Happy hunting — but don’t shoot the power lines
October 2026
by Katie Luckett, Contributing Writer
Together, the 16 member cooperatives of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives serve more than 2 million people in three states, with households and businesses expecting uninterrupted power around the clock. Yet, there’s a threat to your cooperative’s overhead lines — electrical and sometimes fiber optic — and avoiding that threat could rest in your hands. With hunting seasons now open, electric cooperatives want sportsmen and sportswomen to take note: Don’t shoot the lines.
FIBER EFFECTS
Five VMDAEC cooperatives in Virginia and one in Maryland are connecting their members to high-speed internet as they install broadband along utility poles and underground.
On the Eastern Shore, for example, Choptank Fiber, a subsidiary of Choptank Electric Cooperative, has constructed thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable overhead. To help keep broadband access safe, the co-op has been urging hunters to use extra caution when aiming at flying waterfowl this fall.
The glass tubes in broadband fiber line are fragile and can break if hit by shotgun pellets, requiring all 144 individual strands to be spliced during a time-consuming repair.
“Customers who lose internet due to a shot fiber cable will most likely not even hear the shot because broadband service can come from up to almost 25 miles away,” says Evan Roe, supervisor of fiber services at Choptank Fiber. “Unlike electric service, where you hear a fuse blow on your transformer at your house or know there is a storm in the area and lose electric, the cause of a fiber outage is usually unknown to both the customer and the utility before the damage is located. One shot cable can take down hundreds of connections for miles.”
Emergency services may also rely on fiber for communications. “Shot fiber can also mean your local 911 dispatch service, fire, EMS and police radio systems, [a co-op’s] radio system, cellphone towers, and county and state networks can also lose vital connectivity,” says Tyler Thompson, senior fiber administrator at Choptank Fiber.
The average cost to repair a shot fiber cable ranges from $10,000 to $20,000. By law, the cost of the repair is borne by the landowner or the hunter who damaged the line. Co-ops want to protect you from that expense and protect everyone who needs the electricity and internet service on their lines. In addition to the cost of the repairs, the damage can take many hours to repair, causing lengthy internet outages for your community.
“A fiber splicing repair can take up to 12 hours depending on the fiber count,” says Thompson. “ That’s not counting the time it takes to replace or move the cable, and county and state networks can also lose vital connectivity.”
While most of the shot fiber cable results from dove hunting, Thompson says some damage occurs during recreational trap and skeet shooting.
ELECTRIC EFFECTS
Shooting at transmission facilities — wires, poles and insulators — is dangerous to hunters, jeopardizes everyone’s power and is a federal crime. A gunshot can cause electricity to arc to the ground or cause a wire to fall, posing a high risk of injury or death.
Never attempt to shoot through wires or at anything on wires or poles.
Structures such as tree stands or decoys attached to a transmission tower or pole or placed underneath a high-voltage line, even temporarily, are prohibited. Contact with these structures can be extremely dangerous because of the high-voltage electricity flowing through the lines.
“It’s important for all gun enthusiasts to keep an eye out for what’s in the background while shooting,” Thompson says.
Your cooperative knows most hunters practice safe hunting and understands the potential hazards of discharging a rearm. Co-ops encourage experienced hunters who are familiar with an area to help less-experienced hunters and gun enthusiasts identify electrical equipment.
VMDAEC and its member cooperatives thank you for helping keep the lines safe during hunting season.
Review the basic electrical and power line safety rules for hunters at choptankelectric.coop/dstl.
Katie Luckett is director of marketing, communications and education for Choptank Electric Cooperative, based in Salisbury, Md.
