This week on Kentucky Afield.

Rabbit season is now open statewide and we're not sure who's more excited for it: Us or the Beagles.

Next, much of the state saw snow on opening day of modern firearm season this year, and that is one of our favorite conditions to hunt in.

Then, cold weather means big fish on many of the state's reservoirs, and we're breaking out the kayaks and searching for them with Kristine Fischer.

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.

One of my favorite hunting opportunities is rabbit hunting.

And right now it is open here in Kentucky statewide.

I'll tell you what.

November 1st out here in Henry County, you know what that means.

Rabbit season.

Opening day of rabbit season here in the eastern part of Kentucky.

You know, out of all the hunting seasons that comes in.

This is the one I look forward to the most.

You know, deer season and archery, I love it, but it can be hot.

You know what?

The dogs are ready.

I've been looking forward to this for a while now, and my dog's been out for a little bit.

I know you've had yours out a little bit.

A little bit.

Not a whole lot.

Hot and dry.

Makes it hard on them.

Hard on me too.

I've known you for a while.

Actually, Josie came from one of the one of your dogs here today.

And I know that you're an avid outdoors person, and I know you're an avid hounds man as well.

That's right.

So this this is one of those days where when you can get your dogs out and turn them loose and actually carry a shotgun and finish out some of these chases, it's pretty special.

Yes, sir.

Tell me how you got with you today.

This is a John Payne.

Friend of mine.

We hunt together a lot.

Nice to meet you, John.

I know this is a piece of property that that your family owns.

I appreciate you letting us come out today.

Yes, sir.

Thank you very much for coming out.

Well, I tell you what, I'm super excited.

I know these dogs are ready to go.

I say we turn them loose and right here looks beautiful.

I mean, this spot right here.

It just looks fantastic.

Let's turn them loose and we'll catch up and talk some more.

And I'm sure there'll be some teasing going on, because I don't I don't plan on hitting them all do you?

No.

First one that misses buys lunch.

Well I just won█t shoot until one of you guys miss.

Let's turn them loose and let's let's start right here.

Go.

All right.

Go, Josie.

There's a bunch of rabbits in here, buddy.

Hunt ‘em up, josie.

Not today, Peter Cottontail.

It█s a good start.

Oh, there he is.

What did he do?

Turn and go back in?

Yeah.

I didn't know where Josie was at, and I didn't- When I went to take that shot, I just didn't know where all the dogs were at.

I'm gonna kill that rabbit.

I see it.

Not now.

It's a big rabbit.

Yeah I'm going to have to score him.

Little buck.

There he goes.

How many pictures you going to see of him?

Yeah.

We got unicorns up here.

Yeah, you do.

rabbit right in there.

You got that one, didn't you?

Yeah.

Came out behind me.

I know.

He came out right behind you.

Good shot.

Hey, buddy.

Good job, guys.

Good job, Arlo.

Arlo, good job.

Man, they ran that one a minute, you know?

Yeah, they did put a good shot on it, too.

I'll tell you what.

We knew it was coming that way, and I just happened to be turned like- Just like this.

And it shot out right here.

Gave you a great opportunity.

Nice shot, man.

Thanks buddy.

The dogs did great on that Rabbit.

Good job, checkers.

You started that one.

Good job.

He jumped the fence right here.

That█s number three.

Getting ready to throw in my ves Here you go.

Nice job.

That rabbit got pushed in a big circle and was coming right back.

That rabbit, was jumped right here.

And you shot around that fence.

Coming right back over the jumps We stayed close.

And you were smart enough to go.

Hey, you know what?

I've seen this game before.

I know where he's going, and I'm going to cut him off.

There he is.

I got him.

Well, those dogs finally ran this rabbit up out of this bottom here, and it's real thick in here, as you can see.

And I got a shot and had to try to take a second shot before It got behind this tree.

We got it, though.

Dead, dead, Hey, good girl.

Good girls.

Come here.

Good boy.

Good boy.

I was waiting on it to jump again behind the tree because I wasn't sure if you were going to get him.

I know, I was out of ammo.

And then I was like, Well, he ain't moving.

He didn't come to the left, you█d had to hit him.

Well, Dustin, I believe our dogs have about had it.

Done buddy.

you know, opening day.

I mean, how many they run?

over ten.

12 at one time.

12 on top of the ridge.

Almost 13 is what we What we finished out, well, 13 miles.

So, hey, for day one, you know, they ran a ton.

And I do believe if one of us would have just sat right here on the back of the truck, we would█ve got our limit in about 30 minutes.

Yeah right out of the tail gate.

Yeah, we jumped a lot of rabbits.

We ran a lot.

Big running today.

Big running.

Yeah, a lot of runs.

They brought them by us numerous times before we could g get the rabbit on the ground.

You know, they'd run behind and take a big loop and come by us again.

But you couldn't see because its so thick.

But, hey, I'd rather hunt a thick area and have the dogs run a lot and see fewer rabbits than hunt wide open and see zero rabbit.

Exactly.

You figure out why those dogs are so tired when you get in those briar thickets and try to pull through them yourself, you go, Wow.

You know, we're tired.

We probably didn't walk two miles.

Yeah.

The dogs went 13 through Briars.

Yeah, that's that's the difference.

It is.

You know, they call them working dogs for a reason.

That's right.

Today they worked.

And by the end of the year, 12, miles won't seem like a lot.

But on day one, that's a lot of running.

Yes sir Hey, It's a lot of fun.

Thank you, guys.

When you get the opportunity to deer hunt with snow on the ground here in the state of Kentucky, well, that's an opportunity you don't want to miss.

We just got here for morning two of our- for deer modern firearms season.

And wow the conditions have changed, we passed on a couple of does and I had a couple of bucks in here yesterday, but since then, the temperature has dropped 30 degrees, maybe 40 degrees.

It's snow on the ground.

And unfortunately, where we set up, we were about 200 yards away from where the deer were crossing.

With the way the wind is this morning, it would be really tough to be sitting in a tree with the tree swaying and try to to try to lock onto a deer.

So we know our backstop here pretty well and it's completely safe to shoot on the ground.

So we're going to set up and hopefully get a stable shot and should be in the 100 yard range or less.

So sometimes you got to make adjustments and with this wind setting up in the swaying tree, making the long shot is not something I want to do.

So change of plans.

Well, that's how it works.

You make a move right where the deer are at and they pop out of the woods right underneath the set we were in yesterday.

I got two right here beside each other I don█t want to accidently shoot two.

but I think my luck█s spent.

But you can tell it's not even going to fully bright yet.

So, we█re going to have chance to get another deer if we hold still.

I couldn't get a shot right there.

Head down.

Facing us between here and that cedar tree There's a deer standing there facing us about 140 yards away.

Oh, here comes another one coming out of the woods right there.

You see him?

I might have to raise it up a bit.

You tell me when.

I think that's a pretty good shot.

We█ll go retrieve that deer.

But I'll tell you this this landowner that farms this property, is having major problems with deer.

So we're going to give that deer 20 or 30 minutes.

And if another deer comes out, I'd like to make a donation.

to the hunters for the hungry.

Talked to them about bringing a deer over.

So if another one popped out, we'll take a second.

If we get a chance that's a spike we thought This would be a great chance to get a deer for the hunters for the hungry.

I set up on it and it looks like it's got about four inch antlers so we're going to let that go.

It should be right in here somewhere.

Okay, here we go.

Got a pretty good amount of blood here and it's pretty good sign.

Oh, here we go.

That's a pretty good trail right here.

Oh, yeah.

I'll tell you, tracking a deer in the snow is a little easier Yeah, right through here.

And there she lays.

Wow.

Oh, what a big doe.

Look how big that thing is laying there.

That's a really, really nice doe.

What a big, healthy doe.

Oh, my gosh.

This is a rough go, but this makes it all worthwhile.

I've been wanting a doe.

We eat a lot of back straps in our family, and we grind a lot for burger.

And the kids have been wanting some summer sausage.

There's nothing better, in my opinion.

to be out on the boat and have a midday snack with some summer sausage or get some out in the middle of a rabbit hunt, which is right now.

So I want to make summer sausage out of this deer and put it to good use.

I'm super, super excited to have it.

We get this one here squared away, get it to the processor.

After a lot of bad luck, this ended up coming together.

And I'm happy to have this deer.

What a big, nice doe.

Wow.

Thank God we can get the truck close.

After deer season wraps up here in the state of Kentucky, there are some unique cold water fishing opportunities that I start considering and you don't need a big boat to do it.

So, Kristine, where are you from originally?

I am from the little town of Weeping Water in Nebraska.

Nebraska?

We've got about 800 people, 801, something like that.

What got you into fishing?

Was there a really good lake to fish there local?

Oh, no, not at all.

No, heck, no.

No.

My whole family.

Oh there was one right there.

Hold on a second.

Get a bite?

Yeah.

Got one.

Oh, it feels like good one.

Yep, good fish.

Big smallmouth.

Oh, very nice.

You found that grass edge.

Man.

Look at that beautiful fish.

Very nice.

I'll tell you what.

That's what Dale Hollow is known for right there.

That's a healthy fish.

God love it.

Oh, here we go.

Finally got one hooked up here, and you didn't flip the kayak on the hookset.

That's a that's a huge win.

I've got a fish on it and i'm still dry.

That's a that's a win win for today.

Now appreciate the intimacy of that fish being so close to you right now.

That's what it's all about.

Oh, yeah.

Lookie there.

Yeah, we'll take it.

We█ll take it, though.

Beautiful smallmouth fish.

So at what point in time did you decide that you were going to do the majority of your fishing out of a kayak?

Well, about the time I looked at the price of a ranger.

Yeah.

I think I was in my early twenties.

I bought one.

There was a flier for a little local kayak fishing tournament, and that kind of got me into it.

I think I spent like 800 bucks on my first fishing kayak.

It was a used one I bought online.

It's kind of taken off since and it's allowed me to travel all over the country.

I can handle it by myself and I can fish any water I want which is really nice.

You know, some of the small rivers and creeks, big water like St Clair.

You fish a lot of big water, don't you?

I do.

Yeah, I absolutely do.

A lot of my tournaments are on, on giant bodies of water.

It definitely you have to really do some map study prior to jumping on a lake like this.

We can't just run spots as easily.

You█re limited a little more on how far you're willing to go and you got to watch the weather, too.

Yeah, absolutely.

I've been in some pretty inclement weather on this thing.

I would probably consider myself a multispecies angler with Muskie.

Muskie fishing is my passion.

Always has been.

Oh my goodness.

I grew up fishing.

Muskie, Pike, walleye up north.

Nebraska is not nationally known for your bass fishing, but I'm very active on the national kayak bass tournament scene and so I've been doing that for three years now.

Active is one way to say it.

Extremely successful is another one.

I mean, you've won your fair share, too, haven't you?

I've had a pretty good year this year.

Yeah, I was really consistent last year.

I did win a local tournament last year and I had several top five national level finishes, but I didn't win a big one and this year I won three.

So that was kind of it's kind of a neat deal for me.

So people who think, okay, tournament style fishing in a kayak, how does that work?

Because you you don't have a live well.

You're not taking fish in, but you do it on a different method than what most people used to.

And that's overall inches, right?

That's right.

Yeah.

Which is really good for conservation because we do catch fish to release on this little measuring board I have back here.

You measure the fish, you've got a predetermined identifier and that fish goes right back in the water.

Gotcha.

Okay.

It's great for the sport and it's great, you know, those fish go right back and they're not out of the water for a long time.

Oh, I got a bite right now.

This fish here█s going to pull me out there.

Out to the ocean.

Yeah, they█ll take you for a ride.

Good.

Looks like a good one.

It█s a good fish.

You might want to use a net on that.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

That's a beautiful fish.

That's a 20 I bet.

I think I just landed a four and a half pounder in a kayak.

This might be a first for me.

Yeah, that's a good one.

That's a good fish here.

And I tell you what, did you see that pull my boat?

Yeah.

I need to get out of your way here.

No, you're fine.

I'm casting- I cast right behind you.

Look how thick that thing is from the top to the belly.

Yeah.

You want to put it on the board and see how long it is?

We can do that.

That's got to be a 20.

Yeah, it's probably 20 inches.

And I bet you that fish there is at least four and a half.

I say that's got to be four and a half.

Let's throw it on the board real quick.

We'll see how long it is.

So for a tournament we'd have an identifier somewhere along the board.

I usually strap up here.

Okay.

But then what we would do- You take the fish that's going to go, right?

Yep.

Right at 20.

Like I thought.

20 inches.

Make sure the mouth is closed.

Look how thick that fish is.

So you then take a picture of it and you would immediately upload 20 inches?

It'd be real time?

Or do you, do you get your data at the end of the tournament?

You take the picture and then submit.

You either submit it right then and there or you can wait.

Some people sandbag.

Or you sneak in 60 inches of bass over the last second.

Yeah.

That's a beautiful fish though.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

That's why Dale Hollow has a very special place in my heart and I just the first time I was honest, like, I fell in love with it.

I think it was back in May, a few years ago.

It was prespawn and at that time, if I'm not mistaken and gosh, it was just incredible for someone who's from Nebraska.

You do spend a lot of time in Kentucky, don't you?

I spend more time in Kentucky than I do- I'm in Nebraska maybe just once or twice a year anymore.

I'm in Kentucky and Tennessee, this part of the country, a lot.

Man.

Did you get a bite?

Right under the boat.

Oh, my line caught my rod right after I- That's why I don't ever keep my rods up front like that.

Bad habit.

Really bad habit.

How many days a year do you think you spend on the water?

Boy, I would say at least 300.

Now, I'm not.

I'm not joking.

Like, how many days are there in a year?

I know.

It's like 360 something, right?

I'm on the water most throughout the year.

It's every single day.

Yeah.

Oh, my gosh.

For at least a few hours.

It's bigger than I thought, but that's what I do full time.

So it's a- they say if you if you love what you do.

Yeah.

absolutely.

Oh, look at him!

Oh that's huge.

300 days a year.

I bet you hold fishing licenses in at least eight states right now.

Nine.

nine.

Well, I've got annuals and nine.

I just looked at it the other day, I think I've got 26 or 27 other ones that I've had just purchased licenses this year, but nine annuals.

Isn█t that crazy?

That is crazy, yeah.

This is about ready to happen right here.

Now we've got to pull one more off of this spot.

We've missed several.

Uh oh.

You kind of called that, didn't you?

Yeah, this one aint quite as big as the last one.

Pretty aggressive, though.

I'd say what, these fish man, they school up on the edge of these grass mats.

You can catch good quality fish and big numbers of fish out here in the wintertime.

Who would think in December.

It's one of my favorite months to fish out here in Dale Hollow is December, January, and February.

Well, i█d say we make a few more casts.

We've got so many spots, you know, we're a little bit less mobile, but we can hit more than one spot.

Oh, yeah.

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 ten year old Brace E. with his first buck and he took it with a crossbow in Pulaski County.

Nice job.

Check out this beautiful buck that was taken by Hartland Samuels.

This was an eight point buck that was taken in Nelson County during the youth weekend.

This was her first buck.

Here we have a beautiful buck that was taken by 13 year old Gavin F. This buck was taken in Bracken County during the youth season.

Nice deer.

Here we have ten year old Alana C. who took this very nice eight point buck on the opening day of the youth season in Bracken County, Kentucky.

Nice buck.

Here we have Amanda Collins, who got her first deer after two years of trying.

This is a nice doe that was taken off her grandfather's farm in Mason County, Kentucky.

Nice job.

Check out the day that 11 year old Chase V. had in the Woods in Mackville, Kentucky.

He got this beautiful 13 point buck and a doe, nice job.

Here we have Riley V. of Mackville, Kentucky.

She got this nice dough while hunting during the youth season.

Congratulations.

Here we have Grace York from Glasgow, Kentucky, who caught her very first small mouth bass while wading the little Barren River.

Nice job.

Check out the smile on Nicholas Morgan.

He's holding his nine point buck that he took with a crossbow while hunting with his dad.

Congratulations.

Christopher Perry caught this beautiful smallmouth bass while fishing with his Papa, Larry.

This fish was caught in Big South Fork in Stearns, Kentucky.

Nice job.

Here we have Ryan Asher with his very first squirrel that was taken on his family farm in Grant City, Kentucky.

We are only halfway through the modern firearm season here in Kentucky.

If you're planning on hitting the woods, be safe and good luck 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.