i've not really hunted power lines but i have heard of guys doing it and having some success. anyone ever do that?, if so thoughts? i could definitely see it as a point of interest on big woods wma's
Hunting power lines
- Thread starter Chickencoop96
- Start date
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
I've hunted power lines on private land many times....I'd start by locating where natural travel corridors cross the power line....also selecting a location where you can see up and down the power line can be a huge advantage during muzzleloader or rifle season...during the rut pack a lunch and sit all day...eventually you will catch them crossing.... sometimes finding a tree for a climbing stand (where you can see) can be a challenge....so some scouting well in advance could pay off....and if the land lays right you may just hunt off ground....If the spot you first pick doesn't work out you still may see where they are crossing and make adjustments for future hunts.....so binos are a must...good luck.
I do like to glass alot so good thing i've got that covered! thanks for the advice!
DoubleRidge pretty much nailed it. I love hunting powerlines. The biggest whitetail I shot was there during muzzleloader season (deer on the right in my Avatar). We put ladderstands up on the edge on two ends. We also did what DoubleRidge said...find their travel routes where they are crossing.
medic
Well-Known Member
I hunt powerlines a lot. Take a look at my profile pic , killed this buck chasing does in the a powerline. The morning before this hunt I seen 15 deer before noon crossing the powerline, 10 does and 5 bucks, the next morning I killed this one.
Love them
tree_ghost
Well-Known Member
I've had success hunting them as well. Early season in big woods they produce as close to a food plot as you will get with all the native edge browse. I prefer to sit 10-15 yards inside the tree line since they can spot you easily if your right on the edge of the cut.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Had the opportunity to hunt ground blinds on power line on private property. My father in law let me hunt it one season, killed an 8 point every time I hunted it, 3 decent bucks in one season. Probably the most effective place I have ever used a grunt call. Wish I still had access to that property.
BSK
Well-Known Member
I have two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that cross my hill-country place. I always thought they were going to be gold mines. They never turned out to be. Until recently. Once the maintenance group switched from mowing them every 3 years to spraying them aerially, and then to spot spraying them with back-pack crews, the hunting around them has changed dramatically. I suspect it is the change of habitat which has occurred due to the change in maintenance style. During the cyclic mowing years, the right-of-ways would be all same-age young saplings. In the last year before mowing, when the saplings were at their peak height, deer used the right-of-ways as bedding cover, and they needed to be hunted as such (nearby, but not right on them). But now that the right-of-ways are spot-sprayed, they have shifted to tall native grasses (especially Indian Grass), and deer are using them heavily as travel corridors. Deer (and especially buck) sightings in and along the edges of the right-of-ways have increased dramatically.
He sure is a nice one too.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
My best south MS buck I killed on an overgrown powerline at 230p. He was bedded on it and got up to get a snack.
I love hunting them during the rut. Both bucks I killed in south MS last seasonwere on powerlines or gas pipelines.
I just pull my truck on the powerline and hunt from the bed of the truck with rifle on cab.
I love hunting them during the rut. Both bucks I killed in south MS last seasonwere on powerlines or gas pipelines.
I just pull my truck on the powerline and hunt from the bed of the truck with rifle on cab.
Rick Dillard
Well-Known Member
I absolutely love hunting powerline right-of-ways during the rut with a rifle. The best ones are those that run through the middle of a thick 6-8 year old cutover. With these, you are much more likely to see daytime movement by mature bucks. Hunting from the ground sitting in a folding chair gives you a lot more flexibility on where to setup. Great setups are where you can sit and watch multiple crossings. The best setups are right-of-ways that are 15-20 yards wide where you can sit 200-300 yards away from a crossing. The advantage to sitting this far away is that you are less likely to get busted. The disadvantage is that you typically only have a 5-10 second window of time to identify the buck as a shooter and make the shot. Even walking at a normal pace, they can get across before you realize it, so you have got to stay ready. Go in prepared for an all-day sit. Avoid the temptation of trying to set up a ladder stand or tripod close to the crossing. Mature bucks will pick up on this in a hurry. Do not go to the crossing checking for rubs, scrapes, etc. Some of these crossings only get used during the rut, so it may take several years to figure out where they cross. But, once you find that one place that mature bucks like to cross, they will cross in that same spot every year unless there is a drastic change in the habitat. Don't expect to see a lot of deer, but when you do it will probably be a good buck. Sometimes I may go 3 or 4 days and not see a single deer, but when I do see one there is a much higher probability of it being a good buck. Boring hunting most of the time, but very effective for the patient hunter.
Tweeter
Well-Known Member
I used to have a place that had a big high line power line on it and all the deer we harvested were in the power line clearing. I love power lines!!
