Dealing w/ mosquitos while elk hunting

cvanman

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Sep 1, 2017
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This year there was a lot of rainfall in elk country. I am heading to Utah this archery season and this is the first time I am concerned about mosquitoes.

If the mosquitos are bad, what do you recommend to help abate them? I will be sleeping in a Seek Outside floorless.

Any sprays that don't stink? Thermocell? or ???
 
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I just spent a week in the Wyoming high county with my boy. We slept in a floorless shelter and then also in the back of my truck. We found a Thermacell lantern effective, but then also would use a bug net. I don't think the Thermacell's are 100% effective but the bug nets are darn close.
 
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cvanman

cvanman

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Sep 1, 2017
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TX
I just spent a week in the Wyoming high county with my boy. We slept in a floorless shelter and then also in the back of my truck. We found a Thermacell lantern effective, but then also would use a bug net. I don't think the Thermacell's are 100% effective but the bug nets are darn close.
bug net for your heads?
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
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Lenexa, KS
bug net for your heads?

I have a couple of these (Sea to Summit has a couple options), which are fairly lightweight and keep material off your face when sleeping:

Pyramid_Net___Travel_Mosquito_Net.jpg
 

Huntnnw

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May 25, 2015
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Rockford,WA
This year there was a lot of rainfall in elk country. I am heading to Utah this archery season and this is the first time I am concerned about mosquitoes.

If the mosquitos are bad, what do you recommend to help abate them? I will be sleeping in a Seek Outside floorless.

Any sprays that don't stink? Thermocell? or ???
Over 30 years hunting elk in September and have never once worried about mosquitoes. Now June and July I do
 
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cvanman

cvanman

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Sep 1, 2017
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Elknut arent you pretty new to Elk Hunting? Just a little sarcasm...
Will be in Utah, they have had a crap-ton of rain. i didnt know if that would be problematic.
 

TaperPin

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Jul 12, 2023
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I don’t think there is a better repellant than simple 100% deet. It doesn’t smell great, it eats plastic, it always seems to leak out of the bottle, but it always works if you need it. I buy the little pump bottles and pack them in two or three ziplocks because they will leak and you don’t want it on anything you like.

If they are bad a head net is worth it’s weight in gold, but thats usually a fly fishing issue rather than elk hunting.

I don’t care for any of the bugs so you’ll only find me in a tent with screens.

You’ll have to let us know how it turns out and if there were more of the little buggers.
 

Walkstoomuch

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Jun 30, 2021
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+1 for a head net in the pack. Mountain Laurel Designs makes a bug bivy that you could use inside your shelter if they're bad. The Cascades can have brutal mosquitos through October in some zones
 

Marble

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May 29, 2019
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Over 30 years hunting elk in September and have never once worried about mosquitoes. Now June and July I do
In September, just too cool at night for them IME. June-August can be problematic

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
 

PaBone

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Western Pa.
Just got back from 10 days in Alaska and the locals said it was one off the rainiest summers they have had in awhile. 90 percent of the time the mosquitoes weren't to bad and did carry 100 percent deet spray and just used it on my hat and shirt and don't like getting that stuff directly on my skin. I'll be hunting Montana in September and have never had an issue with mosquitoes, but will take some spray with me. Yellow jackets and white faced hornets constantly getting in my tent seems to be the biggest bug issue for me. I think they hear a tent zipper a mile away.
 

Fatcamp

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Sodak
Where we hunt deer is normally a wasteland by July. This year it is green and beautiful, truly amazing.

But there are bugs. Like an impressive number of mosquitos.

It's gonna be miserable. My plan is to use spray. Last time we had a wet Fall you would attract a cloud at every low spot. I'm covered up but they were biting through my shirt, which wasn't fun.
 

Beendare

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Corripe cervisiam
I don’t think there is a better repellant than simple 100% deet.
I think Picaridin is better. It work….and it doesn’t get into your bloodstream or wreck rain gear and plastic stuff like deet.

I Spray a set of clothes for trip into bad skeeter country like Alaska.

It’s been rare for me to have problems with mosquitoes in archery elk seasons.
 
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