Risk Assessment: ticks

[Bobonli]

I'm a little freaked out and could benefit from some feedback from folks with more experience in this area than me.

I was out east today (Suffolk County, pine barrens area) shooting at a public 3D range and then went for a 2 mile scouting hike at Wildwood. Long pants, long sleeve shirt, mid-calf socks all treated with Sawyers. When I got back to the car I used a lint roller and found 3 dead ticks on my pants. Yeah, Sawyers! I then rolled up the pants to get the socks, then rolled down the socks and found 2 ticks attached to my calves (one on each). I didn't see any black body markings, so hopefully they were dog, not deer ticks but from my point of view it doesn't matter. 

In all my years of hiking and mtn biking on the Island, I've never found a tick on my body. I've never bothered to check my clothes when doing the other activities up until now that I'm preparing for hunting an animal known to be associated with Lyme (yes, I know that I've been foolish!).

I'm wondering whether it's worth the risk. Have any of you ever thought about the risk versus potential reward? How common is it to pull a tick off your leg; in other words, should I just come to accept that this might happen and count myself as lucky that it's never happened while biking or hiking?

BTW: given the heat today, I was dressed like Ironman. I cannot understand how people can hike in shorts and sandals in any area where there's "Tick Warning" signs every 1/4 mile.

[Robhuntandfish]

You can get bitten by a tick mowing the lawn, getting your mail, one could come in with the dog, .....anything outside.  Can't live in a bubble just be diligent esp when in the woods like you did.  

I had Lyme disease and it sucked.  But I caught it early so didn't have any long term effects.  

But I am diligent to the point of checking everytime I've been outside.  Every night.  I freaked out for sure but just decided you gotta live with the risk these days.  

[Steve D]

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

go buy yourself a set of Rynoskin

[Bobonli]

This should do it..

 

[ATbuckhunter]

Good thing you had clothes treated with permethrin, or else those 3 ticks would not have been dead. Treat your shoes next time too and tuck/ducttape your pants into your shoes next time. Come hunting season, they wont be as active, but you'll still have to watch

[gwhalin]

Big fan of https://www.insectshield.com/.

You send them your clothes and they factory treat with permethrin.  I am head to toe protected when in a situation when in woods.  Still have to do tick checks, and I am obviously not wearing for yard work, but gives me a bit of piece of mind.

[wooly]

Found one latched onto the inside of my thigh the other day while in the yard cutting some wood. Not sure how long it had been there, but at the end of the day it left a mark for a few hours when I pulled it out and was full of blood when I squashed him.

I circled the bite with a sharpie and kept an eye on it for a few days and it has vanished since then. I've NEVER had any trouble with these things even when I used to roam around the woods shirtless in shorts. Just the past few years I've been picking more and more of them off myself with each passing summer.

It's hard to take precautions against something you've never encountered before, but they seem to have reached a point here where I need to start making an effort to minimize contact with them by using some sort of repellents.

[eagle rider]

2 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

go buy yourself a set of Rynoskin

x2 on Rhino Skin.  I've been using it for five seasons now.  Won't go in the woods on LI without it.  No ticks get through it.  I hit my stuff with Sawyers once in the early part of the year around Oct.  Also, knee high rubber/neoprene boots (I use Mucks) sprayed with permethrin.  They are endemic out here.  Nothing you can do about them.  If you don't want ticks near you stay indoors.  

[ATbuckhunter]

2 hours ago, Bill Schmidt said:

A note about DEET. I think 20 percent  would be enough.  That is what , I use and look for.    I don't want any members here getting Lyme Disease. One of my neighbors got hit twice with Lyme Disease.  Probably that Conspiracy Theory episode with Gov Jesse Ventura  about Deer Ticks had alot of truth to it.  I thought about that when , I was in the hospital.                                                            I remember hunting Pheasants ,grouse,and woodcock in the mid 1970s and all through the 1980s and hunting fast through the thickest cover and never see a Tick on me. Not even the larger wood tick or dog tick. No repellant was ever used.  Now in 1993--- after a short Hike, I was covered in Deer Ticks!!   I never saw a Tick before that year.  

I don't think deet is effective on ticks, and even if it is, its not nearly as effective as permethrin

[DirtTime]

For my hunting and hiking gear, only use permethrin now. The only thing that doesn't get treated is my face masks.

Camping, that's tougher, the clothing makes more contact with the skin, so Deep Woods Off or Repel with 25% Deet.

 

I had to run out and get a bag of ice yesterday, and when I got out of the truck to come in the house I had one on my shirt. No clue where it came from, hoping they aren't in my truck because I have no idea how to get rid of them if they are.

 

They have gotten really bad the past 5-6 years ( maybe more for some areas ). 

[G-Man]

i have never seen a tick on my property or on any deer we have taken and ive walked and worked in the woods with short sandels and a tshirt for 25 years now. the neighbor down the hill had one on her dog this past spring. idk my hill gets pretty damn cold. its strange but ill have snow on top and it will be raining at the bottom of the road. ill keep an eye out for them more perhaps but i love the -20 weather that kills them off.. 

[BKhunter]

I am thinking of hunting the island a little this year. The ticks always kept me away, but I bought sawyers and hope it does the trick. I had a tick buried in my back this may and took a cycle of doxy lymes scares the hell out of me. 

What does everyone on the island do when they get a deer down. Do you all butcher it in the field and then just transport them home in coolers? also do you bag and immediately wash your hunting gear at the truck? I'm trying to not bring any ticks bad with me to the house at all costs.

[ATbuckhunter]

12 minutes ago, BKhunter said:

I am thinking of hunting the island a little this year. The ticks always kept me away, but I bought sawyers and hope it does the trick. I had a tick buried in my back this may and took a cycle of doxy lymes scares the hell out of me. 

What does everyone on the island do when they get a deer down. Do you all butcher it in the field and then just transport them home in coolers? also do you bag and immediately wash your hunting gear at the truck? I'm trying to not bring any ticks bad with me to the house at all costs.

Gut, and skin the deer in the woods. That should take care of any ticks on the deer. You may not be allowed to leave the head and skin in the woods, but you can put them in a bag and throw it in the trash. If you treat your clothes with permethrin, then you should be okay for ticks being on your clothes. 

[DirtTime]

Does anyone use the Sawyers ( or the like ) on light weight clothing you wash on a regular basis?  Like your everyday clothing- jeans, shorts, t-shirts etc..

 

 

 

[Bobonli]

I’ve put Sawyers on my regular hiking clothes: Marmot pants, poly long sleeve t shirt socks etc. I wash them as usual and re- treat as per the instructions on the bottle. I think the bottle says 6 weeks or 6 washings. Doesn’t seem to bother the clothes.  The stuff works. On the hike that prompted my OP, the ticks on my pant legs were DOA. But one made it under my socks some how. Next time I will wear gaiters. 

[DirtTime]

3 hours ago, Bobonli said:

I’ve put Sawyers on my regular hiking clothes: Marmot pants, poly long sleeve t shirt socks etc. I wash them as usual and re- treat as per the instructions on the bottle. I think the bottle says 6 weeks or 6 washings. Doesn’t seem to bother the clothes.  The stuff works. On the hike that prompted my OP, the ticks on my pant legs were DOA. But one made it under my socks some how. Next time I will wear gaiters. 

What about your day to day clothes if you are a camper? I don't know anyone who buys special clothes to go camping. You just pack what's in the dresser or closet and go.

[Bobonli]

Those are my day to day clothes! I hang them outside, spray them down as directed on the bottle ( and there’s a good video on the sayers web site) and let the  dry for a couple of hours. From there I handle them like my other clothes except I roll them off with a lint brush after being in the woods. the lint brush picks up any dead bugs so you don’t bring them into the car. Some people strip down at the car and toss the clothes into a bag or bin for the ride home  

Check the bottle for instructions but it’s definitely more than every two weeks unless you’re washing your pants everyday. 

Finally, the SUNY Stony Brook folks distribute tick info and removal kits. The kits say to put clothes in a hot dryer for ten minutes to kill anything that withstood the chemicals. 

[Merlot]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 12:03 PM, eagle rider said:

x2 on Rhino Skin.  I've been using it for five seasons now.  Won't go in the woods on LI without it.  No ticks get through it.  I hit my stuff with Sawyers once in the early part of the year around Oct.  Also, knee high rubber/neoprene boots (I use Mucks) sprayed with permethrin.  They are endemic out here.  Nothing you can do about them.  If you don't want ticks near you stay indoors.  

x3 on Ryno Skin...Just ordered top and bottom Rynoskin. About $100 but what the hell....giving it a go after getting bit by one of those buggers, having the bullseye rash, and having to go through the Anti-biotic thing.

[Merlot]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 5:34 PM, Bobonli said:

I'm a little freaked out and could benefit from some feedback from folks with more experience in this area than me.

I was out east today (Suffolk County, pine barrens area) shooting at a public 3D range and then went for a 2 mile scouting hike at Wildwood. Long pants, long sleeve shirt, mid-calf socks all treated with Sawyers. When I got back to the car I used a lint roller and found 3 dead ticks on my pants. Yeah, Sawyers! I then rolled up the pants to get the socks, then rolled down the socks and found 2 ticks attached to my calves (one on each). I didn't see any black body markings, so hopefully they were dog, not deer ticks but from my point of view it doesn't matter. 

In all my years of hiking and mtn biking on the Island, I've never found a tick on my body. I've never bothered to check my clothes when doing the other activities up until now that I'm preparing for hunting an animal known to be associated with Lyme (yes, I know that I've been foolish!).

I'm wondering whether it's worth the risk. Have any of you ever thought about the risk versus potential reward? How common is it to pull a tick off your leg; in other words, should I just come to accept that this might happen and count myself as lucky that it's never happened while biking or hiking?

BTW: given the heat today, I was dressed like Ironman. I cannot understand how people can hike in shorts and sandals in any area where there's "Tick Warning" signs every 1/4 mile.

The Rynoskin I ordered just arrived. Lightweight, skin tight, but extremely flexible. I now feel better about venturing into the great outdoors, with much less concern about Lyme tick issue. $100, but appears to be worth the money.

[moog5050]

16 minutes ago, Merlot said:

The Rynoskin I ordered just arrived. Lightweight, skin tight, but extremely flexible. I now feel better about venturing into the great outdoors, with much less concern about Lyme tick issue. $100, but appears to be worth the money.

Culver raved about it when the black flies started coming out in Canada.  I plan to get a full set.  Looked way more comfortable than a bug suit.

[Doc]

What is the max temperature that you can stand to have the rynoskin on before you start sweating? Is it true that it is mosquito-proof? Is the weave so tight the little suckers can't get that proboscis through? I think I just might get a set (top and bottom). I suspect that on a day like these past 90 degree days, that stuff is probably not practical. But during hunting season, it should be ok....right?

[Marion]

Moog is that you?

 

You Can't Beat My Meat!!!

 

 

 

Insert Rhyno Skin picture of guy hunting. Apparently it won't let me upload

[Culvercreek hunt club]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

What is the max temperature that you can stand to have the rynoskin on before you start sweating? Is it true that it is mosquito-proof? Is the weave so tight the little suckers can't get that proboscis through? I think I just might get a set (top and bottom). I suspect that on a day like these past 90 degree days, that stuff is probably not practical. But during hunting season, it should be ok....right?

Doc,

I have heard mixed reviews on their ability with skeeters. I used them in Canada and they were the bomb for the black flies and i can certainly see the value in combating ticks. There weren't many skeeters out up there yet. The few I did see I let land on my hands that had the gloves on and they didn't bit me.  I bought the baklava, gloves, shirt and pants. They remind me of the underarmor heat gear in their weight and feel. They would not be hotter than any other shirt and since they come in colors like white, tan, green and black, I could see just having that top on on a hot day. I will say that they didn't strike me as super durable becasue they are so thin. I could see then ripping if you were bush wacking in them. Used as an under layer they have done just fine for me so far. I think they are work the money. 

Edited August 9, 2018 by Culvercreek hunt club

[NFA-ADK]

Personally the risk is not worth my health, I have done enough damage to this poor body.  No need to punish it more.  It is starting to fight back, any more and it might revolt!  

How long ago did you treat your clothes?  And how did you treat them.  I hang about 4 sets of clothes in garage then basically use 2 big bottles on everything including socks, underwear, boots face mask etc.  and I soak them.  If it stays warm by November I redo everything again.  I also tape socks and sleeves if I am really cautious, but that is rare unless I know I will be going through thick cover.  I am also very observant and try to avoid ANY branch or protruding vines/limbs along the path, easy on a trail, no so easy off. 

This is also a very active time for ticks.  Pulled on off me this year after a scouting even at the club freaked me out at 3:30 am!  Dog tick but still freaks me out!