or two shoots up here and it's always a good time.

You know, a lot of people think you got to have a massive track of property.

You guys got a little ridgeline here with some sunflowers planted in, and they just fly right through here don█t they?

It's always been a good fly zone here.

And like, say, sunflowers brings them right in.

It's so cool.

Well Hunter, you're getting pretty good with that shotgun.

I've seen you hit quite a few birds today too.

That's a lot of fun.

Yeah it is.

What do you like about dove hunting?

I guess just doing it with family.

And how exciting it is to actually hit one and kill one.

Yeah, well, I tell you what, you get to shoot a lot too.

If you're on a good dove field and your family puts a pretty good dove field together here.

Yeah they do.

I'll tell you what.

You've done a great job today.

You got a pile of birds around you.

So congratulations.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Well, now I'm up here with the real hunter in the field.

And this is why all the birds have not made it down there to me because Ashley here keeps smoking them.

You got quite a few collared birds.

Yeah, yeah.

So how cool is it to be out here with your 13 year old son and your husband shooting birds?

Been doing this for six years with them.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

And I know you're a pretty good shot, too so you enjoy... I█ve gotten better.

You've done pretty well so far.

Yeah.

Good job.

Thank you.

There's nothing better than getting invited to participate in a family dove hunt.

I didn't get a limit, but I had a lot of fun.

And I can't wait to get out and do it again.

From all of us here at Kentucky Afield, we'd love to wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

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.