Ticks

[Campgottagopee]

I've been hunting white tail deer here in CNY for 40+ years. Up until this year I've never seen a tick on me or on any harvested deer of ours. We're experiencing ticks on us and our deer are loaded with them. It's crazy, and scary at the same time. From what I've read, deet is the way to go to repel these lil F-rs. It's also recommended that while gutting and skinning to wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, and do it quickly.

Anyone have experience with these things? Any better repellent other than deet? Any ideas how to rid the hide of them?

 

[DomB]

I've been hunting white tail deer here in CNY for 40+ years. Up until this year I've never seen a tick on me or on any harvested deer of ours. We're experiencing ticks on us and our deer are loaded with them. It's crazy, and scary at the same time. From what I've read, deet is the way to go to repel these lil F-rs. It's also recommended that while gutting and skinning to wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, and do it quickly.

Anyone have experience with these things? Any better repellent other than deet? Any ideas how to rid the hide of them?

I am so sorry, and yet thankful it has taken this long for ticks to get to your area. TLDR: This is long, but if you don't go beyond this sentence, please look into Permethrin.

There is a massive infestation of deer ticks on Long Island. Besides (or even in addition to DEET), consider Permethrin. You spray it 24 hours or so before you will be in the woods on your clothes (including socks and shoes and gloves). If a tick touches it, it dies. This is good, because it will die before it can latch onto you. Once you spray it, it lasts for a good period of time (I have heard all of: 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 washes). Run a couple of google searches. I camp out about at least 10 nights a year, including sometimes in Montauk, and I am a big fan of this stuff. You spray it outside and AWAY FROM PETS. I believe it is safe for pets when it dries, but I think there is some kind of issue for when it is actively misted for animals. Please google. I don't have pets.

Another thing I have heard of people doing is ducktaping joints in their clothes (ie duck tape where your pants meet your socks). In the case you mention, you could duct tape where the gloves meet the shirt. Ticks will have difficulty accessing your skin. I have personally not have to do this, but I tend to stay on trails which reduces mass exposure. I bet if you are tracking deer, you get into thickets, etc.

Ticks tend to be much less active once night time tempratures are around freezing. However, I don't know well how long it takes them to get active if you have a freeze and then say, a 60 degree high. I would imagine they are quite active then.

Typically a tick takes 24 hours to latch on and feed to the point where you could get infected. Once you get back from a hunt, you should consider a friend or significant other looking at the parts of skin that you can't for ticks. I believe the most common area for ticks is the so-called bathing suit area.

If you get a tick, you can take it and send it to Cornell and they will give you info about it. I haven't done this.

 

[Peter Minde]

When I still lived in NJ, I'd find a tick on me like once every 2 years after trail running. Then, summer of 2022, it was almost every time I went into the woods, I stopped counting after 10 or 12.

@DomB thanks for the Permethrin recommendation.

 

[DomB]

We have a nice little 2 mile shoreline trail on the water near my town (it is around where I park and loop for my long runs). If you walk on it with pants you're fine. Went for a short walk/hike with a friend and he randomly had shorts on - he had multiple ticks just from that. And one time he brought his dog (which has short fur) and he was picking off ticks for minutes.

 

[Harvey]

Camp are you talking deer ticks or dog ticks?

 

[Ripitz]

I’m sorry to hear that Camp, those things are nasty little buggers. I’ve done a lot of gardening and hiking when our area was the hotbed. Had Lyme’s and Ehrlichiosis many times which can be absolutely crippling.

Like Dom says, Permethrin is the way. I absolutely stay away from DEET. You can get Permethrin soaked clothes like Insect-Shield, treat them yourself or use the spray. Especially socks and pants since that’s usually where the point of contact is when you are walking through leaves and brush.

After a day in the woods, check your armpits, behind your knees and your groin. The little ones are the ones to worry about and they are super hard to see.

Best to take off your clothes, leave them outside and take a shower. I’ve passed out with my clothes on after a long day and that’s a sure way to get a bite.

 

[SlowPokePete]

I usually put all my clothes in the dryer on high heat for at least 10-15 minutes after I do anything outside, like yard work, etc.

Then, straight into the shower.

Running soapy hands all over yourself is a good way to feel them or knock them off your skin if they are not yet latched on.

Also, there are some tick-borne diseases that take less than the documented 24 hours to transmit to you.

My wife had Anaplasmosis (think that's spelled correctly) a couple of years ago.

Went from a headache to a 103.5 fever and vomiting in less than a day.

When we went to the ER she could barely walk to the car.

SPP

 

[tirolski]

Ticks suck.
Permethrin helps.
The hounds get tested for Lymes & get the dog-lyme-vax for prevention.
We also put some antitick drops on their shoulders.
Doxycycline has helped when positive for Lymes.
The local vet kept a running tally of cases. It went up.

If a golf ball goes into the thick rough we don’t usually go look cause of the little bastards.

 

[SlowPokePete]

Our doctors wrote us prescriptions for Doxy to keep on hand.

We are on five acres in the woods.

Protocol is....if you find a tick latched on, take two Doxy's and monitor for illness.

Hopefully to nip it in the bud.

SPP

 

[MarzNC]

Typically a tick takes 24 hours to latch on and feed to the point where you could get infected. Once you get back from a hunt, you should consider a friend or significant other looking at the parts of skin that you can't for ticks. I believe the most common area for ticks is the so-called bathing suit area.

If you get a tick, you can take it and send it to Cornell and they will give you info about it. I haven't done this.

Very important advice!

Lyme disease became an issue in NC a while back, at least 15 years ago. It's no joke. I know someone who moved back to western PA around 2014 and wasn't diagnosed properly for months. He had assorted symptoms. By the time he was hospitalized, his body was severely compromised. Took so long to recover that he ended up losing his job.

What I do when I find a tick on me after being in the woods around our house is use clear tape to get the body after I get it to release. Want to have the head intact. Most of the time it's a tiny tick about the size of a pin head. I keep the taped tick for a few days. Figure that if there are any signs, then I can show someone knowledgeable the tick. Although I fully encase the tick so I don't know if it could be analyzed or not.