Post by: UrsusNil on November 02, 2019, 11:23:14 AM
Cutting the grass, get a tick. The kid across the street and my son were playing out in the yard, she came in with 5 ticks, he had 2. I like to wear wool, but it seems to be a tick magnet.
This year I couldn't stand being out of the fall woods anymore. Broke out the bow and started shooting again. Even sold a couple guns to buy a new Super Kodiak. Tuesday was gorgeous here, perfect fall day. Had a couple hours to spare h, so took the opportunity to hunt a creek bed near my house. It was so nice to smell the fall woods, see the vibrant colors, feel the woods under my feet again! Didn't see anything, but to be honest I was too distracted by the beauty of the woods to even think about hunting!
Well, I got back and later that night went to the bathroom. Yep, had a tick in the worst possible place! A trip to the doctors and a dose of antibiotics, grrr!
I think I'm going to wait till late season to go out again.
My kid graduates HS in 7 years, when he does I think I'm heading west or somewhere that doesn't have as much of a tick population as western PA!
How do you guys hunt in a tick infested area?
Post by: UrsusNil on November 02, 2019, 11:25:55 AM
Post by: Roy from Pa on November 02, 2019, 11:33:30 AM
You need to buy some permethrin and treat all your cloth and boots.
It really works and kills ticks on contact darn near.
SW Pa here also..
Irwin
Post by: Trenton G. on November 02, 2019, 11:47:12 AM
One repels them and the other eats tick eggs.
Post by: Burly on November 02, 2019, 11:53:20 AM
Post by: achigan on November 02, 2019, 12:56:44 PM
Post by: UrsusNil on November 02, 2019, 01:51:16 PM
Post by: achigan on November 02, 2019, 03:01:10 PM
Post by: Silent footed on November 02, 2019, 03:58:35 PM
Post by: Silent footed on November 02, 2019, 04:00:23 PM
Post by: Sam McMichael on November 02, 2019, 04:12:52 PM
Post by: Roy from Pa on November 02, 2019, 04:31:48 PM
It's back where the horse supplies are.
Get a plastic spray bottle and mix some up then spray all your hunting cloths and boots. Spray it outside and let your stuff dry.
It lasts a good while, like a few washings, then just spray again.
It kills ticks in seconds....
Post by: Sam McMichael on November 02, 2019, 05:36:40 PM
Post by: olddogrib on November 02, 2019, 05:58:14 PM
Post by: UrsusNil on November 02, 2019, 06:07:16 PM
Post by: McDave on November 02, 2019, 07:24:32 PM
Post by: Silent footed on November 02, 2019, 07:47:41 PM
Post by: achigan on November 02, 2019, 09:04:15 PM
I mix up the solution according to directions in a bucket and immerse my clothing then hang it to dry using latex gloves.
Post by: Howitser on November 02, 2019, 09:09:25 PM
Post by: Roy from Pa on November 02, 2019, 09:13:21 PM
Great idea...
Post by: Wild Bill MCP 808 on November 02, 2019, 10:05:53 PM
Post by: mj seratt on November 03, 2019, 01:28:18 AM
Murray
Post by: Cory Mattson on November 03, 2019, 07:11:30 AM
Important to wear DEET too on exposed skin. I hunt in shorts mid August through most of October. Always wearing DEET back of my neck, head and legs.
And I ride home many times a year with game that is loaded with ticks. We always get to work quickly and always "feed the coyotes and vultures" by dumping animals parts especially the hides into woods at least a mile from the house. This has really eliminated ticks in the yard.
Since starting this mid 90s I have not gotten any ticks on me. And no chiggers either when I remember to spray sox, sneakers and DEET on my legs. Mid 70s to mid 90s I found ticks on me all the time.
Post by: George Tsoukalas on November 03, 2019, 07:36:35 AM
I got bitten last July in ME. I went to a local clinic as my my doctor was on vacation. Nurse practioner said the tick and had to be imbedded for at least 36 hours so no antibiotics. If I developed a fever or rash they would put me on doxycycline.
As it turns out I did develop a fever and my doctor put me on doxycycline and he said he would have done so from the beginning. He took a lyme's test and I was clear. Thank God.
My yard gets sprayed with cedar oil which really helps repel the ticks. But I still hop in the shower right after gardening and mowing.
I've been hanging back from hunting until we get a good hard frost.
Jawge
Post by: Eric Krewson on November 03, 2019, 08:51:44 AM
I usually pick up ticks in the yard just from walking across it. I wear shorts a lot and know they are crawling up my socks and on to my legs. I keep a pair of treated socks to wear when I wander around my place and just the treated socks alone keep me tick free.
Just to emphasize how good this stuff is; we had an ice storm back in the 90s that toppled thousands of pine trees across the roads and food plots on our 4K acre lease. I worked for 6 months in the summer clearing the roads and plots by myself with a chainsaw, I cleared about 5 miles of roads. It was cut and toss the limbs off the road, I was neck deep in brush all day long. My clothes were treated with permethrin, I picked up 2 ticks in 6 months of this back breaking work.
Post by: bcwilly2003 on November 03, 2019, 08:58:22 AM
Post by: Sam McMichael on November 03, 2019, 09:22:00 AM
I don't know about buying clothing that comes pre-treated. The cans of spray are relatively cheap, but how expensive are these clothes? Whatever, you choose, ticks need to be combatted! Sorry guys, but tick issues is my soap box.
Post by: Wudstix on November 03, 2019, 09:43:08 AM
Post by: M60gunner on November 03, 2019, 10:34:17 AM
Now I have to contend with snakes, scorpions, and no see eems
Post by: Tim Finley on November 03, 2019, 10:53:26 AM
Post by: achigan on November 03, 2019, 12:21:41 PM
Post by: wood carver 2 on November 03, 2019, 12:38:24 PM
I use the gloves to keep the liquid permethrin dilution off my skin per instructions. Once the solution had dried, it bonds with the cloth, making it safe to wear, even if I sweat.I’m glad you said that. I was going to ask whether you apply permethrin to your outer layers only or even your T-shirts and long underwear,etc.
Dave.
Post by: achigan on November 03, 2019, 12:46:31 PM
Post by: Captain*Kirk on November 03, 2019, 11:16:01 PM
I spray my clothing mainly concentrating on the cuffs, sleeves, etc and only treat the outside of the clothing, then allow it to air dry completely. I then apply DEET to the skin in the areas ticks can get into your clothing. The permeth is supposed to last through six wash cycles of clothing, so don't over-treat.
Post by: Silent footed on November 04, 2019, 02:04:59 AM
How many of you guys are using the whole soap and spray, laundry detergent, scent removal system, and then treating your clothes and body with these chemicals?
I mean, me personally, I can't imagine even wearing regular bug dope while hunting. And I don't even go to scent reduction steps myself.
Post by: Eric Krewson on November 04, 2019, 08:42:52 AM
I only hunt stands with the wind in my favor now, don't wear camo and have as good success now as when I wasted a bunch of time and money on the scent free stuff.
Post by: Captain*Kirk on November 04, 2019, 11:32:27 AM
I hunt the wind....
^^^^^^^This. Top priority.^^^^^^^
But I 'discovered' the Thermacell this year, thanks to some other hunters that raved about it. Can't say if it works on ticks but sure puts the kibosh on 'skeeters. Can't remember if it's supposed to repel ticks or not?
I bring a small bottle of liquid DEET (the high octane 98% stuff) in my day pack and do not hesitate to use it if the situation warrants. Better to spook a deer one one stand session than to put up with a lifetime of medical issues due to Lyme or other tick-borne diseases.
Be aware that DEET comes in various strengths, the most common being around 40%. When hunting, if you have to drag it out, might as well put the good stuff on. The bottle I bought is no bigger around than my thumb.
I think if I hunted in NE and had the issues some of you reported, I'd wait until after the first hard frost.
Post by: gregg dudley on November 04, 2019, 02:08:25 PM
Since permethrin is a nerve agent, I did a LOT of reading before I tried it. Major companies(LLBean, Insect Shield among them)use it. I try to look into new tech when my health and money are on the line. A Google search of “permethrin clothing” might put ones fears to rest.
This is why I won't use it on clothing that directly touches my skin...
Post by: Captain*Kirk on November 04, 2019, 02:35:27 PM
Look at DDT, Agent Orange, Roundup...
I'm not confident that enough research and time testing has gone into a lot of these things. I would avoid allowing saturated clothing to touch your skin, even after drying.
On the other hand, clothing treated with permeth on the OUTSIDE and allowed to completely dry should be safe.
Post by: UrsusNil on November 06, 2019, 07:26:00 AM
Interesting side note, I used to belong to a flintlock club and we would occasionally have guest speakers. One was a guy who made brain tanned buckskin. Beautiful skins, had them smoked and finished exactly as they were done years ago.
He pointed out all the small pin holes in the buckskin explaining that these were tick bites. Lots of them, about what you would expect on a deer.
Then he went on to say in his studies he got to examine some very old pieces of buckskin. He found the old buckskins were almost always without tick bites.
So I guess the natives and frontiersmen certainly had their problems out there, but ticks weren't one of them!
Post by: gregg dudley on November 06, 2019, 09:19:54 AM
A buddy of mine called me yesterday to tell me that after a year of fighting symptoms without a firm diagnosis his family doctor finally ordered tests for tick borne disease. He was positive for THREE tick borne diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and something else (not Alpha Gal). Hopefully with a positive diagnosis, they can make some progress on treatment.
Post by: Cyclic-Rivers on November 06, 2019, 12:22:10 PM
I use sawyers now sold at Walmart
Post by: Wudstix on November 06, 2019, 01:03:30 PM
Post by: Captain*Kirk on November 06, 2019, 01:19:07 PM
Excessive fire suppression Lack of makes sense for the possible cause of more ticks, back in the day nature took care of that now man tries to control everything to benefit him. How's that working out for all the tick borne disease victims?^^^^^^^^^^^Agree!^^^^^^^^^^^^
Controlled burn is one of the most effective, and under-utilized, tools we have available. In the area I hunt (PHL) they do controlled burns every fall and I have not seen one tick yet.
Post by: McDave on November 06, 2019, 03:27:14 PM
Excessive fire suppression Lack of makes sense for the possible cause of more ticks, back in the day nature took care of that now man tries to control everything to benefit him. How's that working out for all the tick borne disease victims?^^^^^^^^^^^Agree!^^^^^^^^^^^^
Controlled burn is one of the most effective, and under-utilized, tools we have available. In the area I hunt (PHL) they do controlled burns every fall and I have not seen one tick yet.
Then we ought to be doing fine in California, as I don't think there is very much of the state that didn't burn up in the last two or three years.