what would you do with a power line

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
going to mow a big transmission line. I can get about a 500 yard stretch mowed if I want to go that far.

I'm going to a box stand where the path comes out, will be able to see about 150 yards to my left and 350 to might right.

there is a couple of wet spots that I hope will dry out to be able to get it all mowed. lots of ag fields around.

would you just mow it or sling the yellow gold or plant something?

I've never done a food plot and don't know what would work in good ole Duplin county. Lines run north and south if that makes a difference.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Iron clay peas and milo now or
rye and crimson clover in the fall
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
If there's enough native browse in the powerline there may not be a reason to plant anything else. Sometimes a good mowing and leaving the native browse in clumps or strips..then putting out lime and fertilizer to make those patches better than the surrounding area is the most productive thing you can do.
With a 500 yard strip, you will certainly have multiple crossings, so multiple stands may be necessary to cover that strip. I'd set out cameras to try and get an idea of where the natural crossings are, then place stands accordingly.
 

Deerherder

Ten Pointer
I think fall plots are best on powerlines. The reason is that the food in the fall/early winter gives them a reason to linger while they cross, not just sprint by. Wheat or oats mixed with some clover and turnips works really well for me. I do some soybeans & cowpeas mixed together now so that they have a good source there year round & stay in the area.
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
We plant wheat/oats/peas/clover in the fall...

LightLine2_zpsa0dc6865.jpg
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
^^^^thats what I would do as well.
I wish we had a power line running thru the place I hunt like that.
 

DRS

Old Mossy Horns
I would not mow the entire area. Leave it for good cover, seen many a deer bed in a power line r/w. Oats always worked good for me as fall food plots. Plant some clover this in later winter, get a soil sample and prep plot right. The best plot I ever had was 3 acres of Imperial Clover deer used it all year for years until it was turned into a hay field.
 

boomer

Twelve Pointer
Leave some cover if you mow it. I have a large power line on my property and the deer feed in the power line at night if I don't leave some cover for them. I have a low wet area that is tough to mow so it stay "natural" and the rest I keep mowed and I have it planted in grass. Soils are tough in my area,very shallow to brownstone rock, so what I can get to grow and come back each year is what is there. I plant clover every fall with some success but it never comes back the next year. For my money , I just mow the grass put up a spin feeder and have a mineral site near my stand .
 

Ceehawk37

Ten Pointer
I'll echo what others have said, leave some cover for them. That should make the deer feel safe moving through the ROW. If you have an idea as to where your stand will be then you may be able to mow a strip or two that you can plant and they would double as a shooting lane. May not be the best option but a lot of what you can do depends on terrain. If you get an idea where they tend to cross, that's when you can get creative with stand placement and plots.
 

Combine_corn

Guest
Lime it, Then plant peas, soybeans and milo on one section, on the other section, go with Oats, 4 way clover ( ladino, crimson, alsike, medium red) and some kind of brassica
 

BigBow

Ten Pointer
Contributor
During early bow season a couple of seasons ago, I put out about 2 gallons of shelled corn on a power-line the day before my hunt. While hunting next morning & not seeing anything, about mid-morning a big tractor w/ a bush hog comes along mowing the transmission R.O.W. & making all kinds of racket. I figured my hunt was ruined for that day.The next morning I came back to the same spot & deer were everywhere. They were all over the new browse & the small amount of corn I had previously scattered near my ladder stand. I arrowed 2 does 15 minutes apart. Point is...environmental changes can be very important scouting tools & sometimes you don't even have to plant.
 

nc rabbit hunter

Guest
Wish I could plant my lines but they spray them with a residual that last for couple of years then they respray.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They sprayed my powerline this month, but didn't spray the plots. Whatever they used was unusual in that it killed everything!
 
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