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Mosquitoes and hunting

Weldabeast said:
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
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Just another reason I'm glad to hunt in the northern end of the states . . . I honestly don't remember being bothered by a single mosquito last season. :) You southern guys can keep them, big spiders, snakes and gators. I'll keep the snow. :tearsofjoy:
 
I have literally watched a thermacel keep away a wall of mosquitoes over a bog I was hunting. I’ve been meaning to buy stock in them. Device itself is relatively cheap and the refills when you think about what you’re getting or not that bad either. Full weekend coverage 6-10 bucks more if you buy it in bulk. Literally worth double their weight in gold. They have both earth and traditional scent.
 
Best thing for most people's mosquito woes is to come hunt with me in a central Florida (legitimate) swamp for a day. You'll go home and not complain about mosquitos again for at least 2 seasons or your next central Florida hunt is free*

[*The cost of 1 Florida hunt with me is an unopened T-cell refill package; my stash can never be deep enough.]

On a serious note, if I drove the hour to my hunting location and forgot my T-cell I would turn around and go back home. If I drove there and forgot my bow but had my T-cell, I would sharpen a stick into a spear and climb a tree.
 
Scott F said:
Best thing for most people's mosquito woes is to come hunt with me in a central Florida (legitimate) swamp for a day. You'll go home and not complain about mosquitos again for at least 2 seasons or your next central Florida hunt is free*

[*The cost of 1 Florida hunt with me is an unopened T-cell refill package; my stash can never be deep enough.]

On a serious note, if I drove the hour to my hunting location and forgot my T-cell I would turn around and go back home. If I drove there and forgot my bow but had my T-cell, I would sharpen a stick into a spear and climb a tree.
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Amen.
 
I have also been known to hold my breath, lean upwind, and give a squirt of 100% DEET center mass on my face. Usually when I have to take my next breath the mist has gone away and so have the mosquitos around my face.

We are all going to die someday, I am just shaping the fact that mosquitos won't be the reason why I do. I already know (and have rehearsed) my first question I will ask God when I meet him - [while kneeling, with head bowed] "Almighty God, why did you make mosquitos?"
 
Scott F said:
I have also been known to hold my breath, lean upwind, and give a squirt of 100% DEET center mass on my face. Usually when I have to take my next breath the mist has gone away and so have the mosquitos around my face.

We are all going to die someday, I am just shaping the fact that mosquitos won't be the reason why I do. I already know (and have rehearsed) my first question I will ask God when I meet him - [while kneeling, with head bowed] "Almighty God, why did you make mosquitos?"
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He’ll reply gently “it was part of the curse of original sin”.
 
LoadedLimbs said:
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.
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Pic
Scott F said:
I have also been known to hold my breath, lean upwind, and give a squirt of 100% DEET center mass on my face. Usually when I have to take my next breath the mist has gone away and so have the mosquitos around my face.

We are all going to die someday, I am just shaping the fact that mosquitos won't be the reason why I do. I already know (and have rehearsed) my first question I will ask God when I meet him - [while kneeling, with head bowed] "Almighty God, why did you make mosquitos?"
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ask him about sand gnats (no see ums) too or as I refer to them death by a million bites
 
Weldabeast said:
if ur thermacell and deets aren't cutting it search around in the forest till u find this plant. Take a handful and pop it in ur mouth and chew it up till it's a moist paste and rub on all exposed skin paying special attention around the neck/face/hands


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That is completely reckless and I love it. We worry about some newbie choosing the wrong knot or using a ropeman out of spec. BUT, some poor newbie is going to have a cheekful of poison ivy. When this does happen, please please please take pictures. I love this freaking place
 
Loopwing said:
That is completely reckless and I love it. We worry about some newbie choosing the wrong knot or using a ropeman out of spec. BUT, some poor newbie is going to have a cheekful of poison ivy. When this does happen, please please please take pictures. I love this freaking place
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2021-08-27_17.54.29.jpg
 
Loopwing said:
That is completely reckless and I love it. We worry about some newbie choosing the wrong knot or using a ropeman out of spec. BUT, some poor newbie is going to have a cheekful of poison ivy. When this does happen, please please please take pictures. I love this freaking place
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Encourages actual woodmanship. Me too I love it! Can’t wait for them to try it out.
 
Two thermocells if it was me and they are that bad. When the first starts to fade, fire up the second and finish the hunt. They typically last 3-4hrs.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
ask him about sand gnats (no see ums) too or as I refer to them death by a million bites
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Those rascals (sand gnats / sand flies / no-see-ums) are a much bigger threat to the whitetail deer population in the Northeast region than to the hunters, though they'll ruin your hunt if you run into them without a Thermacell. We had an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) that killed off a bunch of whitetails a few towns over from me four years ago. Prior to that, I'd never heard of EHD. Then last year, the guys who started the New York Saddle Hunters forum had a tough year due to an outbreak of EHD that decimated around 1500 deer in their local herd. Looks like a couple of deer have been confirmed with it again earlier this month in New York...

EHD Confirmed in 2 Ulster County, NY Deer
 
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No see ums here in North East Florida aren't effected by thermacell. Maybe they are 2 separate bugs called the same thing?
 
Thermacell is my go to. Or permethrin made by Sawyer. That stuff is awesome for mosquito and ticks. I always wear it when scouting in the summer and prepping in preseason
 
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