This week on Kentucky Afield.

We couldn't help ourselves.

We had to get out for one last rabbit hunt before the season closed in the eastern zone.

Next, we're on patrol with conservation officers to see what a day in their shoes is like during modern firearms season.

Then we'll learn how fire can actually be a good thing.

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.

When you get a call from a buddy who wants to take one last rabbit hunt before his deployment with the National Guard, you make it happen.

So, Joseph, you and I met a couple of years ago.

You actually was raised in Shelby County, right?

Right.

We hunted a piece property out there, and Dave was with us that day.

And about three or four weeks ago, you called me and said, “Hey, Dave's actually getting ready to get deployed.

We'd like to get him rabbit hunting beforehand.

You have any interest in rabbit, hunting?” Well, I always have interest in rabbit hunting, so.

You said “Hey, let's try out at my place at Cox█s Creek,” So that's where we're at today in Nelson County.

And this is an area where you rabbit hunt a couple times a year, right?

Yeah, about once a year is all I really rabbit hunt, but yeah, Daves about to get deployed so I wanted to get it in and before he leaves and this will probably be my only hunt of the year.

You enjoy hunting, but this is pretty much what you do: rabbit hunting, right?

I always make time for a rabbit hunt once or twice a year.

And it's about as far as my hunting goes.

You and I text and email back and forth, you know, hey, getting ready for rabbit season.

And we've probably communicated eight or ten times since last year's Rabbit hunt.

And today was the day to finally put it together.

So getting dogs on the ground and hopefully we get some bunnies.

Sounds good to me.

hunt here, hunt here, hunt here.

Come on, hunt ‘em up.

That bark almost sounded like I stepped on a thorn bark and not a rabbit bark.

So, Dave, is this your first rabbit of the year?

Yeah.

First hunt of the year.

Got a newborn at home, so I didn't get to do as much of any kind of hunting as normal this year.

Yeah, that definitely takes a little time.

We've actually hunted with you guys in the past, and you and I fun-hunted this place last year.

Yeah, I think it might have been the last day of rabbit season.

I think we got five or six.

So, yeah, we had a couple of pretty good runs.

So I'm excited to get back out here and see this property again and hopefully the dogs jump on some rabbits.

I tell you what, this little slew right here.

I know sometimes holds some bunnies.

I say we move up through here and see if we can't get somethin Sounds great.

Hunt in here, Hunt in here.

Josie, get in there.

Get in there.

Hunt ‘em up.

Get in there.

Get them out.

I tell you what, we just hit some of the best areas this far.

We've had to deal with some fences, and it was mainly thin fence rows.

Now it gets really thick where literally every step could hold a rabbit.

That's a rabbit.

We got to run going on.

The dogs kind of came back to us and it seems like maybe the rabbits hung up right up here in this big pile.

They went way out, 150, 160 yards and turned.

And I saw something come through right here and I thought it's going to run right to me.

Well, the dog somehow overran it just a little bit and got on this side of the rabbit.

It jumped and they took off.

And now we're running it for loop number two.

Coming at you, Dave.

Coming at you.

Ah.

Oh, he flipped him.

Good shot.

Yeah.

It stopped right in front of me, but my gun didn█t cycle.

So I had to kick the shell out.

Here, here, here, here.

Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead!

He looked at it and don't want to believe that's the right one.

They want to think there█s another one.

I'll tell you one thing.

They ran right by Joseph.

I saw you kind of spin and angle in front of me, and I thought that rabbit's running right to me.

About that time you rolled it.

It was a good shot.

All right, you want this in your back there?

All right.

There you go.

We've worked through this real fast because we literally had a rabbit on a chase and went in a big circle where everything inside that middle, we didn't really hunt.

Dogs went back and jumped another one up.

I believe Joseph may have got it.

It's pretty exciting, really, because you all were working on this rabbit over here, and Dave ended up getting him.

Finally got that rabbit down by that time you guys had jumped one up.

There could be another rabbit or two in here because it was a big circle and we left this acre or two right here in the middle and you came back and cleaned it up.

Well, I'm glad we got two.

I was kind of worried there for a minute.

You want to hunt that fence line up there or hunt here, going up that way, make a right turn, come back?

I don't know.

Do they ever get in that sink hole right there?

No.

I say we get them in there for a second.

Get in there.

Hunt them out.

Get them going.

Hunt ‘em up.

Hunt █em up.

Oh, quail.

Sure that█s a quail?

Oh, it█s a Woodcock.

I've never seen one.

Had a big a long beak.

Snipe got a big, long beak like that, don't they?

Yeah, Here it goes.

Well, this is the far back side of the property.

We've crossed two creeks to get here.

I can count on probably two hands the amount of times I've even been back here.

But, we█ll rabbit hunt and see what happens.

Might be great.

It might not.

But we're about to find out.

That is a beautiful sound, isn█t it?

You think they lost it, and all of a sudden you hear one bark and then all four open up in a dead-straight line, barking and running.

Yeah.

Oh, that's a good shot.

I thought I made a mistake there for a minute because I thought he was going to go a different direction.

I wouldn't be able to see him, and I thought maybe I should have unloaded all three rounds right there.

But we got it.

There he goes.

Coming your way.

You see it?

Yeah.

There you go.

Nice.

Well, I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate it.

Thanks again.

Hey, thank you for your service.

Thanks.

Get in touch with us next year.

When you get back in town, and we'll have to do it again.

Sounds good to me.

Do you have an interest in law enforcement and also like to spend time outdoors?

Well, maybe a job as a conservation officer would be perfect for you.

This is my first time doing a deer decoy.

I've been working with the department since August 16th of last year, 2019.

Takes about a year to go through the training process.

After that, like I said, I've been on my own for about four months.

So we'll be in the pursuit vehicle.

If somebody wants to take a shot, we'll be the first person that contacts, and then we'll have two officers down here managing the decoys and we'll have radio contact for them.

The reason we set these decoys, we want to keep all the hunters safe, and if somebody's shooting from the roadway, they don't know what's behind the target or where other hunters are.

They don't know anything about property.

So we try to set this decoy up and set it in a safe manner.

So if somebody does shoot from the road, then it's in a more controlled environment and we can address the issues and hopefully they will not do that again.

My name is Robin Martinez.

I'm a conservation officer.

I've been employed since last August but got out working by myself about five months ago.

So we have a woman who has claimed landowner and telechecked a buck in.

She doesn't own property in Part County and she only checks in bucks.

We're thinking that one of her sons is using her to telecheck a buck in so that he's able to kill two bucks a year.

His, and then the one she telechecks.

So we're going to talk to her and see if we can get the story straight.

I'm Officer Fisher with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

I've been on five years.

We're riding with Officer Martinez today.

Officer Martinez has been on about six months.

She's one of our newer officers and very capable.

But in case we come across something that requires two officers, that's why we're riding along today.

We don't have assigned partners, but we do enjoy riding with each other quite a bit.

You know, all conservation officers.

Officer Fisher is going to be doing the contact, I'm going to be a cover officer.

I'm Officer Fisher with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We just had a few questions for you about a deer that you killed this year.

Did you kill a buck this year?

No, I don█t even know how to use a gun.

Do you know Nathan?

Did he telecheck a deer under you?

He might have, I don't know.

Because it says that you checked in a deer.

And you've actually checked in about six of them.

So now it says- now this is over the, you know, in the last ten years, it says you've checked in six bucks.

You're telling me you don't know how to even operate a firearm.

So clearly, something's wrong.

Nathan would have had to get your Social Security number in order to check in your deer.

He let me have one deer.

He asked for your Social Security number to check in a deer, so that way he could give you that deer?

Okay.

We just conducted our interview and we did confirm that the individual that checked in the deer had nothing to do with that deer at all.

She didn't kill the deer.

She states that she doesn't even know how to operate a firearm.

She did tell us who killed the deer and told us where we could find him.

So we're going to go make contact with that individual now.

now.

So right now we're just sitting.

Still waiting.

We had a few cars pass, probably, you know, ten or so.

A couple of slowed down and actually look out the window and everything and got the heart beating a little bit so.

He didn't see us.

It might be that same truck too though, coming out again.

Dropped off his trailer, coming back.

Something.

Right now we're headed to Freeman Lane to do some compliance checks real fast since we're in the area.

After this, we're hoping we can go make contact with the individual who's checking in the deer for the woman we just interviewed.

Had any luck?

You mind handing me your backpack there, bud?

You got any fish in here?

No.

You mind If I take a look real quick?

Is that what you just threw out over here?

Your marijuana that was in this bag?

No.

Is that what's in here?

Well, what it was in there.

Yup.

Officer Fisher, who we were approaching, thought he saw this person throw something in the water once he saw us.

So we basically just asked for consent to search his backpack to make sure there was nothing illegal.

We did find a tube that was holding some marijuana, so there's nothing in it.

But Officer Fisher is going to go ahead and make them throw it away so we know he doesn't have it on him anymore.

She stopped.

So he said he got out of the car.

Stand by, but we█ll see.

Still just looking.

It█s still sitting, looking at the two deer out in the field.

Our two deer decoys.

And we're just waiting for that, you know, possible gunshot or- it█s a big waiting game right now.

This guy is walking out in the field.

*inaudible* so he was brought out into the field.

He was climbing the fence, into the ditch.

Sounded like a guy dropped his son off to go look at the deer or something.

He had been sneaking up on the deer.

People try to sneak up on the deer, try to take pictures of it, video it, but ultimately, it tells them what's going on and the word will get out now.

So we're probably probably going to have to call it shortly.

Now we're going to make contact with the nephew of the individual that we talked to earlier about him killing more deer than he's legally allowed to, but he hasn't telechecked any this year.

And we know that he's killed some.

So we're just going to talk to him about that.

I was looking for a “Nathan.” He don█t live here.

That was the address that the nephew from before has on our database.

He was not there.

And the the dad informed us that he doesn't live there.

He lives in Horse Cave.

Down on the side of the Horse Cave.

Horse Cave, Cave City, in between there.

So we got a phone number from him for his son.

Right now we're headed down this hill because he gave us a complaint that his neighbor has shot two bucks.

He shot two deer, two ten-points.

I know that he shot with crossbow.

No broad-heads on them.

Arrow stuck in his hip.

A crossbow.

He was over there now shooting a pistol a while ago.

How do we get back there?

You just follow the road.

You'll see.

Top of the hill.

You see two roads split off.

Go to the left one, the dirt road.

Go over the hill.

He lives in a barn down here.

They say he█s screwed up on that Meth all the time.

That's a problem we've been having this year.

For weeks.

So we're going to go talk to him real quick and see if we can get a confession.

We just finished wrapping up that deer decoy down in an undisclosed location here in Kentucky.

And now we're just headed back out in the field.

Going to check some hunters possibly, and see what we've come up with, respond to calls from post area.

That's our radio system.

So, yeah, i see a fishing magazine in there, so they've got to be fishing.

Somebody's definitely down there doing something so, we'll go check it out real quick.

I'm doing good.

How are you doing?

That's good to hear.

You got a license, I'll check you real quick.

Just want to look at it right there, just want to make sure.

We got got the COVID going on and everything.

Awesome.

Good deal.

Have you got anything up here?

No, sir, nothing.

I just got here maybe about 10 minutes ago.

Gotcha.

Sounds good.

Well, good luck to you.

Yes sir.

He got him something.

Good.

Is that a crappie?

Game warden.

So right now we're at the end of this road that we got to complaint about.

When we tried to make contact with the person, we found a lot of marijuana plants.

We're trying to get deputies or a couple troopers down here to back us up.

We might be able to get a search warrant for the property.

I'm thinking the guy's probably in this house.

He's just not coming to the door.

There's no windows.

It's just an old barn that's been converted into a house.

It█s got probably 150, 250 marijuana plants hanging from it.

There's only one door to the barn.

So if he comes out, he's got to come out through me.

Now it's just a waiting game.

This is the problem with being a conservation officer.

We're so rural, we're so far out our unit that█s responding is one hour from us, so we'll wait.

We'll see if we can't make contact.

Maybe this individual is out walking his property.

As game wardens, you know, when we're driving these back roads trying to find hunting camps, conducting investigations, things like that, you know, it's pretty common for us to come across something other than Fish and Wildlife outside of one 150, 235.

And this is a prime example.

So one of the KSP guys showed up and then a city or a county deputy they█re walking around the property, seeing if they can find anything else, then I'm going to stand here on point with this door in case it comes out so that I can make contact.

19, 20, 21, 22, 23, A bird, 24, 25, 26.

Okay, What is that?

I just hang up.

I have a legal license.

There are supposed to be a license hanging on the door.

I didn't see the license.

Do you have your license?

I have it right here on the inside of my truck.

Okay.

Yeah, you can grab it.

Okay.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There's a boy that works with me.

His name is Shalen.

And I suspect that's where all this is coming from.

I know that he has a wife, him and his wife fight a lot.

And I come down here to go to work a lot, and then he█ll just be in the barn.

If you█re in here, let us know.

State police, let us see your hands.

Originally we got a complaint that there was an individual that was residing at this barn behind me that had killed two bucks this year with a bow without broad heads on it.

So we came down here to do a knock-and-talk.

Nobody was here.

But when we got here, in plain view, we saw a bunch of plants hanging that we weren't aware whether they were marijuana or hemp plants.

That individual was not in the building.

But while inside we did find marijuana and then drug paraphernalia for meth.

We ran the individual.

He ended up being a convicted felon and there were also guns inside.

The owner of the building said that he was unaware of any of it.

The guns were not his.

So we seize all the paraphernalia, the marijuana and the firearms.

So in case the person comes back, he doesn't have access to any of that considering he's a felon.

One of my favorite things about this job is I go every single day and never know what I'm going to get into.

Some days I do nothing but compliance checks or fishing license or hunting, and then other days you roll into stuff like this.

You know, we could have potentially come across a felon with firearms that could have wanted to hurt us.

Luckily, nobody was here.

But that's one of the things I love about this job is you never know what you're gonna get into, kind of keeps you on your toes and it makes you enjoy the job more.

Many people consider fire to be destructive, but if you're looking for native grasses, fire can bring new life.

So we█re at the Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management area.

This is called the briar ridge unit of Taylorsville Lake.

It's a 1800 acre section of the management area.

Today we are going to be putting fire to 580 acres of that area.

We use the drip torches that have a mixture of diesel and gasoline.

On the end it has a wick.

So they light the wick with the match and it drips lit fuel onto the ground.

It has a little loop nozzle on the end where however you set your drip setting, there's a air vent on the drip torch.

Fire serves multiple purposes and encourages growth of the warm season grasses in our fields, and it also will help us fight invasive species.

We have six crews total.

There are four igniter crews that are putting fire on the ground.

We have a support crew and we have a forestry crew that is suppressioning fire along our firebreaks.

And then we also have a crew that is on the water that will be igniting the woods from the boat.

Fire in the hole!

We're here today at Taylorsville Lake, shooting flares off the boat to try to help the progression of a prescribed fire.

We have going on here.

The number of fires we're going to shoot off today will probably range somewhere between 50 to 100, depending on the spread of the fire as we go and how much of the fire backs down.

A lot of these animals will run for cover and they█ll hide.

Deer and rabbits and turkey and quail and squirrels will all be able to run away and they'll get out ahead of the fire and it's real common when ever we█re burning on even private lands or public lands.

You'll start seeing those animals start moving out in advance of the fire before the fire even gets to them.

It's pretty hilly terrain, and it could be potentially dangerous to send the crew up and down the hill.

Once a crew gets an area burned, they will backfire down towards the lake and the crew from the water.

They will set the flares.

They will reach from the shoreline.

They will put fire up to the flares to match them together.

We have some students from EKU, the students, they all have their training in fighting fire and prescribed burns.

And most of them, it's their first time out.

So they're more going to be shadowed and mentored on the burn.

My name is Renae Steinberger and my major is Wildlife Management with a minor in biology.

I'm out here today because I'm red card certified and I love putting fire on the ground.

Purpose of this fire is to increase Oak hickory regeneration and open up some of the woodlands for more small game habitat.

You will be increasing force for cover for smaller creatures like squirrels.

In the woodlands and in the open areas within the woodlands, you'll be increasing early successional habitat for things like rabbits and turkey balls.

Really, all the animals will benefit from this.

You will be increasing woody brows for things like deer.

A lot of the animals here in the eastern U.S. have evolved on the fire landscape and they've come to exist in some cases rely on management activities and prescribed fires.

One of the methods that allows us to manage the largest chunks of property at one time.

Well, this beneficially restores the environment back to an oak hickory setting that we're looking for.

We're looking for productive forest.

Nice healthy grass fields and it help game and non-game wildlife both.

When you see a nice day in the forecast, it's time to grab a new fishing license and hit the water.

It's a great time of year to catch a big fish out of a farm pond.

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.

Did you know that Kentucky is home to the largest Elk herd in the eastern U.S. with an Elk Zone twice the size of Yellowstone National Park?

Look how big that animal is.

I mean, this is just amazing.

And we enjoy one of the most diverse fisheries in the country.

Just ask Christine.

Very nice.

Woo!

And by the way, Kentucky is known for being one of the top five states for trophy white tails each year.

Additionally, more than 100,000 Kentuckians have benefited from our conservation education programs like the Salato Wildlife Education Center, Summer Conservation Camps, and our learn to hunt and fish classes.

Or did you know about the 1.6 million acres open to the public?

These are just a few things that Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife have helped preserve.

This is one of several we have on the Kentucky River.

She's got plenty of room in that nest for chicks.

Who pays for conservation in Kentucky?

Well, since the department receives no general fund state tax dollars, we rely on the sportsmen and women of the Commonwealth.

He's been waiting years for that.

So, if you enjoy Kentucky's resources, help us manage them by purchasing a hunting or fishing license today.

You can do so by visiting fw.ky.gov.

Nothing sends shivers down your spine like the sound of a gobling Tom echoing through the woods.

It's time to apply the face paint and pattern your shotgun because Kentucky's spring turkey season is coming up soon.

Be sure you have your hunting license and permits and are up to speed on the rules and regulations.

For more information, visit fw.ky.gov or call 1-800-858-1549.