Do deer shun powerlines?

Heck NO!!! I always scan down a powerline when driving as it is my longest view for the most part... I see them under all sizes of powerline... I was out all night friday and saturday nights runnin' with a buddy and his deer dogs getting them ready for season and they were under and around the main powerline all night... never a mile north or south of it and deer crossing under many times...
Brent
 
If you have a power line running through the middle of a bean field there are no more deer under it than anywhere else. Same for forest land unless you have planted something on the right of way for them to eat. But, it sure makes them easier to see.
 
I wouldn't say the powerline itself attracts them but as already said it is so easy to see 300-400 yards deep. I will also add that I seen so many tracks of various size deer and the tracks were more more than just numerous. Piles of scat everywhere too. Not just one trail used to get from one side to the other...
Brent
 
A lot of times there is good browse on a power line compared to what is in the woods. Mature forest don't offer much accept when the acorns drop.
 
Anything that has been cut will offer the best browse for the next 3 or 4 years . Typicaly a better choice for the deer to feed on . Ask any biologist. If you want to improve any natural area on your property just have it bushhoged in the spring and the deer will show on it. may be just as many in the wooded areas but you can sure see them easier on the cut over.
 
Thanks for all the replies...way more than I thought I'd get. It's 'high buck season' here in WA, and any blacktail I target must have min. of 3pts on one side, but thanks to ya'll I'm hunting a nice stretch of powerlines tomorrow. Hopefully, the deer gods will bless me...regardless, at least I'm outside huntin'.

Tom
 
These two don't seem to mind at all.

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Taken from my driveway, down the powerline.
 
Haven`t read all the post(excuse me if I repeat) but my experience is that, in the right set-up, deer love powerlines as there is more browse for them to munch on. A powerline with lots of foreage running through a deep/heavy canopied woods is a great spot to set up. Especially if there`s no open farm fields around and water is also close by. The more open,well sunlit fields with browse the less attractive the powerlines become. One of my all-time fav. spots to bow hunt Ohio`s late pre- rut was just such a spot as described above. I`ve taken several nice bucks from there. Do to health reason`s, I today, can`t make it to the spot. The spots in good hands though as I turned it over to a young man I`ve taken hunting since he was a kid. Thats a sore subject with my son`s.
 
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Power lines are one of my favorites areas to hunt. We use dogs to hunt dear here in Virginia and if there is a power line any where around the dear will usually cross it during a chase. Same applies to still hunting.
 
would agree they do cross powerline clearings often and may even travel down them for awhile if its easier for them to use, but ive never had much luck hunting a powerline mainly due to hunting pressure usually see some but never was able to get a shot as they moved right across the clearing quickly during deer season, I would suggest you atleast think about another strategy as hunting powerlines may not be very effective after the first couple of days of the season if the area is hunted much.
 
I have a natural gas line above my parents house serounded by woods. Elk and Blacktail are the most prevalent game in the area. I know to choose my shots wisely on the gas line, would black tail frequent the pipe line do you think?
 
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