Tick Prevention Tips for Summer Scouting and Outdoor Work
Spring has wrapped up for outdoorsmen across the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that time spent outdoors is going to taper. We are securely moving into summer fishing season and the whitetail offseason, which both equal ample time spent outdoors. This is a great time to be an outdoorsman as it signals a fresh start for your annual endeavors and tons of work needing to be done. Unfortunately, it also signals increased exposure to one of the biggest threats facing American outdoorsman, ticks.
When I was young, ticks didn’t bother me at all. They were just a part of life. Spring turkey hunting, fall squirrels, and bank fishing for bass just came with the occasional tick bite. We monitored for ticks and bites but there was never an inherent fear that it would lead to potentially adverse effects. We for sure didn’t take any preventive measures against them. Fast forward to today where the incidence of tick-borne illness has increased and the variety of diseases you could catch has multiplied.
Dangers of Ticks
Every year I hear of more people that I know personally suffer from a tick-borne illness and it makes the threat seem more real. I’ve never been afraid of ticks, but the more I hear stories about them and research specific tick-borne illnesses, the more I learn to respect and avoid them. Of course, we’ve all heard that we need to minimize tick bites, which all outdoorsmen know is a tall task, but very seldom do we dive into the reason. Obviously, they can cause potential illness, but just how bad are we talking? Let’s take a look at it.
I was astounded during my research to find that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website listed 16 different tick-borne illnesses. Some of them are rarer than others but nonetheless just as dangerous. Of the lot, most fall into the realm of viral or bacterial infections, with common symptoms being fatigue, nausea, vomiting, aches, and rash. Some others however have a wider range of symptoms, with some being very harsh.
Three of the most common tick-borne illnesses, and the ones that you hear about a large majority of the time, are Lyme disease, Alpha-gal syndrome, and Anaplasmosis.
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Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness. It’s a bacterial infection spread by black-legged ticks (common to the eastern United States). Per the CDC, symptoms include fever, rash, arthritis, and irregular heartbeat. It can be treated with antibiotics.
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Alpha-gal syndrome has been making headlines lately as incidence in the Midwest has increased dramatically. This particular tick-borne illness causes an allergic reaction to the Alpha gal molecule found in the meat of most mammals. Symptoms include hives, nausea, stomach cramps, and swelling in response to eating red meat. There is currently no effective treatment. This is one of the biggest threats facing hunters today.
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Anaplasmosis isn’t as burned into most people’s memory like the previously mentioned illnesses are but I assure you it is just as serious. It is a bacterial infection spread by the black-legged tick. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. It can be treated with antibiotics.
Unfortunately, the list of tick-borne illnesses continues with many causing similar symptoms to the common ones previously listed. Like I said earlier, we shouldn’t be scared of going outside and encountering ticks, but we must respect them and learn how to prevent adverse events.
Tick Bite Prevention
If you spend time in the woods, you are going to encounter ticks and you more than likely are going to experience the occasional bite. It happens, but shouldn’t be taken lightly. Making the effort to practice tick bite prevention could be what keeps you from experiencing one of the previously mentioned illnesses. The key to tick prevention isn’t to focus on elimination, because that isn’t possible, it’s a multi-level approach to cut down on tick bite exposure.
The first, and most obvious step, in tick bite prevention is to avoid areas where ticks are the most numerous. Thickets, tall grass, and overgrown fence rows are areas that are going to hold more ticks. And because it is hard to navigate these types of areas without foliage grazing your clothes, ticks have plenty of opportunities to latch on to you. Logging roads, clean woods, and low-height fields should be stuck to as often as possible. While it is impossible to adequately accomplish offseason hunting chores without encountering thick cover, you can minimize your time spent in it with good planning.
The next step is to wear full coverage clothing. Covering your full arms and legs with long sleeve clothing and pants will do wonders keeping ticks off of your skin, especially when compared to shorts and tee shirts. Don’t be afraid to wear gloves and net masks as well. Tucking your pants legs into your boots and your shirt tail into your pants works wonders as well. There are even lines of insect-repellant infused clothing if you are serious and not scared to spend extra money on prevention.
Lastly, I like to employ insect repellants. Besides the invention of expansive digital mapping software, I personally believe Permethrin is the single greatest invention for outdoorsman. This stuff works and I can vouch for it personally. Whether you are treating your clothes and boots with the aerosol spray or soaking them in permethrin concentrate solution, your tick encounters will significantly decrease. Since I’ve started using Permethrin, I’ve gone from dozens of tick bites every spring turkey season to one or less. It’s amazing. Also, products containing DEET can be effective as well.
Taking the time to practice adequate tick bite prevention methods can save your season and possibly your life. I know that sounds dramatic but it’s not necessarily an overstatement. If you are reading this, you obviously enjoy spending time outdoors. Don’t let something so small affect your time outdoors so greatly. Prepare, prevent, and participate.
Will Bowen, Okayest Hunter Contributor
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