Advantages/Disadvantages to Power line/Gas Line on your property

[krm944]

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Happy Saturday-

I am making my notes and studying up for the upcoming season and finally taking Turkey hunting seriously. To date my past harvests have been mostly luck or opportunity.

My hunting property is about 1k acres in VA of pines, hardwoods with swamps/lowlands and has a bit more than a mile of power lines running through it. Some of the power line was brush hogged down last fall, a small stretch hasn’t been cut in a few years and is head high grasses/briars etc.

If your property has a powerline/gas line how do you use it to your advantage? What disadvantages may I be overlooking?

[Greg Massey]

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Most of the time, these areas green up first and turkeys like to feed on these Power line / gas lines provided if they had been cut in the fall... like you said and not overgrown, they like to roost on the edges of these areas ... Vision is a lot better for them in seeing predators and other turkeys ...

[krm944]

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Interesting. I was wondering how easily I could slip up the powerline early morning or if I’d bump birds off the roost. The power lines run almost true North and South and we very commonly have south winds along the coast.

Thank you!!

[bbcoach]

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Most of the time, these areas green up first and turkeys like to feed on these Power line / gas lines provided if they had been cut in the fall... like you said and not overgrown, they like roost on the edges of these areas ... Vision is a lot better for them in seeing predators and other turkeys ...

X2.  Since they have been cut last fall, they will use them as Strut zones as well.  On rainy days, they will move out in the open, when wet, to dry off.  Scout them, preseason and keep an eye on them as the season progresses.

[Sir-diealot]

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The land I hunt has gas lines, an advantage they get is they road to the cabin is fully maintained by the gas company, mowed, filled with gravel when needed and built up when needed.

A couple of the disadvantages are that they were not the owners when the gas lines were installed so they do not get paid in any way. The gas company can tell them where they can and can't build on the property. The company is supposed to build up the road every April and October but that is not always they case, I have had them show up in the middle of my set when I am hunting, being disabled that is a major pain both literally and metaphorically because if they show up to mow and my blind is in the way I have to stop my hunt and remove everything which is NOT at all easy for me. I bought one of those non motorized push mowers and will be having the blade set so it does not come down and will be mowing it before and during the season. This will be painful for me but it will help me lose more weight and will have the advantage for the turkey that if they are in the grass they will be able to get away from me before they could one of those guys that fly around on the mowers.

[runngun]

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Man y'all have some jacked up stuff in New York apparently.  Definitely ain't that way in the South. There is no way I could live there.

Have a good one, Bo

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[Sir-diealot]

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Man y'all have some jacked up stuff in New York apparently.  Definitely ain't that way in the South. There is no way I could live there.

Have a good one, Bo

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Good friends father had a property with gas lines on it and he was going to put in a small shed I think it was and they would not let him put it up because it was to close to the pipes or something like that. The one that really bothers me is I think the new owner of the land should be the one to get paid for the I guess you could say "mineral rights" but only the original owner has those rights.

[Tom007]

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Gas and Power-lines are definitely an advantage where I hunt. I harvest most my Tom’s on or very close to these areas…..they are great late morning areas where turkeys pick for insects in the grasses…..

[guesswho]

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Advantage- drizzly rain usually equals great success ratio. 
Advantage- turkeys are visible
Disadvantage- turkeys are visible to everyone.

[Greg Massey]

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Advantage- drizzly rain usually equals great success ratio. 
Advantage- turkeys are visible
Disadvantage- turkeys are visible to everyone.

  This could also be said about parking your truck... But you are right ...

[mountainhunter1]

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I have had great success on gas/power lines on rainy days. On a rainy day, it is almost unfair if you use those lanes correctly.

 As said, the only disadvantage is that other hunters can see those turkeys from two miles away if they step out into the gas/power lines and take a look.

[Tnandy]

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I always hunt powerlines religiously where I have access too. They are super productive as it has been stated on here already. When cut, they are gold on rainy days; late season midday hunts, when I find dustbowls used by hens and pressured, silent toms. I don't care for "deer hunting" them a whole lot personally but will before I eat a tag or if I know there is a good mature bird around. Another thing is I really don't like to set up right on the edge to close just in case ol wily hen comes through in front of her man and busts me (had to learn that the hard way lol). I back off some and brush in good when possible. there is always catches to some set ups but I don't like to get right on the edge if I can help it. I always try to keep myself in the shade as much as possible. I don't want anything too give me away. Good luck!

[g8rvet]

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Where I hunt, there were tracks and activity on the power lines all last season.  This season they were replacing the poles (high tension lines) and there were very few tracks, only at the end of the season when the work stopped for a month.

[Marc]

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I have always wondered if there is something else, besides the vegitation associated with power lines that attracts game...


Couple rivers I fish, there are areas were power lines cross, with no unsusal habitat changes, that hold fish at far higher concentrations?

Hunting pheasants in the past, those fallow patches under the power lines always held far higher concentrations of birds, than other similar fallow patches in the same areas?


Speaking to a wildlife biologist (some years ago), I asked this question...  It was his theory that there is some sort of electro-magnetic attraction that make power line crossings more attractive to game...  Animals certainly sense things we do not...

So while I will certainly not say with certainty that power lines in and of themselves attract game...  If I see them (whether hunting or fishing) they are generally the first place I will stop.

[Paulmyr]

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Waterfowl will not fly under high voltage power lines. The electromagnetic field generated by the lines messes with them. Makes sense because it's my understanding they use the megantic field generated by the earth for navigation on moonless and stormy/ cloudy nights.