New T-Shirt: I Went Hunting in Zone 7 and All I Got Were Ticks!

[username]

Just wondering how often you find ticks but had no contact with deer.

 

I was definitely in their playground.  Found some scrapes, beds, and saw one pop away.  But never touched one.

 

Fully covered today: gloves, skull cap, and neck wrap.  Just my eyes were uncovered, mostly looking through glasses.

 

Had a great night, the tree was rocking and rolling like a roller coaster.  Thought a few times that some tree in the area was going to come down.

 

Anyhow, I get home, eat, drink, and then get ready for a shower.  Notice a speck of dirt, just under my lower eyelid and try to brush away, it doesn't move.  Try again, same results.  Pick up tweezers, get underneath and pry up - pop!  Hello Mr. Tick!

 

Had a look at the area and he could not have been there for long, a few hours at most.  Promptly wash the tick down the drain.

 

Hour later, guess who is back on the drain-plug?  That's right, Mr Tick, and he looks pissed!

 

Anyhow, this time Mr Tick gets crushed and flushed.

 

So how often do you find them when you had no contact with deer?  Can they survive a wash and dry cycle?

 

[BowhunterNJ]

Wow that's crazy.  Usually I burn them, you'll hear them pop and they're dead.

Definitely can get them anytime in the woods when it's above freezing.

So many animals carry them through the woods and they'll hijack any brush/branches they can to get on you.

I have heard of guys running clothes through a dryer cycle to kill them, not sure if it works.

Permanone/Duranone definitely work to treat your clothes with (not your skin) and it's an odorless spray, good stuff!

[Haskell_Hunter]

If I don't come out of the woods with at least a tick or two, I didn't work it hard enough.

 

Hunting turkey like pheasants in the bush one year I pulled off 22 ticks after 4 hours.

 

I prefer not to have to probe for ticks, but that's part of being in the woods.  I have a small spray bottle of 100% DEET that goes on the boots and pants, but that's not always surefire.  I'm usually "tick checking" for a couple of days after a long sit.

[robnj]

99.9% of the time with no deer contact.  The most ticks I've seen on me was bustin briar rabbit hunting in the winter.