John Tully Fig Field

[Tanner99]

Had a buddy draw blind 1 on the fig field unit at John Tully in the middle of January. We've never been there before and was wondering how it is. Is this blind any good? Do you boat or walk in? I'm sure it depends on rain in water levels. I've looked at the maps and it looks like blind 1 is in the timber next to the fields.

 

[tntrkkllr]

So at tully, there are no blinds. They are just pools. Normally standing corn. You should be able to use a 4 wheeler or whatever to drive on the road system to get to it or just walkin. I'm pretty sure they re did the map of the pools at tully and you can see exactly what they are, if possible I would definitely go in advance so you know exactly where you will be. Tully can definitely be good I've had alot of good hunts there before it was a draw. I don't think you'll need a boat I know last couple years when we hunted 7 we were never over anything waste deep.

 

[tntrkkllr]

The map on TWRA is correct, onX has not been updated to be the same as Twra

 

[West_Tn]

I've been interested in putting in to draw there as it looks like a good area. I just don't know anything about it. Report back and let us know how it went, and good luck!

 

[tntrkkllr]

I've been interested in putting in to draw there as it looks like a good area. I just don't know anything about it. Report back and let us know how it went, and good luck!

Pool 7 is what we always apply for it's always been good to us. The other pools 1-5 seem to have people that sky bust everything even if not in range. The fig field is nothing like it used to be before DU got involved and it became a draw

 

[Smashdn]

We were in 10 last year. Flooded corn with a strip of moist soil right down the middle of it. Two mounds on either end of the strip to set layout blinds on. First day we set up with decoys in the moist soil, short stuff so they could be seen and we hid in the edge of the corn. Birds wanted into a very small open hole on the opposite side in the corn. Next morning wind was blowing a bajillion miles per hour and we set up just off that hole in the corn. Was like a dove shoot.

Pool 9 did some shooting too on the second day. Nobody was in pool 8 nor pool 7 on either day we were there. <Tier 2 and more opportunities and all that.

 

[UpperTully]

Fig Field has become a gar hole since they've done all the work to it. Before then, I used to do really well.

Birds love to roost on it but once everyone drives their UTV or ATV to their designated area at 4am, all the birds move on out and come back late in the evening.

 

[tntrkkllr]

Yeah last year my buddy went and watched the pool we had the afternoon before we hunted and it was being flooded with ducks. Sent videos was like black birds in the air. We were first ones there and rode sxs back there and there wasn't even a duck on the water I think they leave at first sound of gravel pop. Still did well and birds decoyed great. We forgot to put in for it this year but if they didn't pump water not sure if there would be any to hunt

 

[tntrkkllr]

Fig Field has become a gar hole since they've done all the work to it. Before then, I used to do really well.

Birds love to roost on it but once everyone drives their UTV or ATV to their designated area at 4am, all the birds move on out and come back late in the evening.

I had a honey hole in the middle of that fig field b4 draw hunts, I'd go an wouldn't touch a call and let every one else call and try to work them n then watch them land in my lap, also the post above was supposed to be attached to this

 

[UpperTully]

I had a honey hole in the middle of that fig field b4 draw hunts, I'd go an wouldn't touch a call and let every one else call and try to work them n then watch them land in my lap, also the post above was supposed to be attached to this

Same here! I always sat in a clump of willows and would experience the same thing…

Me and another TnDeer member hunted it in 2012/2013 and had the idea to stage head lights on the stalks of corn, and randomly move them around to keep other hunters from coming and hunting on top of us. Boy let me tell you, it worked like a champ too!

I never saw so many butt hurt fellas fill up the east end of that field, as they did that morning. Once they realized what happened, they played songs with duck calls and acted a fool. All the while we sat in those willows, with birds landing all around us for the longest. Those hunters eventually left before we started killing birds. We never pitched a deek or blew a call that morning.

A couple years later I was told numerous complaints were filed on us and was a factor in TWRA deciding to go quota hunt.

I've not seen the birds behave the same nor experienced a similar hunt since all the changes to the field took place. I can't say all that work was an actual improvement. Like I said it's been a gar hole ever since.

Frankly, we have such few non-quota opportunities around that I really don't try to kill birds unless the rivers are up and the weather is here.

 

[tntrkkllr]

I'm surprised they made it a quota because they were making a killin on writing tickets lol but it definitely isn't the same

 

[OffHand85]

I wish they wouldn't allow atvs, we always walked in before it became "fig field" did really good, maybe we hunted together, we always let any other hunters that showed up late or after us to join us.
If nobody drove their atvs in the ducks would hang around much longer.
Reduce the blinds by half, and it would be a high ranking hole.
We'd sink the canoe we used to get across the ditch and find a shallow spot we could kneel down in the flooded corn and be eating breakfast 8:30! So much fun best duck hunting of my life.

Pool 7 is what we always apply for it's always been good to us. The other pools 1-5 seem to have people that sky bust everything even if not in range. The fig field is nothing like it used to be before DU got involved and it became a draw

 

[OffHand85]

Same here! I always sat in a clump of willows and would experience the same thing…

Me and another TnDeer member hunted it in 2012/2013 and had the idea to stage head lights on the stalks of corn, and randomly move them around to keep other hunters from coming and hunting on top of us. Boy let me tell you, it worked like a champ too!

I never saw so many butt hurt fellas fill up the east end of that field, as they did that morning. Once they realized what happened, they played songs with duck calls and acted a fool. All the while we sat in those willows, with birds landing all around us for the longest. Those hunters eventually left before we started killing birds. We never pitched a deek or blew a call that morning.

A couple years later I was told numerous complaints were filed on us and was a factor in TWRA deciding to go quota hunt.

I've not seen the birds behave the same nor experienced a similar hunt since all the changes to the field took place. I can't say all that work was an actual improvement. Like I said it's been a gar hole ever since.

Frankly, we have such few non-quota opportunities around that I really don't try to kill birds unless the rivers are up and the weather is here.

Touché
Was it 2004 twra started leasing it? We talked with a farmer and he said we could hunt it, mornings only, so we did, and then traffic started…

 

[Smashdn]

I wish they wouldn't allow atvs, we always walked in before it became "fig field" did really good,

Pretty sporty little walk all the way back to where 10 is now. I don't disagree though that atv's push birds out.

 

[OffHand85]

Pretty sporty little walk all the way back to where 10 is now. I don't disagree though that atv's push birds out.

Still easier than most walk in places, there's levees to every blind location.