So I'm very cautious about ticks and spray my clothes heavily with Sawyers Permethrin days in advance before hunting. I always tuck my pants legs in my knee high Lacrosse boots. I also spray down before I hit the woods with bug spray and carry a Thermocell. Well last year I had a tick seize on my leg and ended up with a bad spot similar to the dreaded bulls eye. I went to the doctor and was treated for Lyme disease. My question is do you have or use any other home remedies for keeping ticks off of you? I used to just pluck them off and move on, but as I've gotten older I have become more concerned.
Best thing I have found for ticks is to hunt in the mountains away from fields and food plots. Aside from that I don't take any precautions. Best way to fight lyme disease is with a healthy immune system.
The only way I know of to completely avoid ticks during turkey season is to not go turkey hunting.
That being said, I have noticed that they seem to have a proclivity for high grasses. If I walk through vegetation that looks "tick like "I am mediately check my clothing, and shake myself off a bit.
also a good excuse to have your wife thoroughly check you at home when you are done hunting. You could always mention to your wife that it is a good idea for you to check her as well.
Quote from: Marc on February 22, 2017, 02:59:58 PM
The only way I know of to completely avoid text during turkey season is to not go turkey hunting.
That being said, I have noticed that they seem to have a proclivity for high grasses. If I walk through vegetation that looks "tick like "I am mediately check my clothing, and shake myself off a bit.
also a good excuse to have your wife thoroughly check you at home when you are done hunting. You could always mention to your wife that it is a good idea for you to check her as well.
I like the last part :TooFunny:
I went to Wisconsin (I thought the pines here in Eastern NC held ticks but Wisconsin definitely has us beat) a couple of springs ago to chase LB's. My buddy didn't spray down but I did. He was covered with ticks but I wasn't. Since then, I prepare a bottle and take it with me. I mix my own with 10% permethrin, per the post in OG. I will normally do all my gear (hat, gloves, vest, mask, shirt, pants, boots and jacket) several times a season. I don't think anything is 100% but permethrin has worked for me.
I use Permethrin too, at least twice a season.....seems to work as well as anything.....Approximately 15 years ago I was bit by a particular tick and became highly allergic to any mammal meat....look up "Alpha-Gal" and read about it, not pleasant, you will immediately do everything you can to keep ticks off of you.
I'm going to try the 10% permethrin mix as suggested and carry it in the truck to spray before hitting the woods. I'm a true believer in Permethrin as well.
permethrin stuff straight work.. wish I heard of it when i was a kid always dragging in ticks from my adventures
permethrin
There's a pretty high concentration of them where I hunt but it varies some year to year. Some places a quick walk seems to leave you crawling w em.
Here's the thing, we hunt turkeys by learning behavior/patterns. Ticks have certain characteristics too. One is they aren't mosquitos, they never instantly bite n are on you a bit before they latch on. Most my hunts I simply strip my clothes off outside than check myself for em inside. Leaving clothes hanging outside. I often forget or don't spray n yet don't wind up wearing many.
Yes it's something to worry about, especially w the health concerns but I'm more concerned w areas that have chiggers
Permetherin has it's own side of horrors if not used as labeled but if done properly is worth the risk . Best advice is to have your wife or girlfriend or if your lucky , both ;) , check you over good after the hunt. Ticks must be attached for 24 hours in order to transfer the Lyme virus to humans. An ounce of prevention as they say...
Quote from: gergg on February 22, 2017, 03:49:40 PM
I use Permethrin too, at least twice a season.....seems to work as well as anything.....Approximately 15 years ago I was bit by a particular tick and became highly allergic to any mammal meat....look up "Alpha-Gal" and read about it, not pleasant, you will immediately do everything you can to keep ticks off of you.
Yep, listened to that podcast. Dreaded lone star tick! I use Permethrin, repellent and stop by the witch doctor on the way into the woods.
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I have been using permethrin for the last 2 years and it is amazing how well that stuff works!
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I had a tick stuck to me, followed but the bullseye a couple years ago. My Dr treated me without doing any tests because the treatment is cheap compared to the testing. Other than that, I've been very lucky when it comes to ticks.
Here's the link for the permethrin spray http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,3417.0.html Sawyers is .5% so mix 1 oz of 10% to 20 ozs of water that will give you .5%. Don't spray it directly on skin. Spray ALL of your clothes, boots, socks, vest etc and let dry. It is normally good for several washings, so re apply as you want but let it dry before you put it on your body. A pint bottle of 10% permethrin will give you (16) 20 oz bottles if mixed correctly.
I used to think that ticks were everywhere up here. Every deer I killed was covered in them. Then one day my wife was helping skin one and noticed that they had 6 legs. Ticks have 8. She has a degree in wildlife management so it set off a bell in her head. Turns out they are deer louse. They bite and work an area over but do not bury their heads in their host. So what many think are ticks are actually not. Now we have ticks still but not as bad as I originally thought. Permithrin has helped a lot for me and especially with chiggers. Those things love me.
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Quote from: Treerooster on February 22, 2017, 05:56:43 PM
Quote from: ncwoodsman on February 22, 2017, 03:52:26 PM
I'm going to try the 10% permethrin mix as suggested and carry it in the truck to spray before hitting the woods. I'm a true believer in Permethrin as well.
Not good.
Spray your clothes BEFORE you go hunting and let the permethrin DRY before you put them on. Sprayed that way your clothes should last about 3 weeks.Treat again if still hunting/in the woods. You don't want the permethrin on your skin when it's wet.
What he said & I also use bug spray right before I leave the truck. Also I use the Elimitick pants & shirt from Gamehide. Another thing to do is take a bath after you get home as quick as you can hopefully before they dig into your skin too deep if possible. Been doing it this way for several years now & I have not had any problem with ticks.
I was talking to an old logger in Elizabeth City the other day and asked him the same question. He told me he puts a small amount of diesel fuel on his boots and has zero ticks on him. He swore they couldn't stand it. If it's really bad he will put a little on his pants. You're going to stink but it may be a solution. I haven't tried it yet but this guy has been around and seemed like the kind of old breed that knows a thing or two.
Read the thread about making your own permethrin.
I then apply to EVERYTHING!
Socks, boots, gloves, caps, handkerchiefs, face mask, blind, chairs, in side pockets, packs..EVERTHING!
Or you could try a "soak mix" in place of spraying some items and spray the rest.
If I'm going to be in a blind, I'll even spray the ground inside.
I also spray the decoys.
I repeat every 4 weeks.
Just remember, it only takes 1 tick to make it back to the car/truck, to bite you later.
Don't forget the turkey. They can have them on them also.
Dang things are a real pain when you're a "tick magnet", such as me..........LOL
:newmascot:
I got one about 6 years ago that latched on the middle of my back. It made a place with a partial ring. Dr. Didn't do anything to treat it. Till this day there is a very weird and permanent spot where it bit me.
I have been bitten by ticks many times but to date no ill effects. Once removed the site itches and is raised for a long time. A fellow told me that the best way to get them off is to saturate a cotton ball with nail polish remover and fasten over the bite site with a band aid. He says with 10-15 minutes the tick will back out and you are none the worse. I have used the permethrin and it does work but you must remember to use.
You don't want any ticks on you at all. Use the permithrin. I had Rocky Mountain spotted fever a few years ago due to a tick bite in turkey season. In fact I had several tick bites that year. The fever didn't show up until Memorial Day weekend. Bad stuff. I'm a permithrin user now.
Been Permithrin user for several years with much success & very few tick bites. I bust a lot of brush in my work too.
Here http://tic-nc.org/ (http://tic-nc.org/) is a great link on which ticks carry what diseases and what to do if you get bit. I got the brochure from the local health department. I hope it helps.
Jim
Have had more ticks dug into me than I care to count and have had the "bullseye" lots of times. No Lyme disease yet. Not sure that washing your clothes in a chemical that repels or kills something as hardy as a tick is any safer than taking your chances with a tick bite.
Quote from: Marc on February 22, 2017, 02:59:58 PM
The only way I know of to completely avoid ticks during turkey season is to not go turkey hunting.
That being said, I have noticed that they seem to have a proclivity for high grasses. If I walk through vegetation that looks "tick like "I am mediately check my clothing, and shake myself off a bit.
also a good excuse to have your wife thoroughly check you at home when you are done hunting. You could always mention to your wife that it is a good idea for you to check her as well.
Any man who loves his wife should check her for ticks a couple of times a week, at least...If she comes down with Lymes, she could end up with headaches, and lose interest in, well, everything... ;)
Quote from: Bowguy on February 22, 2017, 04:25:55 PM
There's a pretty high concentration of them where I hunt but it varies some year to year. Some places a quick walk seems to leave you crawling w em.
Here's the thing, we hunt turkeys by learning behavior/patterns. Ticks have certain characteristics too. One is they aren't mosquitos, they never instantly bite n are on you a bit before they latch on. Most my hunts I simply strip my clothes off outside than check myself for em inside. Leaving clothes hanging outside. I often forget or don't spray n yet don't wind up wearing many.
Yes it's something to worry about, especially w the health concerns but I'm more concerned w areas that have chiggers
Me too, I have gotten into chiggers really bad twice and that was enough for me. I don't know if there is anything worse than a chigger bite especially when you have a couple hundred of them on you. I really am not sure I have ever been that miserable in my life.
I was painting property lines one summer in college for my summer job and got into them bad one time. Had around 170-180 chigger bites on me. I was literally miserable for two weeks. Was the absolute worst itch I have ever experienced.
Quote from: BB30 on February 24, 2017, 09:53:06 AM
Quote from: Bowguy on February 22, 2017, 04:25:55 PM
There's a pretty high concentration of them where I hunt but it varies some year to year. Some places a quick walk seems to leave you crawling w em.
Here's the thing, we hunt turkeys by learning behavior/patterns. Ticks have certain characteristics too. One is they aren't mosquitos, they never instantly bite n are on you a bit before they latch on. Most my hunts I simply strip my clothes off outside than check myself for em inside. Leaving clothes hanging outside. I often forget or don't spray n yet don't wind up wearing many.
Yes it's something to worry about, especially w the health concerns but I'm more concerned w areas that have chiggers
Me too, I have gotten into chiggers really bad twice and that was enough for me. I don't know if there is anything worse than a chigger bite especially when you have a couple hundred of them on you. I really am not sure I have ever been that miserable in my life.
I was painting property lines one summer in college for my summer job and got into them bad one time. Had around 170-180 chigger bites on me. I was literally miserable for two weeks. Was the absolute worst itch I have ever experienced.
I'm right there with you BB. My deer lease is a breeding ground for chiggers. When working there during the summer, we do whatever we can to stay out of the tall grass and spray down as much as possible. When you have 100+ bites, the itch will literally drive you mad. I keep hydrocortisone cream in my overnight bag just in case that time of year.
I wear a set of light weight base layers. They are tight at my ankles, wrist and neck. Snug at least. When I get home my clothes come off on the patio and my base layers go in the washer. I always have ticks on my clothes but rarely on me. I do use off sometimes from boots to knees.
I take garlic pills it's not foolproof but it sure helps
Garlic turns my stomach. It must be the vampire in me.?
I am a chigger magnet. I can be walking through the exact same piece of woods and get covered up in chiggers, while the people with me barely pick up a single one. I had over 300 from the waist down one time. It was brutal. Rather than try to get them off my pants one time, there were so many that I just burned the pants on the spot and got a spare pair out of my truck. I found that if you can wipe your legs down with a paper towel saturated in rubbing alcohol before they bite, it kills them.
My grandfather used to tie kerosene soaked rags over his boots and around the bottom of his pants legs when he picked blackberries in July. He didn't ever get too many chiggers that I remember. I found that wearing rubber boots helps cut down the number of chiggers you pick up, but wading through tall grass cuts down their effectiveness. Permethrin kills ticks and chiggers. It does my heart good to know that when I come out of the woods & brush with no ticks or chiggers on me that I've left a trail of dead ones behind.
Jim
I mix 1 ounce of 10% Permethrin and 20 ounces of water together in a bucket and throw my hunting pants and shirt in it. Let it soak a bit then wring the clothes out. Place them on a flat surface covered with a plastic garbage bag. Allow the Permethrin soaked clothes to dry, turning them over frequently. Put them on a hanger and hang it somewhere where air can circulate around the clothes and let them hang for several days. The smell will disappear and you are ready to go. This technique treats the clothes thoroughly and prevents the solution from travelling to the cuff/waist and leaving areas with just a trace.
Ticks used to be a regular problem, but since I started soaking, not just spraying, my clothes, I have found 0 ticks on my body.
The instructions on OG concerning making the mix are pretty clear. Much cheaper than buying spray.
Good luck.
FC
Thank you all for the comments and responses to this thread. Thanks to this forum I will be purchasing Duration Permethrin 10% concentrate and mixing my own from now on which should save me a few bucks.
Good luck to you all this turkey season!
It may seem odd to be thinking about tick prevention in February but apparently not so. I live in northern Illinois. I was in the woods for two hours yesterday and, much to my surprise, during this morning's shower, found a tick attached to my inner thigh. This is the earliest time of the year in Illinois that I've ever seen a tick, much less actually get bitten by one. Never would have believed this story...until this morning.
Quote from: Strutr on February 28, 2017, 03:50:21 PM
It may seem odd to be thinking about tick prevention in February but apparently not so. I live in northern Illinois. I was in the woods for two hours yesterday and, much to my surprise, during this morning's shower, found a tick attached to my inner thigh. This is the earliest time of the year in Illinois that I've ever seen a tick, much less actually get bitten by one. Never would have believed this story...until this morning.
You wouldn't believe how green it's getting on the other end of the state already. Pear trees getting ready to bloom. No ticks yet but the water temp has been in the mid 50's and higher.