Ticks..What to do?

[huntone]

Is there anything new out there to help prevent ticks? I use some of the sprays for them and they don't work that well. I hate to smell up my boots and leave scent all over the place....My wife always gives me a strip search when I get home and she always finds them I have a friend that had the disease and DON'T want it.

[crazyfarmer]

do you want to prevent them while hunting?? Or just everyday around the yard prevention?

For hunting, the trick is to wear rubber boots and dress with a tight fitting base layer. Bass Pro sells a product like under armor called Endru Skin. Not only do they help with scent control, they keep you cool when its hot out and the biggest plus for me is keeping ticks off my skin. They cant seem to get under that stuff. Under armor works just as well. Just tuck it under your socks, tuck your top shirt under it and it will help. Since ive started doing that ive reduced the number of ticks ive gotten on me by about 75%. I also wear the tall Lacross alpha burly boots which any rubber boot plays a big part in keeping them off. The only way they can get on is if the grass is taller than the boot or you set down.

I dont use any sprays when hunting anymore since the things I do above help the most. My biggest problem comes when im dragging a deer out or processing it. Thats twhen I get most of the ticks on me. Also, when you get home, just leave your clothes outside for a day so if you do have ticks on them, they wont get inside. I normally go straight to the shower after a hunt, espically if I found a tick somewhere crawling.

I thought i had gotten lyme's last year.. Even got put on the pills. After blood tests it said I didnt have it, but lyme's comes in cycles and its a chance it wont show in the blood one test, but 2 weeks later it could. I had the classic red circle and spot after a bite from 2 months before.

ticks are nasty.. you can do things to help keep them off, but its no way to keep them off 100% if you are in the woods.

but a good base layer, rubber boots, and a shower should get 98% of them off

[raydaughety]

CF, sounds like you have it down to a science. We live amoungst some big pines and the ticks are terrible right here in the yard. About once a month or so, Tina will dry our everyday clothes on the clothesline and spray them with "permanone" made by REPEL. I use it on my hunting clothes as well. Once it's dry, it stays on your clothes for quite a while. You can pick it up at Wal-Mart for about 6 bucks a can. It has slowed the ticks down to a once a summer occurrence rather than a daily occurrence. Different areas require different precautions but that's what helps us. Good luck!!!!!

[saxman]

Like ray I use the Permanone

[huntone]

My wife always gives me a strip search when I get home

Hmmm...maybe I can talk my wife into doing that for me.

What you're doing is probably fine. I shower first before going into the woods and again immediately after each hunt. Not only does it help keep the bugs away but it also helps keep "Ole Mossy Horns" from detecting me.

Grandma was right. She said...be sure to wear clean underwear!

Thanks crazyfarmer, some good tips. I can get me some rubber boots and also try the Permanone. Thank you everyone

[DForester]

I have been tempted to use my dogs frontline flea and tick repelant it works great on him. Acouple of drops to the back of the neck and he is tick free all season.

[sumner4991]

....My wife always gives me a strip search when I get home and she always finds them.

I've found this to be the only sure fire way to get them all. Especially if it's done while showering.

[lscha]

I have been tempted to use my dogs frontline flea and tick repelant it works great on him. Acouple of drops to the back of the neck and he is tick free all season.

I am blessed with never seeing a tick in my area but managed to bring one home on my dog each time I visited my daughter in Illinois. Last visit, I put some flea and tick juice on her shoulder blades and she didn't have any when we came home. If I lived in an area of ticks I'd definitely be wearing flea collars on my ankles!!

[DForester]

Laura funny you say that you do not have ticks where you are at. We have ticks galore. But they all seem to be south of I-94. My parents live just north of 94 and they no ticks. I have talked with the vet about this and he agrees that allot of ticks are on the south side of I-94 kinda crazy.

[taxman]

funny you mention ticks. i jsut got back from one of my urban spots(close to work). i had some lucky buck mineral powder to put out. i only hunt 40 yards from my truck. walked in-came out w/ my first 2 ticks of the season. lots of rain here in virginia. also got a skeeter bite on the back of my neck. was out for no more than 5 minutes. permanone/permitherin is the ticket btw.

[lscha]

Laura funny you say that you do not have ticks where you are at. We have ticks galore. But they all seem to be south of I-94. My parents live just north of 94 and they no ticks. I have talked with the vet about this and he agrees that allot of ticks are on the south side of I-94 kinda crazy.

That IS strange. I live on 20+ acres in the country and have 3 hunting dogs and a lap dog. I found fleas on 2 house dogs about 8 years ago. It was only one season in 22 years. Right in town there are people who have to use flea prevention every year. Makes me wonder if we have natural flea predators out here.

[crazyfarmer]

My wife always gives me a strip search when I get home

Hmmm...maybe I can talk my wife into doing that for me.

What you're doing is probably fine. I shower first before going into the woods and again immediately after each hunt. Not only does it help keep the bugs away but it also helps keep "Ole Mossy Horns" from detecting me.

Grandma was right. She said...be sure to wear clean underwear!

Thanks crazyfarmer, some good tips. I can get me some rubber boots and also try the Permanone. Thank you everyone

if you dont own a pair of rubber boots then thats probably the tick problem;) My borther in law always wore plain boots and wondered why he would get covered in chiggers and ticks when I didnt get any;)

rubber boots would probably get rid of about 70% of your problem alone;)

[wildman]

That permione stuff that Ray was talking about works great ,I used to coon hunt any where from 3 to5 nights a week all summer long and used that stuff and wore rubber boots with snake chaps hardly ever got a tick or chigger on me ..

[raydaughety]

That permione stuff that Ray was talking about works great ,I used to coon hunt any where from 3 to5 nights a week all summer long and used that stuff and wore rubber boots with snake chaps hardly ever got a tick or chigger on me ..

Smart man Wildman. I imagine a combination of both rubber boots and permanone would make you pretty much "tick-proof" .

[scratcherky]

I use Permanone and Sevin dust. Never a tick or chigger (red bug).