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Mosquitoes and hunting

Slingin eastons

Slingin eastons

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
642
I’m in the northeast and although mosquitoes haven’t typically been a problem up here this years adventures are taking me into the swamps and wetlands. I know there’s a lotta guys here from the south I was hoping someone had some ideas other than bathing in DEET lol.


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What everyone else said: Thermocell is an absolute must in the early season down here. I’ve never witnessed a deer have a negative reaction to the smell it puts out. If it smelled like human body odor, that would be a different story


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Yeah they smell a little. The only scenario I can think that maybe a thermacell isn’t ideal is maybe if you’re a scent lock suit/ozone type guy. If you’re spending all that time and $ to be scent free, the thermacell would counteract some of that. For me, I just play the wind anyway so thermacell all day!
 
IMO the animals don't seem to notice the smell.....I like when the mat is new and it's smoking a little heavy....nice visual aid with wind direction. I keep a bug head net in my vest also...I've been caught in weather and had the thermacell go out and fail to relight more than once. IMO u would be pretty foolish to hunt around here and not own 2 or 3 thermacell. I read on here that some people say permethrin works on skeeters but I haven't experienced anything like that. Keep skin covered, neck gaiter, head net, lightweight liner gloves
 
Drip a little doe pee on the insert if your worried about smell. It’l smell….different, that’s for sure. Just don’t do it in a ground blind. Trust me on this one.
 
Slingin eastons said:
I’m in the northeast and although mosquitoes haven’t typically been a problem up here this years adventures are taking me into the swamps and wetlands. I know there’s a lotta guys here from the south I was hoping someone had some ideas other than bathing in DEET lol.
Click to expand...

Advice from another CT deer hunter:

1. I don't use DEET anymore - I have no tolerance for the way that it can soften/smear/smudge some plastics.
2. I now use 20% Sawyer Picaridin when I spray down with insect repellent. Picaridin doesn't damage plastics, and it's just as effective as DEET, for just as long, in my experience.
3. All my clothes, boots, and packs are pre-treated ahead of the season with Permethrin, but like others have said, Permethrin doesn't repel mosquitoes very well in my experience. (It's by far the best product for keeping ticks off you though.)
4. When the skeeters are real bad (like now in CT!), I spray down with Picaridin when I leave my truck, and I turn on a Thermacell unit that I keep at or above my waist. Checking trail cameras in the CT swamps in August, I also wear a neck gaiter and ball cap that are sprayed down well with Picaridin, and the skeeters still buzz my ears and face but they don't land and they don't bite. If there's no wind and I'm standing still, the Thermacell keeps them from doing that - but the conditions need to be right for the thermacell repellent to linger and build up around your immediate space - it doesn't work as well when there's a breeze or when you're on the move.

As to your question about a chemical smell - yes, there is a smell ... DEET, Picaridin, Permethrin, and Thermacell units all have a smell. I have no way to know if it alerts *some* deer that avoid/evade me. But I still get kill opportunities, so it doesn't alert them all. As they say, you can't kill deer sitting home on your couch ... so when the skeeters are bad, I use the Picaridin and Thermacell and play the wind to my advantage as best as I can ... because otherwise I wouldn't want to be out there.
 
Slingin eastons said:
I’m in the northeast and although mosquitoes haven’t typically been a problem up here this years adventures are taking me into the swamps and wetlands. I know there’s a lotta guys here from the south I was hoping someone had some ideas other than bathing in DEET lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I won’t go in the woods without a thermocell and a couple of refill packs. If you get original it doesn’t really smell. Or you can get the one that smells like the woods. Either way it’s tough to beat a thermocell. Just remember it takes about 20 minutes once you turn it on and spark it, to get it warmed up enough to omit the chemical. But after that 30 minutes you’ll hear mosquitoes flying about 8’ away from you but very rarely will they come in and bite. It’s a life saver.
or you could try @Weldabeast idea lol I hear that prevents any itching from mosquito bites….
 
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