SD51555
5 year old buck +
@Foggy47 finding ticks and some conversation there got me to thinking we've got to have the tick talk again. There's nothing new in the tick world, but it's always a good topic to see how others deal with them.
I used to be a dip-everything-in-permethrin guy. I've since gravitated away from that. Not a believer in the three letter agencies and their blessings of what is safe or what they've been paid for which to not find problems. No, I go the all natural route now.
*Avoid high tick areas - Tall grass, tall brush. Stay on trails and keep those trails mowed wide and short. This includes overhanging brush. I whack anything I can reach with the silky. My standard is to be able to go down a given trail and never have to touch anything. If I see something crowding, I stop and deal with it immediately. Do not give an inch back. This includes walking trails, ATV trails, and even vehicle trails. I don't want a single leaf touching my vehicle on those trails. This also includes keeping your trails smooth. You cannot effectively mow a rutted up trail.
*Check yourself often - If you just went through a high probability area, as soon as you get out the other side, check your latch points. Much easier to flick them off when they're running. Check yourself at the end of the day, every day.
*Have good tick PPE - calf high rubber boots. Ticks don't seem to want anything to do with grabbing onto rubber in my area. That covers me in ankle deep grass and hides denim onto which that they'd otherwise latch. Have a good full length mirror available at the end of the day so you can do the twirl and check for ticks on your back and other areas you cannot see. They're pretty cheap at any big box store. High contrast colored clothing helps keep those ticks visible as well. Short sleeves also help keep your latch point feelings. I was rooting around in a trailer load of sawdust last weekend and had two ticks grab onto my arms. Because I had short sleeves on, I felt/found them right way before they got up to my shoulders.
*Get a haircut you friggen hippy - If it's tick season, it's probably hot. Unless you've got visions of being a professional wrestler, get a haircut.
*Quarantine your woodland clothing - I keep all my outdoor clothes in the garage. I only go into the cabin in socks and underwear, and I head straight to the mirror. This helps to avoid that awkard 2am, "what's crawling up my back" sensation. When you bring your woodland clothing home, straight to the washing machine with it. Don't let them crawl out of your bag and wander around your home.
*Know the height of tick season in your area - In my neck of the woods, it's thaw through July. After July, they've mostly found a home, and their incidence drops off quite a bit. They're still out there, but you won't get the high numbers like there were in spring.
*Get your dirty work done outside of tick season if you can - Thankfully, winter puts all bugs to bed in the northland. I can get all up in and over anything I want when it's frozen outside.
Have a plan, and execute it. Alpha gal, lime disease, and those TV commercials that start with "If you used insect repellents with permetrin in them and now have one of these 5 cancers, you may be entitled to compensation" are things I never want to experience. You shouldn't either.
I used to be a dip-everything-in-permethrin guy. I've since gravitated away from that. Not a believer in the three letter agencies and their blessings of what is safe or what they've been paid for which to not find problems. No, I go the all natural route now.
*Avoid high tick areas - Tall grass, tall brush. Stay on trails and keep those trails mowed wide and short. This includes overhanging brush. I whack anything I can reach with the silky. My standard is to be able to go down a given trail and never have to touch anything. If I see something crowding, I stop and deal with it immediately. Do not give an inch back. This includes walking trails, ATV trails, and even vehicle trails. I don't want a single leaf touching my vehicle on those trails. This also includes keeping your trails smooth. You cannot effectively mow a rutted up trail.
*Check yourself often - If you just went through a high probability area, as soon as you get out the other side, check your latch points. Much easier to flick them off when they're running. Check yourself at the end of the day, every day.
*Have good tick PPE - calf high rubber boots. Ticks don't seem to want anything to do with grabbing onto rubber in my area. That covers me in ankle deep grass and hides denim onto which that they'd otherwise latch. Have a good full length mirror available at the end of the day so you can do the twirl and check for ticks on your back and other areas you cannot see. They're pretty cheap at any big box store. High contrast colored clothing helps keep those ticks visible as well. Short sleeves also help keep your latch point feelings. I was rooting around in a trailer load of sawdust last weekend and had two ticks grab onto my arms. Because I had short sleeves on, I felt/found them right way before they got up to my shoulders.
*Get a haircut you friggen hippy - If it's tick season, it's probably hot. Unless you've got visions of being a professional wrestler, get a haircut.
*Quarantine your woodland clothing - I keep all my outdoor clothes in the garage. I only go into the cabin in socks and underwear, and I head straight to the mirror. This helps to avoid that awkard 2am, "what's crawling up my back" sensation. When you bring your woodland clothing home, straight to the washing machine with it. Don't let them crawl out of your bag and wander around your home.
*Know the height of tick season in your area - In my neck of the woods, it's thaw through July. After July, they've mostly found a home, and their incidence drops off quite a bit. They're still out there, but you won't get the high numbers like there were in spring.
*Get your dirty work done outside of tick season if you can - Thankfully, winter puts all bugs to bed in the northland. I can get all up in and over anything I want when it's frozen outside.
Have a plan, and execute it. Alpha gal, lime disease, and those TV commercials that start with "If you used insect repellents with permetrin in them and now have one of these 5 cancers, you may be entitled to compensation" are things I never want to experience. You shouldn't either.
