D@mn tick ruined my hunt!

[35-acre]

At my NY hunting camp hoping for a great hunt this morning. It would be the first sunny day in weeks.

I took a shower last night and thinking back now, I probably had a tick on me then. But at 12:30 this morning I was restless and my hand brushed along my ribs under my arm and I felt a "sliver" - oh crap!

Jumped out of bed, grabbed my flashlight and sure enough - a tick! I have a kit for removal that has tweezers and a magnifier attached. But given the location, I had to look in a mirror with the flashlight pointed at my side, while trying to move my chest out of the way and line up the magnifier and tweezers. Needless to say, I got it out in 2 pieces and one of the mouth probes is still in. I got most of the head out and the body.

Here I sit in the doctor's office instead of the hillside stand I was going to be in. This sucks! I'm hoping they get the other piece out and give me some meds and send me on my way.

Stay safe out there. Check yourself and keep your gear sprayed down. Scent control isn't worth the time out of the field...

 

[Mortenson]

Good reminder. Ticks are getting worse every year. What happens if a mouth probe stays in ya? I've never really considered it, just pull them out and go on with business. My dad had Lymes back in the 80s before they knew what it was. They operated on his wrists thinking it was carpal tunnel. Didn't improve anything. Finally he got some antibiotics and it vanished.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I am also in NY, I get ticks all the time bud and there are 2 methods I use.

1) I use a water bottle cap (or something of similar size) and fill it with dish soap or vegetable oil and flip it over on the tick so the soap or oil completely covers it. Ticks use "gills" to breath and when they can't breath, they release and drown in the liquid. Water does not seem to work for some reason, I am assuming it's because there is oxygen in H2O but unsure.

2) just grab that sucker and pull. I have bought all kinds of "miracle tick remover" type tweezers and none of them get the mouth out in my experiences.


A tick must bite something that has Lyme, then release, then attach to the next host to give the 2nd host Lyme disease. If a tick lays eggs Lyme isn't passed on to the young, they must latch onto something that has Lyme to get it. If you know ticks you know they don't release willingly so I am assuming they would only detach from the host to lay eggs but I am speculating there. In our situation we would kill a deer and the ticks on that deer would have to detach and then be looking for a 2nd host.

A tick has to bite and stay latched on for roughly 24 hours before it can give the new host Lyme (allegedly). I don't understand why, but that is what "they" say.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I am also in NY, I get ticks all the time bud and there are 2 methods I use.

1) I use a water bottle cap (or something of similar size) and fill it with dish soap or vegetable oil and flip it over on the tick so the soap or oil completely covers it. Ticks use "gills" to breath and when they can't breath, they release and drown in the liquid. Water does not seem to work for some reason, I am assuming it's because there is oxygen in H2O but unsure.

2) just grab that sucker and pull. I have bought all kinds of "miracle tick remover" type tweezers and none of them get the mouth out in my experiences.


A tick must bite something that has Lyme, then release, then attach to the next host to give the 2nd host Lyme disease. If a tick lays eggs Lyme isn't passed on to the young, they must latch onto something that has Lyme to get it. If you know ticks you know they don't release willingly so I am assuming they would only detach from the host to lay eggs but I am speculating there. In our situation we would kill a deer and the ticks on that deer would have to detach and then be looking for a 2nd host.

A tick has to bite and stay latched on for roughly 24 hours before it can give the new host Lyme (allegedly). I don't understand why, but that is what "they" say.

I've been told by a Dr. in the past couple of years that they have to be attached for closer to 72 hrs for you to start to panic.

 

[b116757]

Pull them off and motor on, can’t imagine how many I’ve had on me. If you get a red bullseye after the fact go get some antibiotics from the Dr.

 

[Telemark]

I have a little grabby thing that holds the tick so you can twist them out. I use that if they are really dug in. If they've just latched on I just yank them out or scrape them off depending on the size.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I am also in NY, I get ticks all the time bud and there are 2 methods I use.

1) I use a water bottle cap (or something of similar size) and fill it with dish soap or vegetable oil and flip it over on the tick so the soap or oil completely covers it. Ticks use "gills" to breath and when they can't breath, they release and drown in the liquid. Water does not seem to work for some reason, I am assuming it's because there is oxygen in H2O but unsure.

2) just grab that sucker and pull. I have bought all kinds of "miracle tick remover" type tweezers and none of them get the mouth out in my experiences.


A tick must bite something that has Lyme, then release, then attach to the next host to give the 2nd host Lyme disease. If a tick lays eggs Lyme isn't passed on to the young, they must latch onto something that has Lyme to get it. If you know ticks you know they don't release willingly so I am assuming they would only detach from the host to lay eggs but I am speculating there. In our situation we would kill a deer and the ticks on that deer would have to detach and then be looking for a 2nd host.

A tick has to bite and stay latched on for roughly 24 hours before it can give the new host Lyme (allegedly). I don't understand why, but that is what "they" say.

This year I have probably had over 200 ticks attached to me (I spend a lot of time in the woods). My method for getting them off is to just use your fingers, lightly pinch them, and lightly pull on them keeping the tension. If you just keep tension on them they will eventually release on their own. It may take 10-20 seconds, but I have never had one not release. Make sure you clean the area really well will antibiotic soap afterwards.

 

[35-acre]

Good reminder. Ticks are getting worse every year. What happens if a mouth probe stays in ya? I've never really considered it, just pull them out and go on with business. My dad had Lymes back in the 80s before they knew what it was. They operated on his wrists thinking it was carpal tunnel. Didn't improve anything. Finally he got some antibiotics and it vanished.

Took the doctor 10 minutes to dig that piece out. He said you gotta get it all out to help with infection. Now I'm on 2 weeks of antibiotics.

 

[35-acre]

This year I have probably had over 200 ticks attached to me (I spend a lot of time in the woods). My method for getting them off is to just use your fingers, lightly pinch them, and lightly pull on them keeping the tension. If you just keep tension on them they will eventually release on their own. It may take 10-20 seconds, but I have never had one not release. Make sure you clean the area really well will antibiotic soap afterwards.

I get those big ones with wings on me all the time and find em before they attach. This was a deer tick; much smaller. I've never had one of them on me before. I have a white short-handed dog and picked 2 off of him this weekend - I saw them just walking across him.

I've pulled them off my other dog same as you described but they are generally dead by the time I find them because of their meds.

This was a crazy experience for me.

 

[35-acre]

I am also in NY, I get ticks all the time bud and there are 2 methods I use.

1) I use a water bottle cap (or something of similar size) and fill it with dish soap or vegetable oil and flip it over on the tick so the soap or oil completely covers it. Ticks use "gills" to breath and when they can't breath, they release and drown in the liquid. Water does not seem to work for some reason, I am assuming it's because there is oxygen in H2O but unsure.

2) just grab that sucker and pull. I have bought all kinds of "miracle tick remover" type tweezers and none of them get the mouth out in my experiences.


A tick must bite something that has Lyme, then release, then attach to the next host to give the 2nd host Lyme disease. If a tick lays eggs Lyme isn't passed on to the young, they must latch onto something that has Lyme to get it. If you know ticks you know they don't release willingly so I am assuming they would only detach from the host to lay eggs but I am speculating there. In our situation we would kill a deer and the ticks on that deer would have to detach and then be looking for a 2nd host.

A tick has to bite and stay latched on for roughly 24 hours before it can give the new host Lyme (allegedly). I don't understand why, but that is what "they" say.

Good tip with the bottle cap and oil. Hopefully I don't have to try it.

 

[H20fwler]

This has been a terrible year for ticks, have gone north a couple times chasing grouse in the last couple weeks and I have never seen as many as this year. Maybe because it’s been so dry?
Every time I got back to the truck I would have a dozen or more on my brush pants, the dog had at least that many on her.
Most were the little red ones but still plenty of brown and black ones too.
Was in the shower and had one hooked on above my right nipple…it left a hard bump under the skin that is slowly going down.

I always Permathrin my hunting clothes and this fall even sprayed with Deep Woods Off before bird hunting, still got them on me.

 

[Bill]

Glad you got it out!

Those other guys are wrong….
Fauci says you get infected as soon as the tick bites.
Unless it’s masked of course.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I grew up in the woods,and have had literally hundreds of ticks attached on me. I now live in the north woods with a lot of deer ticks, I just look myself over before I go to bed, or to shower. For me, this spring was bad for ticks, then nothing all summer, now this fall I have been finding many deer ticks, but it wont keep me from the woods. I have had lymes about 10 years ago, back before it was cool. I found the tick embeded in the back of my neck after a week of hunting. Never thought anything of it, the next couple days I noticed the spot where the tick was, was sore to the touch. But that went away, then about 3 weeks later bad headaches, and sore muscles. It made me wonder about the tick bite. At the time the lymes test was about $750, and the treatment was about $15, I chose not to get tested, and they just prescribed the antibiotics, other then bad headaches at times, no other side effects. I also have a dog that had gotten lymes, she got to the point where she wouldnt eat, and would stare at walls away from me, and would not acknowledge me at all.

I have never, and am still not afraid of ticks, I just try to check myself over better at nights. As for partial ticks being left in, if they pull apart, I just dig it out with a pointy tweezers, then wash it out when I am done.

 

[River-X]

I have never seen a tick with wings…

 

[35-acre]

I have never seen a tick with wings…

This sucker! But I guess it's not a tick...

A Tick With Wings?​

September 01, 2011
In Fall, there’s nothing more enjoyable than a walk in the woods, except for dealing with disease-carrying blacklegged ticks! Recently, we were reminded that adult blacklegged ticks aren’t the only tiny creature likely to latch on in Fall. So, what’s flat like a tick? Sucks blood like a tick? Gets on deer like a tick? But ISN’T a tick??
Deer Keds, (Lipoptena cervi)! A tick with wings? Not so fast. Adult stage ticks and nymphs have 8 legs and no wings. A tick found at the top of your head has crawled up your entire body to get there. But did they fall from a tree you may ask? NO! Deer ticks are found in shady areas in leaf litter and along wooded pathways. Dog ticks can however be found in open lawns and grassy areas.
Believe it or not, Deer Ked’s wings just drop off within minutes of landing on a host (even a human, who is not a typical host). They lose their wings to make it easier for them to move into the host hair and not be groomed off.
A bit bigger than a female deer tick, sometimes with wings or, more often, scurrying about your body on its 6 legs without wings. This creature is the aforementioned Deer Ked (Lipoptena cervi), and is in the fly family (Diptera: Hippoboscidae-louse flies or keds). They are external parasites on animals like deer and elk. Other species of these flies parasitize sheep, horses, even pigeons. If you do get one on you, don’t worry. It’s not likely to stay for long….people usually brush them off because they feel something crawling around.

I guess it's not really a tick
What's a deer ked? It isn't a new line of shoes for wildlife; in fact, it's a blood-sucking parasite that resembles a tick, but it is actually a type of fly. Upon finding a suitable host, the fly tears its wings off and it spends the rest of its life on the host.

New records show spread of parasitic deer flies across the US​

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With flattened bodies, grabbing forelegs and deciduous wings, deer keds do not look like your typical fly. These parasites of deer — which occasionally bite humans — are more widely distributed across the U.S. than previously thought, according to Penn State entomologists, who caution that deer keds may transmit disease-causing bacteria.

.... (long article here's the link: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/new-records-show-spread-parasitic-deer-flies-across-us/ )

In Pennsylvania, after deer keds emerge from the soil each fall, they fly to a host and immediately shed their wings, usually remaining on the same host for life. Females produce just one egg at a time — it hatches inside her, and she feeds the growing larva with a milk-like substance. When the larva is almost fully developed, it drops to the soil and forms a pupa, eventually emerging as a winged adult. If disease-causing bacteria are transmitted from mother to offspring, newly emerged flies could pass on pathogens to hosts. Pathogens could also be spread when bacteria-harboring flies jump between animals in close contact.

 

[River-X]

That thing is creepy, glad I’ve not seen one!

 

[chummer]

This sucker! But I guess it's not a tick...

A Tick With Wings?​

View attachment 38265
September 01, 2011
In Fall, there’s nothing more enjoyable than a walk in the woods, except for dealing with disease-carrying blacklegged ticks! Recently, we were reminded that adult blacklegged ticks aren’t the only tiny creature likely to latch on in Fall. So, what’s flat like a tick? Sucks blood like a tick? Gets on deer like a tick? But ISN’T a tick??
Deer Keds, (Lipoptena cervi)! A tick with wings? Not so fast. Adult stage ticks and nymphs have 8 legs and no wings. A tick found at the top of your head has crawled up your entire body to get there. But did they fall from a tree you may ask? NO! Deer ticks are found in shady areas in leaf litter and along wooded pathways. Dog ticks can however be found in open lawns and grassy areas.
Believe it or not, Deer Ked’s wings just drop off within minutes of landing on a host (even a human, who is not a typical host). They lose their wings to make it easier for them to move into the host hair and not be groomed off.
A bit bigger than a female deer tick, sometimes with wings or, more often, scurrying about your body on its 6 legs without wings. This creature is the aforementioned Deer Ked (Lipoptena cervi), and is in the fly family (Diptera: Hippoboscidae-louse flies or keds). They are external parasites on animals like deer and elk. Other species of these flies parasitize sheep, horses, even pigeons. If you do get one on you, don’t worry. It’s not likely to stay for long….people usually brush them off because they feel something crawling around.

I guess it's not really a tick
What's a deer ked? It isn't a new line of shoes for wildlife; in fact, it's a blood-sucking parasite that resembles a tick, but it is actually a type of fly. Upon finding a suitable host, the fly tears its wings off and it spends the rest of its life on the host.

New records show spread of parasitic deer flies across the US​

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With flattened bodies, grabbing forelegs and deciduous wings, deer keds do not look like your typical fly. These parasites of deer — which occasionally bite humans — are more widely distributed across the U.S. than previously thought, according to Penn State entomologists, who caution that deer keds may transmit disease-causing bacteria.

.... (long article here's the link: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/new-records-show-spread-parasitic-deer-flies-across-us/ )

In Pennsylvania, after deer keds emerge from the soil each fall, they fly to a host and immediately shed their wings, usually remaining on the same host for life. Females produce just one egg at a time — it hatches inside her, and she feeds the growing larva with a milk-like substance. When the larva is almost fully developed, it drops to the soil and forms a pupa, eventually emerging as a winged adult. If disease-causing bacteria are transmitted from mother to offspring, newly emerged flies could pass on pathogens to hosts. Pathogens could also be spread when bacteria-harboring flies jump between animals in close contact.

I dropped my deer off yesterday and while we were doing the paperwork one of these keds fell off and was crawling on the floor. From that distance it looked just like a tick to me. The butcher stepped on it and I said was that a tick. I had never heard of keds before but that is what he told me it was. He said he was seeing a lot of them this year. Another blood sucking menace to deal with.

 

[35-acre]

And... my doctor had sent the tick out to a lab for testing (yes - you are supposed to save the pieces and parts you remove if you don't get it all).
It came back as "detected" Lyme disease.

So what does that mean?
Well, considering that my doctor had already started my on the antibiotics, probably not much. If I have problems/symptoms they will have to come up with some other course of treatment (but antibiotics are the way to go early on). Considering I'm not 100% sure how long it was embedded, it could just be likely that I didn't contract it (it could have been a couple of hours or a day). Time will tell. The telltale bullseye can show up 30 days later (and apparently not even in the same place as the bite). Plus the rest of the symptoms just sound like old-age; so I'm not sure how I'll tell the difference:

Fatigue
Muscle aches and pains
Headache
Insomnia
Dementia

Then there are more:
Fever
Chills (uh, i'ts going to be 27 degrees when I get to my treestand in the morning)
Swollen lymph nodes

SIDE NOTE
Went out today with my dog on the ATV and we did a little walking in the woods (moved a trail cam). Came back to camp and had to pull one off of him! He has Flee and Tick stuff that I put on him monthly and as recently as last week (that was a disclaimer). So I tried the bottle-cap with oil like Troubled Trees said. I put that little punk in the oil. He's dead. He was dead quick. In fact, just as a big FU to that little bugger, he's still sitting in oil. And I may toss him in the fire later just for good measure.

 

[Buckly]

If the tick is infected it’s usually easy to tell. It’s about twice the size of a normal one. I have rarely had deer ticks on me in my area but, when hunting different parts of the Country I just pull them straight out with tweezers and use rubbing alcohol on the affected area. No worries.

 

[35-acre]

If the tick is infected it’s usually easy to tell. It’s about twice the size of a normal one. I have rarely had deer ticks on me in my area but, when hunting different parts of the Country I just pull them straight out with tweezers and use rubbing alcohol on the affected area. No worries.

It sounds like what you're describing is one thats fed and full vs one that hasn't started to feed. The one that was on me was not engorged yet. But the test results came back as Lyme.

I'll try to attach a pic but its so hard to tell what it is and how big it is. Its in 2 pieces because I stuggled to twist myself enough to get it all in one piece. The smaller piece is about 3/4 of its head. Just 1 probe stayed in.