• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Tick Repellant and Scent Control?

M

MAHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
261
For the guys hunting in NE, we know the ticks have been getting worse and worse.
Went for a walk down a well groomed gravel fire trail (wide enough for a pickup) with my dog. I found 7 ticks on me and 29 on my dog, and we never left the trail.

I have treated hiking clothes etc with permethrin. Have you guys done the same with your scent blocking hunting gear? Im concerned maybe the deer can smell it? Maybe not quite as concerned as i am about getting Lyme or any of the other diseases ticks carry. Or worse, one getting on my kids that i accidently brought in.
 
MAHunter said:
Im concerned maybe the deer can smell it? Maybe not quite as concerned as i am about getting Lyme
Click to expand...
Hunting priorities:

1. Don't die or get hurt.

2. Kill all the deer.

How many deer do you think you can kill handicapped by pants that smell (disregarding the fact that you definitely smell with or without them)? How many deer do you think you can kill diagnosed with lyme disease? And keep in mind that currently one of the big hurdles in curing lyme disease is juat getting the diagnosis. Without getting too far down the rabbit hole, there's pretty compelling evidence that the US under-researches and reports Lyme due to it being developed as a bioweapon during the cold war.

Folks will chime in telling you all about some permethrin that smells or doesn't smell to them. If it makes you feel better to buy that, cool. Aside from the general unpleasantness ticks bring to outdoor experiences, they're a pretty clear and present but avoidable health hazard.
 
I treat all my hunting cloths with either sawyers or bed bug killer and haven’t noticed a smell or getting winded any easier. I hate ticks and will do whatever it takes to keep them off of me. I am in the thick of them where I hunt as well. First walk thru this year I pulled 43 off of me and 47 off my wife in less than a mile walk. We didn’t have treated cloths on. With treated cloths a week later I pulled 7 off between the both of us. I know of 4 of my neighbors with lymes, it’s not worth messing with and you can’t beat a deer nose.
 
MAHunter said:
I have treated hiking clothes etc with permethrin. Have you guys done the same with your scent blocking hunting gear?
Click to expand...

Yes - I use Sawyer’s brand and reapply every few weeks throughout the hunting season. Just spray, hang until dry, then put the Scentlok clothes in the dryer on high heat to release the scent molecules trapped in the carbon.

My boots and my pack also get treated. After the permethrin treatment dries, your boots and pack can get ozone treated or sprayed with scentkiller spray if you want to suppress the odor of the permethrin.
 
Yup, Sawyers doesn’t have a noticeable smell. I use it on my hunting clothes for sure. There are cheaper options like buying the concentrated formulas from TSC and diluting it, but the ones I’ve tried have a smell. I use those for hiking clothes.
 

Ticks, Ticks Ticks….they are everywhere.

I was out climbing in the woods last week and after coming home I went to take a shower and Lone Star tick had latched on to me in the waistband area. I had sprayed my socks, lower pant legs and boots, but already had my gear on and didn’t want to spray OFF on my gear so I skipped the waistband...
saddlehunter.com
Search for permethrin in the search bar. Lots of guys use it. I recall some conversation about it with scentloc. But don't not believe it affects the clothing. I could be wrong. PM John E. If you want to verify it about the scentloc stuff.
 
Yah i use Sawyers Permethrin on my hiking clothes. There is a slight odor though. Just sprayed all my gear with it, after it dries ill run it thru the dryer. Thanks all..

PS...Tick suck...
 
Last edited:
Agree with @Nutterbuster here—protect your health first, then worry about killing deer.
As someone who dealt with the AlphaGal allergy for about a decade (thankfully, it eventually wore off), I NEVER go afield without first dousing my boots, socks, and pants with permethrin. I often add boot gaiters that get a super heavy dose, too. I buy the concentrated Martin’s mix and dilute it myself.
Anecdotally, I’ve not noticed any increase in getting winded by deer when using permethrin vs. when I used to skip it. It’s a no-brainer for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top