SHELBY FOREST WMA WATERFOWL DRAW RESULTS

We had our first left-over blind site drawing this past Saturday.  We had a great turnout, and we gave out 16 different hunts.  I had a great time meeting everyone at the draw, and I look forward to seeing you in the woods this coming season.  Next year, we are hoping to move the draw to rec lodge around the corner which has much more room in it!!!!  Thank you to all the guys and girls that showed up this year!!!

JOHN TULLY WMA WATERFOWL BLIND SITE DRAWING

We will have our first hand held drawing for waterfowl sites Monday, November 17 at 6:00pm at the John Tully WMA field office on Lightfoot-Luckett Road in Henning, TN.  There will be a couple spots available.  Due to the lack of rainfall, there is not much water.  We have only been able to catch one rain since closing the gates.  Hopefully, in the weeks to come there will be several more spots to draw.  It looks like we will have 1 spot in the field on the Fig Field Unit, maybe 2 spots in the woods adjoining the Fig Field, and 1 spot on the Fullen North Tract.

Make sure to be there before 6 pm to get your name in the hat.  The draw will take place at 6:00 pm.

SHELBY FOREST WATERFOWL BLIND SITE DRAWING

The first hand-held drawing for vacant waterfowl blind site dates at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Registration will begin at 8:00 am, and the drawing will take place at 10:00 am.

Drawing will be held at Shelter 6 of the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and Natural Area.  Shelter 6 is located near the Park Swimming Pool.

Below is the list of dates/sites available:

1 - November 22, November 29

2 - NONE

3 - December 25-27

4 - December 18-20, Jan. 1-3, Jan. 8-10, and Jan. 22-24

5 - November 29

6 - November 22, Jan. 15-17

7 - December 11-13, Jan. 15-17

8 - November 22, November 29, Jan. 15-17

9 - Jan. 1-3

SHELBY FOREST WATERFOWL DRAW BLIND SPOT INFORMATION

Hey, just wanted to update you on some information that I have been getting questions on lately.  Hopefully, if you are reading this, you have been drawn to hunt the Shelby Forest WMA, Congrats!!  On this site I will update information through out the year with information that you might want to know.  Hopefully, this site will provide you information and answers to a few of your questions.

License:
You need all the appropriate license to hunt waterfowl on the area which includes regular hunt/fish license, state waterfowl, WMA waterfowl, migratory bird, and Federal Duck Stamp.  If you have a lifetime Sportsman, all you need is the Federal Duck Stamp.  You will also need to obtain a free park permit from the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Visitor Center.

Places to stay:
If you are coming from out of town, there are several options available for a place to stay.  Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park has cabins to rent, campgrounds, etc.  You can visit tsp.itinio.com and scroll down to Meeman-Shelby and book your reservation.  If you need further assistance, you can call their office at 901-876-5215.  Also, if you are looking for hotels, the city of Millington has several hotels to stay depending on your style and budget.  If staying in Millington, it is about 15 minutes to the Park from there.  There are many different places to eat to fix your starvings.

Who can Hunt:
The person that got drawn (along with their confirmation number) has to be present in order for the blind to be hunted.  That person can take up to 4 guests with them (maximum number in one spot is 5 people).  Make sure that the drawn applicant has their confirmation number with them at all times!!

Are there blinds:
There are no blinds at any of the locations.  The number that you got drawn for is a specific spot.  All areas are in a group of cypress trees that you can hide behind.  All areas will have either cypress trees or buckbrush or a mix of both.  The key to the hunt is to HIDE!!!

Access:
Blind sites 1-5 are located on Eagle Lake.  You will need a boat to access these areas.  There is a little boat ramp there, but not much of one.  The slope is very slight.  In low water conditions, boats will have to loaded and unloaded by hand (which is a lot fun!!!)  The gap to get into the open water is very narrow.  Therefore, I recommend very small, light boats to use on the area.  If you are planning on bringing your 20'70" War Eagle, you will be very disappointed!! 

Blind sites 6-9 can only be accessed by foot.  Site 6 you have to walk down Poplar Tree Levee and take a little hike into the area.  Sites 7,8, and 9 you have to drop off the Mississippi River Bluff to get to those sites.  Going to these sites is not near as bad as the walk back to the truck!!  Although a boat would be handy at these sites, you will not be able to carry a boat that far.  If you think you can, you have all the power in the world to do so.  Good Luck!!

LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMPLEX OCTOBER 15 UDPDATE

Well, deer season has already started with archery.  I have seen several small game and big game hunters on the areas the last couple of weeks.  Last week, we received several inches of rain on the areas making conditions very muddy!!!  I just wanted to give you an update on the areas.

John Tully WMA
We started the levee construction at the Fig Field Unit of John Tully WMA two weeks ago.  However, after one week of hard work, we have stopped all dirt work for the time being.  Depending on future rainfalls and Mississippi River levels, we hope to continue our work.  This time of year is hard to get any dirt moved due to the ground becoming muddy for long periods of time.  All food plots on area are up and very green!!  We have received many waterfowl questions about the Fig Field Unit and Fullen North Tract of John Tully WMA.  Will there be blinds?  How many?  Are the woods next to the Fig Field included with the draw?  Is the Fullen North Tract going to be in the draw?  When will it be flooded?  I am going to try and answer a few of these questions.  There will NOT be any blinds on the areas built.  There will be staked positions in which to hunt from.  At full pool, we hope to have at least 6 spots in the field and 3 in the timber.  We hope to have at least 3-4 spots on the Fullen North Tract.  Yes, the woods next to the fig field unit will be included in the draw.  Yes, the Fullen North Tract is going to be in the draw.  There are NO wells or pumps on these areas.  All water will be caught by natural rainfall through runoff from the fields.  We will close the gates and start filling the areas after the crops have been harvested.  We hope to close gates starting November 1st; however, until all crops are harvested, the gates will be open.  At the present time, this is our only solution.  The number of positions that we will draw will depend on how much water is present at the time of the drawing.  If there is not enough water on the area for at least one spot, we will NOT have a draw that week.  I will keep you updated weekly through this site.  Remember, the drawings will take place at the John Tully Field Office on Lightfoot-Luckett Road on the Monday nights prior to the hunts. 

Shelby Forest WMA/Eagle Lake Refuge/Bomprezzi Unit
We finished working on the old Preacher House Road on Shelby Forest WMA.  This road will not be open to vehicle traffic this year, but hope to get some gravel for next year.  The road was planted with a food plot winter mix to help control erosion.  All ten food plots on area are up and green!!!  We are still working on getting electricity to our new shop at Shelby Forest.  Due to digging a trench to run electricity between the check station and the shop, the sides of the roads are very muddy!!  Therefore, stay on the main road!!  We have already started prepping for pumping at Eagle Lake Refuge.  We will begin pumping somewhere around November 1st, depending on when the farmer starts harvesting.  As I learned earlier this morning, hunters that applied to waterfowl hunt on Shelby Forest this year can go online now and check their draw status.  Hunters that did get drawn will be getting letters in the mail by the end of next week.  Make sure you read all instructions on the letter.  So, hopefully you got drawn!!!  One of the questions I keep getting about the area is, "Can we still hunt other areas on the Park?"  Yes, you can hunt other areas of the park.  These areas will be first come, first serve.  All waterfowl hunting on the Park will be on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (just like the drawn sites).  Big game and small game hunting will continue to be on Monday, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.  Just all waterfowl hunting will be on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays. 

President's Island
The doe hunt for President's Island will begin tomm.  Scout day will be Thursday, and hunting will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  I will update next week on the number of deer taken on the island.  It is looking like it will be better conditions this year compared to last year's weather.

Until next time,
Chris

JOHN TULLY WMA SEPTEMBER 18 UPDATE

 

 

Just wanted to give you an update on John Tully WMA.  We had an extremely good dove hunt on opening day this year.  We had over 250 adults show up for the two adult fields, and we had close to 50 youth show up for their hunt.  The birds never moved until after 3:30 opening day.  Several hunters left unhappy about the lack of birds flying; however, after 3:30, shooting was non-stop!!

 

This last week we began getting our food plots ready for planting.  We were doing really well this week until we got a big downpour this morning over half of the bottoms.  However, we are hoping to get the three fields on Sam Taylor Road planted sometime tomorrow.  We will have to wait for the ground to dry out on the other side. 

 

We had several hunters take to the water for early wood duck/teal season.  We saw several bands that were killed on the area as always.

 

The corn is looking really good considering how late we planted it.  It looks like we will have plenty of food for waterfowl this winter.  Just a remainder, all hunting on the fig field (including the woods next to the field) and the Fullen North Tract will be allocated to a hand held drawing each Monday night at 6:00 before the weekend hunt at the John Tully WMA Workbase which is located on Lightfoot-Luckett Road and HWY 87.  Hunting will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.  

 

Until next time, stay safe in the woods and take a child hunting!!

Chris

SHELBY FOREST/EAGLE LAKE REFUGE SEPTEMBER 18 UPDATE

Sorry it has been so long since the last updates.  We have been extremely busy in the field since August.  This picture was taken earlier in the year at the "bus field" below the check station.  We had a pretty good hunt between this field and the field that was at the Bomprezzi Unit of Eagle Lake Refuge.  We have several people hunting doves and squirrels throughout the area.  It has been really good seeing everybody out hunting again.  Hopefully, mother nature willing, we will be having more fields next year. 

We are in the process of putting in food plots.  We will be planting seed tomorrow morning in all our food plots.  We plant Super Plot and Super Plot Plus from Sanders Seed Company.  It is a blend of wheat, oats, rape, clover, rye, peas, etc.  The deer and turkey seem to really love it!!  We are looking forward to another great crop!!  If you need any food plot seed, give Sanders Seed Company in Ripley, TN to help you with your needs.  The guys are hunters, and they know their stuff!!

Waterfowl Hunting Update:

There have been several questions with regard to waterfowl hunting on Shelby Forest.  So, let's try to clear the fog.  If you did not already know, part of the area is now in the TWRA waterfowl computer draw.  The application can be filled out through the internet at the TWRA website www.tnwildlife.org  The application process started September 10, and it will be open until October 1.  There are nine sites of which 5 are located at Eagle Lake, 1 below the Poplar Tree Levee, and 3 below the swimming pool.  There are NO blinds at these sites.  Each site has a number marked in the area from which you are to hunt from.  Another question that has been asked quite a bit, "Can we waterfowl hunt other areas of the Park?"  Yes you can hunt other areas of the Park; however, you cannot hunt the three areas in the computer draw unless you are drawn.  Water levels at this moment are really low.  Hopefully, we will get some water before hunting season.

Until next time, stay safe in the woods and take a child hunting!!!!!
Chris   

JOHN TULLY WMA AUGUST 6 UPDATE

Just wanted to let you know we have started mowing all food plots and roads this week.  We have also mowed parking lots and entrance roads at the dove fields.  We are continuing to band wood ducks through the end of August.  Numbers have been really low compared to year's past for whatever reason.  However, we have caught at least 100 ducks already this year.  We got around 100 acres of corn planted on the Fig Field Unit, but we were unable to plant the lower section due to the water.  We have corn in every place we had last year and plus several more acres.  Between the rainfall amounts and beavers, planting in this lower area has been impossible.  We have stuck 2 tractors and a dozer trying to get corn planted.  We will be doing some bushogging in this area this fall along with some dirt work if mother nature will cooperate.

The 3 dove fields look better this year than they ever have.  Sunflowers are beginning to dry out, and we are looking forward to three really good fields this year.  Remember, we have 1 juvenile only field for the opening day, and 2 adult fields that are all first come, first serve.  My challenge to you is to grab a young person and bring them to the youth field.  We feed them and give out drinks each year.  Most kids average shooting a case of shells on that opening day.  There is fun to be had by all.  We have to remember that these young people are the future of our sport!!!!

SHELBY FOREST/EAGLE LAKE REFUGE AUGUST 6 UPDATE

I just wanted to let you know that road maintenance has been in full swing the last month.  The roads below the checking station are looking much better as of late.  Chainsaws have been running full blast!!!  We have begun mowing roadsides and food plots until the tractor broke down.  We are hoping to have it back running next week sometime, so we can continue.  Sunflower field below the checking station is looking really good.  Plants are beginning to dry out, and we hope to spray them at the end of next week.  I am looking forward to seeing how this field turns out this year.  It may take a couple of years before this field gets used by a lot of birds, but the location is perfect. 

Also, there has been an update to the computerized waterfowl draw for Shelby Forest.  There will be 9 blind sites to which the successful hunters may hunt.  There will be 5 sites on the Eagle Lake Pool off Island 40 Road, 1 site behind the Poplar Tree Lake Levee, and 3 sites below the bluff at the swimming pool.  More information can be found on the TWRA website at www.tnwildlife.org in the near future. 

Corn has been planted on the refuge for the third time.  Some of the corn looks really good, while others not so much.  I cannot believe I am saying this right now, but we need a rain or two.  It has gotten dry really quickly.  We have around 200 acres of corn planted and approximately 100 acres of a combination of millet and wild sorghum. 

We have also been doing some major work with our drainage ditch (waterway) on the north end of the refuge.  We are hoping to get some fresh gravel put down next week. 

SHELBY FOREST/EAGLE LAKE REFUGE JULY 1 UPDATES

SHELBY FOREST

Shelby Forest waterfowl hunting will look a lot different than years past.  Shelby Forest waterfowl hunting has moved to the computer draw system.  There will be 10 pre-determined hunting sites available for hunters.  Hunting will be limited to these locations.  There will 5 locations within Eagle Lake (off Island 40 road) and 2 sites located on the North end of Eagle Lake Refuge and 3 sites between Poplar Tree Lake Levee and the swimming pool.  The quota application will begin in September.  You will be able to hunt on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the waterfowl season.  This will allow for a better hunting experience for the next couple of years. 

We have been doing a lot of work on the "Check Station" the last month or so.  This building will serve as a field office for TWRA employees for our areas in Shelby County.  Therefore, when you return to the woods in the fall, things will look a little different.  We have been trying to do some road maintenance for the last two months, but the excessive amounts of rainfall have made this impossible. 

Sunflower fields are doing okay, but due to the large amounts of rainfall, we have been unable to keep up with the spraying.  Although there is grass in the field, there will be an opportunity for some dove hunting on the WMA.

EAGLE LAKE REFUGE

On Friday June 27 we got about 85 acres of corn planted on the refuge.  However, we received over 11.5 inches of rain on the area over the weekend.  At the present time, the waterfowl units are completely flooded.  Once water leaves and the ground dries out, we plan on planting the corn again.  Mother nature can do some wild things sometimes.  As you are shooting of fireworks for the fouth of July, we will been running tractors trying to get food in for the waterfowl.  We will keep you updated.

JOHN TULLY WMA JULY 1 UPDATES

WATERFOWL HUNTING CHANGES FOR TULLY

Just wanted to let everyone know of the changes for waterfowl hunting on John Tully WMA this coming hunting season.  The FIG FIELD UNIT AND FULLEN NORTH TRACT waterfowl hunting opportunities will look much different than you are used to in Tennessee.  These areas will only be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to drawn hunters.  The draw will take place at the John Tully Workbase on Lightfoot-Luckett Road, Henning, TN at 6:00 pm on each Monday of the statewide waterfowl season.  We will draw for particular sites that are designated by TWRA.  Depending on water conditions, the amount of sites will vary throughout the year.  I will update how many sites we will draw for each week on this site.  This will make for a better quality hunt for everyone involved this year. 

Weather/Crop Planting Update:

This has been an extremely wet spring and early summer.  The rainfall amounts for June are the second highest recordings on record (dating back to the late 1800's.  This Mississippi River levels have been sitting at flood level or near flood level since April.  We finally were able to plant 33 acres of corn on the fig field on Friday afternoon June 27.  However, we received 6.2 inches of rain between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.  We are hoping the ground will begin to dry out in order for us to get some more corn planted in the flat.  I will keep you updated.

Sunflower fields have withstood the large amounts of rainfall so far.  We had some acres drown out because of flooding; however, we will have plenty of acres to hunt doves spread out over 3 fields.  2 fields are adult fields and 1 field is youth only on opening day.  After opening day, the "youth only field" will be open to everyone.

Soybean fields have been planted for the most part except for some wet areas located here and there. 

Wood duck trapping preparation is at full throttle on the area.  At the present time we have 4 locations for banding ducks.  We will begin banding in a couple of days and conclude at the end of August.

We have been trying to do some much needed road maintenance; however, the amount of rainfall over the last month has made it pretty much impossible.       

SHELBY FOREST/EAGLE LAKE REFUGE MAY 13 UPDATES

On Shelby Forest WMA, we got the 13.5 acre "bus field" (located at the end of Check Station Road) planted in Sunflowers Wednesday, May 7, 2014.  This is a new field location near the Mississippi River that looks promising for years to come.  We are beginning to do road maintenance on all the roads below the Check Station and Island 40 road; however, the wet spring has prohibited much work from being completed. 

We also planted 4.2 acres of sunflowers on the Bomprezzi Unit of Eagle Lake Refuge.  We are hoping to get the back field (23.2 acres) planted in sunflowers before it is too late.  However, this last rain may prohibit us from doing so.  We will keep you updated.

Eagle Lake Refuge has not been planted yet due to high Mississippi River levels.  We are looking at planting in late May to early June.  We will keep you updated on our progress. 

JOHN TULLY WMA MAY 13 UPDATES

Due to excessive amounts of rainfall and cool soil temperatures, we were finally able to get our sunflowers planted.  We planted one youth field and two adult fields on Thursday, May 8, 2014.  The youth field is approximately 50 acres located on Fullen North Tract on Jim Fullen Road.  One adult field is approximately 55 acres and is located on the Fullen South Tract on Sunk Lake Road.  The other adult field is approximately 70 acres located on the Yankee Bar Unit on Crutcher Lake Road.

The Fig Field Unit has been continuously flooded by the Mississippi River over the last month.  The river is beginning to slowly fall.  Hopefully, we will be able to get in the fields very soon.