Vets, Fish, and Skunks – A Weekend to Remember at Carlyle
This past weekend, Am Vets Outdoors loaded up the trucks, the boats, and the coolers and headed out to Carlyle Lake for one heck of a gathering. We had ten veterans join us for a couple days packed full of fishing, food, laughter — and, well... a little unexpected skunk drama.
The weekend kicked off right with a good ol’ fashioned fish fry on Friday night. There’s just something about fried crappie and a campfire that stirs the soul. Spirits were high, bellies were full, and everyone was geared up to hit the water come morning.
Saturday rolled in with a wall of wind that made fishing feel more like rodeo riding. I had the honor of taking out John and Dan. We made it to our first spot and got a little fishing in, but when it was time to leave the cove, the main lake had blown up like a hurricane. We tried to make a run for it, but after a soaking-wet rodeo ride that had us wondering if we needed swim trunks instead of rain gear, we tucked tail and ducked back into the cove where the ramp was. After hiding from the worst of it, we finally scratched out a few fish late in the day. Nothing came easy — but if it was easy, it wouldn’t be called fishing, now would it?
As if the wind wasn’t enough, Sunday morning showed up with drizzle, cold gusts, and that kind of gray sky that makes your bones tired just looking at it. No breakfast — just a lot of coffee and some good, honest decision-making. The group decided to call it early and head home. Sometimes, you gotta know when to hold 'em, and when to pack it up before you catch pneumonia.
Now, onto the real star of the weekend — Miley, my squirrel-chasin’, bobber-watchin’, Australian Cattle Dog. This was her first Am Vets Outdoors event, and she came in hot... literally.
Friday night, while the rest of us were kicking back, Miley decided to get a little too friendly with the wrong end of a skunk. And buddy, this wasn’t your standard "oh, she got skunked" smell. She reeked like burnt hair and bad decisions. It was so bad, I think the mosquitoes packed up and left camp.
Cue the 9:00 PM emergency Walmart run: peroxide, dish soap, baking soda — the holy trinity of de-skunking. No gloves, no dignity — just me scrubbing her down at the fish cleaning station under the lights like some back-alley dog spa. Poor girl had to sleep in the truck that night, smelling like scorched rubber and regret.
Come Saturday though, she was all about the fishing. She even figured out that when the bobber goes under, a fish is coming aboard. You’ve never seen a dog so excited to see a bluegill hit the deck. She might just be hooked for life.
Despite the brutal weather, tough fishing, and one very smelly dog, it was an incredible weekend. We shared laughs that'll echo around campfires for years to come. This is exactly what Am Vets Outdoors is all about — getting our veterans out into the great outdoors, building bonds, making memories, and creating the kind of stories that live longer than any photo ever could.
Big thanks to Scott and Amy Kendall for putting together such an awesome weekend. They were the real engines that kept everything moving. Huge thanks also to Jason Adams for the incredible pulled pork dinner that capped off Saturday night perfectly. Good food, good friends, a whole lotta laughs — and just a dash of skunk seasoning — that’s a weekend well spent.
Until next time — keep your lines tight, your dogs upwind, and your heart wide open.