Winter ticks are ruining my hunts

[fishnguy]

Last year, for the first time I ran into a bunch of these ticks. At least once with hundreds, if not thousands, of them all over me (I’d say about elbow level and down). The first time I ran into them I didn’t even realize it was ticks because I was in the middle of an exciting hunt chasing elk. A couple of days later, I had a few dozens of bites, mostly around the waist area, upper torso, and ankles. I asked some questions on the forum and posted some very good info in the thread last year, much appreciation to ticdoc for the info provided. Here is the thread: http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=389044

So last year was very rainy (probably one of the rainiest summers I can remember), which was ideal conditions for these little parasites to flourish and wait for their time come September, to find a host and torture some moose. This year, the summer was a complete opposite: extremely dry and very hot, so I thought I wouldn’t get to see them this fall when hunting.

Fast forward to past Saturday. I finally got to go hunting the bush for the first time and guess what? I collected a bunch of these little ****ers on me again. No real action as far as elk went, but these really just reduced my outing experience by a lot. Oh well, what are you going to do.

So the next day, on Sunday, I went to the valley for round two. Before heading for a hunt, I stopped by Walmart to pick up some bug spray, just in case, since some suggested last year it works and keeps these little things away. In Walmart, I actually saw something called tick repellent that looked like this:



I figured that it must better than bug spray since it is designed to keep the ticks away, so I grabbed a bottle and away I went.

Even less elk action on Sunday, but guess what? You guessed it, the ****ing things are all over me again. Even more this time than the day before. I didn’t spray myself right away (I hate these sprays myself and guessing the smell doesn’t help bush hunting either). But once I caught the first “bunch”, I did and did so liberally.

I guess, at this point one needs to understand what these little (insert f word) do. When their time comes, they climb up the vegetation and just sit there waiting for something, preferably a moose, to pick them up for a ride that lasts all winter long, during which they torture the animal, in some cases killing the host. I am sure most of you saw the half-naked moose in the winter. This is what they look like while waiting for their ride:



Disgusting, right? Not my pic, I borrowed it from a CBC article. I didn’t get to see this kind of thing myself, though I am sure I would if I paid more attention. So they sit there and wait. The grab on to the first thing that passes by and then it looks like this:



Sometimes, they are closer together before they spread out. That’s on my pants when I noticed the first contact. So, they just get attached to whatever passes by, so of course the spray wouldn’t prevent that. But sure should make them drop off, right? Lol. Wrong! Here are my pants about 6-7 hours after I liberally sprayed myself (not sure how well one can see this on a computer screen, but on the phone it zooms in quite “nicely”):



Don’t mind the large brown spots (evolution of my hunting pants often begins as a part of my office outfit and once not suitable for that, they go for house work, hunting, etc). I spilled some paint on myself earlier this year, lol. But notice all those tiny dots. Yep, ticks, everyone of them. And lots of them. Like I said, this is 6-7 hours after spraying myself with that thing and 4-5 hours after coming back home and getting undressed in the garage. By that time, they spread a bit and moved on to the surroundings (in particular, a door I recently painted that I dropped my pants on):



And elsewhere from my shirt and other clothing:



So… the reason for this thread is… what the heck do I do to keep them out? They are really ruining my hunts. Yesterday (Sunday) was nasty! They seemed to be everywhere I went. Definitely more of them than last year and I found them much higher up the valley than where they were last year. There are some serious hills in the valley that sometimes require you to grab on to a some vegetation to climb up. I found my hands covered with them after doing so a couple of times. The so-called repellent didn’t do squat. I really don’t use that much of “bad” language in life, not in English anyway, but if I wrote this thread using the words that even remotely describe how I feel, I would get banned immediately, no doubt about it.

So far, I can only see/feel a few bites on myself. Last year, they took a couple of days to appear and a couple more days to start itching like crazy (for about a month!). So I didn’t even get hit with the Sunday stuff yet. Hopefully, there aren’t many. Frankly, while their bites are extremely annoying and inconvenient, it’s the ticks all over you what bugs me most. They are really screwing with my head, distracting, and outright ruining what otherwise would be excellent and enjoyable outings. Even if there is no elk action I am looking for. For example, today in the am, I found a bunch of elk in the field, followed them down the valley, called in a bunch of cows and spikes (a bunch were no more than 15-20 yards from me), the bull bugled close by but never came within my sight and then kept moving down. Once we hit the point where I knew there are ticks there, I stopped short and went home. I guess I had enough the two previous days. Beyond frustration.

Funny enough, like I mentioned, I hate bug sprays. Usually the point where I reach for one, many would be reaching for a gun to end the misery, lol. But these ****ers are really getting to me.

So… without further rambling, does anyone know how to keep these nasty little things off? I don’t care if they catch on, but would really like them to drop off shortly after.

Any advice would appreciated!

[Coiloil37]

You need to use permethrin on your clothes. Plenty of info on the web but this should about cover it.


https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thre...-money.162187/


This was suggested last year… did you try it?

[Demonical]

Do you mind saying what WMU this is in?

[cody j]

I only remember getting covered in those things one time, thousands of them everywhere after walking through some very thick bush in a good moose hunting area. None of them tried to latch on to me or bite me that i know of but still kinda creepy having them everywhere. I’ve had them on horses before, never heard of them doing anything to people but who knows

[270person]

That's horrible. Creepy little buggers. Glad I haven't run into them in my excursions in the wmu's I hunt regularly.

No attempt to know your hot spots, i have my designated areas, but what part of North are you in? I know there used to be scads in the Ft Assiniboine and south of Grande Cache areas but I've never encountered them east and northeast of GP, and Smith area.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by 270person

That's horrible. Creepy little buggers. Glad I haven't run into them in my excursions in the wmu's I hunt regularly.

No attempt to know your hot spots, i have my designated areas, but what part of North are you in? I know there used to be scads in the Ft Assiniboine and south of Grande Cache areas but I've never encountered them east and northeast of GP, and Smith area.

Originally Posted by Demonical

Do you mind saying what WMU this is in?

Haha. If it bring less people to the area, it will be my pleasure, lol.

This year it is 523. Last year - 522 and 523. I haven’t been to 522 this year yet, so I am pretty sure it is the same thing out there.

[270person]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Haha. If it bring less people to the area, it will be my pleasure, lol.

This year it is 523. Last year - 522 and 523. I haven’t been to 522 this year yet, so I am pretty sure it is the same thing out there.

I hunt 523 and 521 lots. Never seen one. Bizarre.

I bet I know why too, but then I'd be telling folks what I eat. And here i thought I was only hurting myself.

[cody j]

Originally Posted by 270person

I hunt 523 and 521 lots. Never seen one. Bizarre.

I bet I know why too, but then I'd be telling folks what I eat. And here i thought I was only hurting myself.

Horse dewormer? Hahahaha

[JeanCretien]

Originally Posted by Demonical

Do you mind saying what WMU this is in?

Agreed- telling us won’t bring anyone into his secret spot for sure. It’ll go on my never visit list. Wow!


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[3blade]

Got chewed up real good last week in 936. Couple days later I soaked myself, and every layer of clothing, in deep woods off. Used up half a can, almost to the point of making me sick of the smell. 1 hour into the hunt, look down, covered in ticks. Didn’t get as many bites, but I caught them sooner.

Miserable little jerks. I will be using permethrin next time. Everyone who has done jungle work swears by it.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Got chewed up real good last week in 936. Couple days later I soaked myself, and every layer of clothing, in deep woods off. Used up half a can, almost to the point of making me sick of the smell. 1 hour into the hunt, look down, covered in ticks. Didn’t get as many bites, but I caught them sooner.

Miserable little jerks. I will be using permethrin next time. Everyone who has done jungle work swears by it.

If you find permethrin, let me know where. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find some in Canada without much success.

As for deet, I looked into other things today. That tick repellent I posted a pic of above has an active ingredient called icaridin. According to the research and experiments, it is a few steps better than deet as far as repellents go. In fact, it is the best one we have as far as bug repellents go. So if that obviously didn’t work (pants pic above as proof, lol), deet isn’t gonna cut it either.

Permethrin should do the trick. Impossible to find. Cabelas.com appear to be able to ship to Canada, at least according to the check out process before the payment screen. Comes to 50 USD for two bottles. Pricy, but surely worth it if you are hunting in areas like I apparently do. If it works, of course.

I am gonna look more into it and try to find the larger containers in which I can soak my clothes in and air dry it. Even granola munchers appear to be doing that for the backpacking/canoe/whatever trips and swear it works. Not sure if any of them ran into something like this hitting the bush though, lol.

You can also buy presoaked clothes, which “guarantee” will work for 70 wash cycles. All of it kind of sucks for hunting purposes though.

I read a lot of stuff today, lol.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Got chewed up real good last week in 936. Couple days later I soaked myself, and every layer of clothing, in deep woods off. Used up half a can, almost to the point of making me sick of the smell. 1 hour into the hunt, look down, covered in ticks. Didn’t get as many bites, but I caught them sooner.

Miserable little jerks. I will be using permethrin next time. Everyone who has done jungle work swears by it.

936? Crazy. Ive never seen one on me and ive hunted 936 for over 20 years. Not to mention alot of private land not far.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

You need to use permethrin on your clothes. Plenty of info on the web but this should about cover it.


https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thre...-money.162187/


This was suggested last year… did you try it?

Yes. Probably still can't buy it in Canada but should be able to order jt.
I've used it south of the border and it gives 2 weeks protection for your clothes.
It kills the little buggers not just repell them

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Yes. Probably still can't buy it in Canada but should be able to order jt.
I've used it south of the border and it gives 2 weeks protection for your clothes.
It kills the little buggers not just repell them

I treated a bunch of clothing for an overseas hunt and it worked great, my buddy didn’t and got munched pretty good.

Permethrin is available for agricultural use and needs
to be diluted to the correct %.

Also it’s death to cats and waterways so dispose of mindfully.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Always thought good spray of pant legs with deep woods off kept the litttle buggars off you. I got more bites this year than normal when I work around equipment in grass, if forget to spray.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

You need to use permethrin on your clothes. Plenty of info on the web but this should about cover it.


https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thre...-money.162187/


This was suggested last year… did you try it?

Yes, I tried looking for it last year, with no success. Tried again today and found this:

https://thekoregarden.ca/product/gar...y-insecticide/

Comes up to $40 shipped. Wonder if there is something similar available in the stores under a different name. Maybe some farm supplies stores? Would love to have it in hands sooner rather than later, as the clock is not on my side as far as elk hunting goes.

[ken.gee]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Yes, I tried looking for it last year, with no success. Tried again today and found this:



https://thekoregarden.ca/product/gar...y-insecticide/



Comes up to $40 shipped. Wonder if there is something similar available in the stores under a different name. Maybe some farm supplies stores? Would love to have it in hands sooner rather than later, as the clock is not on my side as far as elk hunting goes.

This is the exact stuff I use - I dilute the 500mL bottle with 500mL of water, which gets me a ratio of 0.625% permethrin, a tad stronger than recommended but works wonders.

Currently hunting 360 & 521 and have been running into these critters for 5 years. Permethrin works wonders...in the garage I string a ratchet strap through 2 of my meat hanging eye hooks in the ceiling, and use that as a clothesline to hang all of my hunting gear. Everything gets a liberal spray, from my outer layer of clothing, backpack, fabric on my bugle tube, to my tripod bag. Have watched the ticks quickly lose their ability to hold on,

I now buy 2 or 3 bottles at a time when I order, and set them aside. The price is negligible for me vs the constant paranoia I used to feel when covered in these things while they made their way to your nearest exposed skin. Now they lose grip and fall off without even moving 1cm....a beautiful thing.

For what it's worth, the stuff also keeps well. It sits in the chemical cabinet in the garage, and I used last years opened and diluted bottle, and it appears to be working just as well as the new stuff. I used approx 60% of the new concentrated bottle, diluted of course, decanted into a cheap Canadian Tire spray bottle and applied via fine mist. All clothes and apparel is dampened with the stuff, every side and inch of the clothing <except for inside> gets caught in the sweeping motion of the mist. If I recall correctly (based on what I read when I first started applying permethrin), similar permethrin products last 6 months or 6 washes, so I'd expect this to be similar...but even if it's only for a few weeks that's fine, I only get down here to hunt elk for one week/yr..

Had to wash some pieces of clothing at the laundromat after breaking down and packing out my mature bull a few days ago, and found out this evening that the ticks are dying just as quickly on the washed clothing. SUCCESS!

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[KGB]

Ultra shield at the G&E Pharmacy in the horse section, $26. Contains 0,5% permethrin and works like a charm. And it smells good too!

[fishnguy]

Good info, guys, and thanks for sharing. Would rather have little to no smell though.

Weird that a guy cant’s just go to a store and buy a bottle of Sawyer like can be done in the US. Everything I read says it is bad for insects (as well as marine life and cats), but fine for human. Can be used for agricultural purposes in Canada, yet a guy cannot spray his clothes and shoes with it. Seems weird. Also banned in EU, it appears. Though they have (or had) some bug repellent spray called Nobite Textile (if I recall correctly) with permethrin concentration of 2%!

The abstract from the UN/WHO study states the follwoing:

Evaluates the design and findings of over 250 studies concerned with the effects on human health and the environment posed by permethrin, a photostable synthetic pyrethroid insecticide marketed since 1977. Because of its strong repellent properties and effectiveness as a stomach and contact insecticide, permethrin is widely used in the protection of several agricultural crops, in the control of insects in households and on cattle, in aerial application for forest pest control, as a fog in mushroom houses, and as a wood preservative. Public health applications include the disinsection of aircraft, treatment of mosquito nets, and human lice control. In view of the uses of permethrin and its photostable properties, a section devoted to sources of human exposure concentrates on the large number of studies investigating residues in fruits, vegetables, dairy milk, and grains. Findings from laboratory studies, indicating that permethrin is highly toxic to certain beneficial insects and natural enemies of pests, are contrasted with field investigations demonstrating the transitory nature of most toxic and repellent effects on non-target species. The most extensive section reviews the findings of experimental studies conducted to assess toxicity. Paricular attention is given to differences in study design, dose, and mode of administration that can affect the validity of findings when extrapolated to humans. The final section draws upon a limited number of occupational and clinical studies to evaluate direct evidence of adverse effects on health. On the basis of this review, the book concludes that most toxic effects are transitory, that the likelihood of carcinogenic effects in humans is extremely low or non-existent, and that permethrin, when used as recommended, is not likely to present a hazard to the general public, exposed workers, or the environment.

Can pour on a horse or cattle that browse the fields 24/7 months on, but have to go through all this hassle and spray stuff not meant for humans in order to hike the bush for a few days. Makes sense.

Edit: I should add that deet, that melts plastic and is half useless against bugs and 100% useless against ticks (in my experience) is perfectly legal.

[Dan4570]

Every year I get covered in ticks. Whether its shed hunting in the spring (adult ticks) or hunting in fall(even when there's snow) I get a few hundred baby ticks on me.

Aside from being disgusting, the baby ticks are relatively harmless. I've never been bitten by one and I'm pretty certain moose or winter ticks aren't known to carry lymes.
I hunt mostly 250 and 254. And I agree, it would seem that being a dry year we would see less. But I have still have a few hundred on myself and my boys. I carry lint rollers, they work fantastic at picking them up and adhering them to the lint roller sheets.

In the spring. I splash peppermint oil all over my boots and pants. And as much as some naysayers says it won't work. It does. I clock hundreds of hours pushing bush for shed antlers and never get a tick when I use peppermint oil or other strong essential oils that are known to repel ticks.

I also wear light brown or light Grey pants and tuck my pants into my boots. That really shows those red ticks easy.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Dan4570

Every year I get covered in ticks. Whether its shed hunting in the spring (adult ticks) or hunting in fall(even when there's snow) I get a few hundred baby ticks on me.

Aside from being disgusting, the baby ticks are relatively harmless. I've never been bitten by one and I'm pretty certain moose or winter ticks aren't known to carry lymes.
I hunt mostly 250 and 254. And I agree, it would seem that being a dry year we would see less. But I have still have a few hundred on myself and my boys. I carry lint rollers, they work fantastic at picking them up and adhering them to the lint roller sheets.

In the spring. I splash peppermint oil all over my boots and pants. And as much as some naysayers says it won't work. It does. I clock hundreds of hours pushing bush for shed antlers and never get a tick when I use peppermint oil or other strong essential oils that are known to repel ticks.

I also wear light brown or light Grey pants and tuck my pants into my boots. That really shows those red ticks easy.

Thanks. I did read about peppermint and other oils. Most say it doesn’t work, the same as “natural” mosquito repellents. That’s why I didn’t even think of it this time around.

I am guessing if some chemical designed tick repellent didn’t work, the oils won’t either? I will give it a try if I can’t find the other thing suggested above.

I have definitely been beaten plenty last year and so far a few times this year (woke up with a few more obvious bites today - weird how they pop out only 2-3 days after the fact). Same goes for my cousin hunting the same and similar areas.

[Dan4570]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Thanks. I did read about peppermint and other oils. Most say it doesn’t work, the same as “natural” mosquito repellents. That’s why I didn’t even think of it this time around.

I am guessing if some chemical designed tick repellent didn’t work, the oils won’t either? I will give it a try if I can’t find the other thing suggested above.

I have definitely been beaten plenty last year and so far a few times this year (woke up with a few more obvious bites today - weird how they pop out only 2-3 days after the fact). Same goes for my cousin hunting the same and similar areas.

This sounds pretty tedious. But I sleep in my truck alot for a few days at a time while bowhunting. I wear 2 pairs of light pants and always remove my outer clothes and leave them hanging over the truck box so I not only get no scent on them but don't bring ticks into the truck and contaminate the other clothes and gear. The lint rollers have really saved my hunts this year and we were able to hunt all day after checking ourselves every hour or so. Last year I was hunting with my 11 year old son, decided to check him for ticks and his hair and neck were covered in them. We drove straight back home a few hours and I shaved his head. I also keep my hair short on the sides and neck because that's the most common place ticks will go for.

As for the oils. The only day I got an adult tick on me this year. Was the day I didn't put any oil on my pants when I went for a 2 hour walk for sheds on a shed hunting trip. I hiked 900 kms this year and only got that one where I normally get a dozen or so adult ticks. I don't use the oil when I'm bowhunting so I don't spook deer. But I won't hesitate in rifle season.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Dan4570

I carry lint rollers, they work fantastic at picking them up and adhering them to the lint roller sheets.

I thought about it last year. The problem is (and this year in particular), it seems that they are on every second bush, everywhere in the grass, etc. Like I mentioned, I would grab on to a young poplar or some short brush to help me climb up a drop and my hand would immediately get covered in these things. It’s brutal. I would spend more time rolling them off me than doing anything else. Definitely won't be able to hunt that way.

Last year they were out until mid or late November. While it was an unusually warm fall and at least first half of December, we did have close to below 20 nights and I would still find them the next day or days after. They simply refuse to die, lol.

[Dan4570]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Last year they were out until mid or late November. While it was an unusually warm fall and at least first half of December, we did have close to below 20 nights and I would still find them the next day or days after. They simply refuse to die, lol.

The first time I ever started noticing these winter ticks was fall 2016. One was crawling across my phone. I thought it was a spider. Then I looked down at my jacket sleeves and gloves in my lap. And they were everywhere. I tossed out a perfectly good set of fleece pants and jacket because of it. Since then, they're always getting on me and I make a habit of drying my hunting clothes first and then washing and drying them. Ticks can survive being wet and then going through dryer. I prefer hunting grazing leases where cattle have kept the grass low. Anytime I'm in thick swamp bush with moose, I always get them.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Dan4570

The first time I ever started noticing these winter ticks was fall 2016. One was crawling across my phone. I thought it was a spider. Then I looked down at my jacket sleeves and gloves in my lap. And they were everywhere. I tossed out a perfectly good set of fleece pants and jacket because of it. Since then, they're always getting on me and I make a habit of drying my hunting clothes first and then washing and drying them. Ticks can survive being wet and then going through dryer. I prefer hunting grazing leases where cattle have kept the grass low. Anytime I'm in thick swamp bush with moose, I always get them.

I mostly hunt the river valleys, one or the other. Deep bush everywhere, lol. Never had a problem until last year.

Indeed, the drier works. They like the humidity, but can’t survive dry air for any extended period of time. The doc mentioned to me last year that even if you bring your clothes inside the house, they will certainly die shortly after because the air is usually dry in our houses, especially once the furnaces start working.

I dump my clothes into the dryer and run for half an hour (sometimes more, depending my level of “paranoia” at the moment, lol). These old pants are getting retired because I got caught on a brach and ripped them (it was mentally hard climbing back out with a giant hole on my knee with these thing all over the place, lol). So I put them in the garage to see what happens. The ticks are still there - so much for the repellent I bought, lol.

Funny thing is I know they are not much concern as far harming me goes, beyond extremely itchy bites, but I certainly can’t shake the idea of walking all day covered in them. What a sudden change it has been.

[Dan4570]

I suffered from the same paranoia at one time. I'd dream about them and not even want to go hunt or shed hunt. But the urge to explore and hunt took over that paranoia and now I have little fear of them. Same paranoia when I had a CWD deer and I ate the heart before I got the test back. More likely to die by hitting a moose or on the way to work or from the sickness we will not name.

All in all, very surprised about the bites from the larvae. I've never had one bite me and I always assumed they were too small to penetrate human skin. Hence why they have a life cycle of attaching to different hosts (mice/birds, then on to larger creatures when they evolve to nymph and then adult) they don't attach for life. They drop off a host every year to lay eggs. And male ticks don't pass lymes or feed on your blood(same as misquitoes).

But I certainly understand how it ruins a hunt. Most people I talk to, say they've never seen a tick.. but you can't get ticks hunting from the truck 🤣🤣

[fishnguy]

I now noticed that I mentioned “unusual weather” on a few occasions in my posts. Bet you that is the culprit of it.

Some others suggested (including in PM’s) that they have been hunting some areas for years/decades but only ran into them for the first time last year or this. I have been hunting these areas for a few years as well and never saw them before last year. Surely they have been around. My cousin mentioned that he did see a few of them years prior and had similar bite or two, but the past couple of years are just insane. I hunted through them last year (ran into them for the first time end of September and only shot the bull on November28), but this year they are really in my head, lol.

People mentioned they ran into them in 526 and 527 as well, so all the surrounding areas.

Last year, I only found them closer to the river, I’d say as high as 1/3 up the valley (from the river), where I figured not only most of the moose and elk spend most of their time, but also maybe perfect humidity, etc. this year I ran into them as high as 2/3 up the valley or higher. Brutal.

[moose maniac]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Last year, for the first time I ran into a bunch of these ticks. At least once with hundreds, if not thousands, of them all over me (I’d say about elbow level and down). The first time I ran into them I didn’t even realize it was ticks because I was in the middle of an exciting hunt chasing elk. A couple of days later, I had a few dozens of bites, mostly around the waist area, upper torso, and ankles. I asked some questions on the forum and posted some very good info in the thread last year, much appreciation to ticdoc for the info provided. Here is the thread: http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=389044

So last year was very rainy (probably one of the rainiest summers I can remember), which was ideal conditions for these little parasites to flourish and wait for their time come September, to find a host and torture some moose. This year, the summer was a complete opposite: extremely dry and very hot, so I thought I wouldn’t get to see them this fall when hunting.

Fast forward to past Saturday. I finally got to go hunting the bush for the first time and guess what? I collected a bunch of these little ****ers on me again. No real action as far as elk went, but these really just reduced my outing experience by a lot. Oh well, what are you going to do.

So the next day, on Sunday, I went to the valley for round two. Before heading for a hunt, I stopped by Walmart to pick up some bug spray, just in case, since some suggested last year it works and keeps these little things away. In Walmart, I actually saw something called tick repellent that looked like this:



I figured that it must better than bug spray since it is designed to keep the ticks away, so I grabbed a bottle and away I went.

Even less elk action on Sunday, but guess what? You guessed it, the ****ing things are all over me again. Even more this time than the day before. I didn’t spray myself right away (I hate these sprays myself and guessing the smell doesn’t help bush hunting either). But once I caught the first “bunch”, I did and did so liberally.

I guess, at this point one needs to understand what these little (insert f word) do. When their time comes, they climb up the vegetation and just sit there waiting for something, preferably a moose, to pick them up for a ride that lasts all winter long, during which they torture the animal, in some cases killing the host. I am sure most of you saw the half-naked moose in the winter. This is what they look like while waiting for their ride:



Disgusting, right? Not my pic, I borrowed it from a CBC article. I didn’t get to see this kind of thing myself, though I am sure I would if I paid more attention. So they sit there and wait. The grab on to the first thing that passes by and then it looks like this:



Sometimes, they are closer together before they spread out. That’s on my pants when I noticed the first contact. So, they just get attached to whatever passes by, so of course the spray wouldn’t prevent that. But sure should make them drop off, right? Lol. Wrong! Here are my pants about 6-7 hours after I liberally sprayed myself (not sure how well one can see this on a computer screen, but on the phone it zooms in quite “nicely”):



Don’t mind the large brown spots (evolution of my hunting pants often begins as a part of my office outfit and once not suitable for that, they go for house work, hunting, etc). I spilled some paint on myself earlier this year, lol. But notice all those tiny dots. Yep, ticks, everyone of them. And lots of them. Like I said, this is 6-7 hours after spraying myself with that thing and 4-5 hours after coming back home and getting undressed in the garage. By that time, they spread a bit and moved on to the surroundings (in particular, a door I recently painted that I dropped my pants on):



And elsewhere from my shirt and other clothing:



So… the reason for this thread is… what the heck do I do to keep them out? They are really ruining my hunts. Yesterday (Sunday) was nasty! They seemed to be everywhere I went. Definitely more of them than last year and I found them much higher up the valley than where they were last year. There are some serious hills in the valley that sometimes require you to grab on to a some vegetation to climb up. I found my hands covered with them after doing so a couple of times. The so-called repellent didn’t do squat. I really don’t use that much of “bad” language in life, not in English anyway, but if I wrote this thread using the words that even remotely describe how I feel, I would get banned immediately, no doubt about it.

So far, I can only see/feel a few bites on myself. Last year, they took a couple of days to appear and a couple more days to start itching like crazy (for about a month!). So I didn’t even get hit with the Sunday stuff yet. Hopefully, there aren’t many. Frankly, while their bites are extremely annoying and inconvenient, it’s the ticks all over you what bugs me most. They are really screwing with my head, distracting, and outright ruining what otherwise would be excellent and enjoyable outings. Even if there is no elk action I am looking for. For example, today in the am, I found a bunch of elk in the field, followed them down the valley, called in a bunch of cows and spikes (a bunch were no more than 15-20 yards from me), the bull bugled close by but never came within my sight and then kept moving down. Once we hit the point where I knew there are ticks there, I stopped short and went home. I guess I had enough the two previous days. Beyond frustration.

Funny enough, like I mentioned, I hate bug sprays. Usually the point where I reach for one, many would be reaching for a gun to end the misery, lol. But these ****ers are really getting to me.

So… without further rambling, does anyone know how to keep these nasty little things off? I don’t care if they catch on, but would really like them to drop off shortly after.

Any advice would appreciated!

Peavy mart in peace has 10 litre jugs of cattle back rub I think it’s called it has permethrin in it only issue is it’s mixed with mineral oil

[Demonical]

For the record, I've had 1 tick in my outdoor life, that was from Elephant Lake, Ontario, and was lucky to find it probably the day after I had gotten it on me.

So I got it off me with no harm done.

But from hearing talk of Ontario friends/relates, ticks are just obscene there right now. Just going in the back yard you are at risk!

In Alberta since 1980 and I've never known anyone to get a tick or even see one (touch wood).

[Coiloil37]

5% permethrin available at peavy mart

https://www.peaveymart.com/animal-eq...cticide/222169


And again cheaper here.

https://www.syrvetcanada.ca/en/boss-...00-ml-mk056759

Idk if it’s oil or water based though. I’m not looking for tick repellent so I’ll leave some of that to you.


This is supposed to be .5% too and ready to spray.

https://www.sasonline.ca/mosquito-sh...tment-002.html