RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is reminding hunters not to shoot at birds on power lines during dove season. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, DWR reminded hunters in a post on social media not to shoot birds on power lines, as it is a federal offense to shoot at p ower lines. Officials stated that fiber optic cables have recently been added to electric poles and adjacent runs to and under electric lines. Damage to optic cable can be expensive to fix and can cause internet and phone outages for homes and businesses in the area. Additionally, an outage from a single broken fiber can create major delays in emergency response systems. Without service, 911 first responders can not communicate and respond during an emergency. During the beginning of dove season in 2025, there were over 300,000 broadband customer outage minutes due to shot lines in Virginia. “Damage to fiber during dove hunting season is a new phenomenon for Firefly, broadband providers and for local hunters,” said Firefly CEO and President, Gary Wood. “These folks have been hunting the same land for years and rarely caused damage by shooting at doves on the power lines. However, now there is fiber just beneath the power lines that is susceptible to birdshot. This is an opportunity for us to educate Virginia hunters about this change and to spread the word.” Fiber optic cables bring high-speed internet to communities. The optical fibers are surrounded by glass tubing, which shatters when shot, disrupting internet and phone services. Beginning in 2017, Virginia has spent $875 million of state funding and has received $1.1 billion in federal funding for fiber optic cables, which can be costly to repair. This year, the average cost to repair a damaged cable is around $25,000 according to DWR. Anyone who shoots a cable and the landowner could be responsible for damaged lines. "Communities depend on their broadband to work to help businesses run, children learn in their schools, and first responders help those in need," the post stated. "This dove season, be a good neighbor, obey the law, and please don’t shoot at birds on the line." The first segment of dove season opens on Saturday, Sept. 5. ...read more read less