I use the Sawyers permethrin, spray down all my hunting outerwear every year, including boots, gloves, never have a problem with ticks. They say your stuff is good for a couple of years thus treated. For what the Sawyers costs and the easy-button factor I can't see messing around diluting/mixing other stuff to save a few bucks. One of the areas I hunt, the deer will sometimes have a few ticks. The other area I hunt a lot the deer will always have a bunch of ticks. The stuff works well. I like to back it up with some deet on the neck, wrists and ankles. I used to commonly pick up a few ticks over deer season before I started doing this routine.
Recommendations for best Tick Repellent?
- Thread starter Hollow Point
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Turkeytider
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I use them both. Permethrin on my clothes and Picaridan on skin. Ticks are the most dangerous critters in the woods. Whether you get it commercially ( Sawyers ) or mix your own, don’t cut it short!
Mighty Mouse
WKR
If you make your own permethrin mix, be aware that some of the higher concentration products marketed for livestock and lawn spraying use "petroleum distillates" as a carrier. Those that do will give your clothes a fairly powerful diesel-like odor (even when diluted in water down to 0.5% strength). The odor fades with time and trips through the laundry, but it starts off pretty strong. Water-based permethrin mixes don't present that problem.
Yep, good reminder.
The Martin's 10% linked above is water based. There's some odor after treating your clothes, but not overwhelming.
Mighty Mouse
WKR
I'll have to get some of that before I soak-treat my turkey hunting and farm clothes here in a couple months. I've used some 10% Gordon's and 36.8% SFR in the past that did contain petroleum and made my clothes smell pretty strong at first. It was still much preferable to tick bites, but it got me banned from the laundry room for a while.
TOLeary
WKR
This is exactly what I use and it’s been the best I’ve used. I spray all of my clothes and boots with permethrin and let them hang dry (just follow the directions). Never have ticks on me. I use it for my dog as well and he’d go from 7-8 ticks just on his head to never having them on him. I just reapply once I start finding them on him again.
Then I use Picaridin if I’m spraying on my body. I’m in the southeast so bugs are terrible almost all year round and the Picaridin is amazing. I went from getting eaten alive working outside to watching the same bugs hover around me but never land. Doesn’t smell or feel weird on your skin either.
Permethrin
Picaridin
Stache Attack
WKR
Send them to insect shield 5-7 bucks per garment plus shipping. Then re treat with permethrin ( I use the sawyer one) after washing to keep it up.
rclouse79
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I hate spraying permethrin all over my clothes, but not as much as I hate finding ticks in my butt crack.
I've used lots of different brands, haven't noticed any difference or smells as long as it's .5% formula. This is the last one I bought. https://a.co/d/0iVreNAe
Id rather spray myself with poison vs digging out a tick in me.
rclouse79
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I turned one hunting buddy on to permethrin. We did a backpack bear hunt and while sitting on a ridge over the course of an afternoon I found one tick on the outside of my clothes and he found over 30 inside his shirt and pants. Needless to say, he no longer leaves home in the spring without giving his clothes a good spray down.
It is hard for me to think of something I hate more than those little bastards. I would rather get bit my 100 mosquitos than have one tick dig into me.
If I had to deal with ticks digging into me, and 100s of mosquitoes. Id just use my gun to end my misery at that point. I dont know which is a worse enemy.
ozyclint
WKR
Are you a contortionist? Finding ticks in one's own butt crack sounds to me like the actions of one.
EdP
WKR
Permethrin also works for the other scourge of the woods, chiggers.
rclouse79
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To be honest I should have said I hate the thought of finding one there, although I did have a friend have the unpleasant experience. You might be good if you don’t wash yourself or wipe your ass. You could just go on your merry way in blissful ignorance as tick the size of a grape is living the good life on your butthole.
bradb
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I dip/soak my cloths as others have said, works great. I mix it in a 5 gallon bucket soak a garment, say pants, let soak a bit. Wring it out back into the bucket, hang up to dry. By wringing it out back into your bucket it goes a lot farther. I for the most part don't wash those cloths during the season.
journeyman713
WKR
I use the Permethrin soak method, muxed in a 5 gallon bucket, just hang clothes to dry. It definitely works well in the heaviest of conditions.
OP
OP
Hollow Point
FNG
I do appreciate the help guy's.
Seems the Sawyer 0.5% Permethrin is the most advised so I will purchase (2) 24oz spray bottles off Amazon to spray me and my son's hunting clothes, cowboy boots and backpacks, and (1) 24oz spray bottle Ranger Ready Repellent 20% Picaridin to apply to our exposed skin before we leave camp everyday.
I would purchase the Sawyer 20% Picaridin, but it only comes in pump spray of 3oz, can spray of 6oz and lotion of 4oz. 24oz of the Ranger Ready beats the volume and is the exact percentage of mixture.
We are only going to be in North Idaho for 1 week of hunting in the woodlands so according to everyone's testimony and researching on the advise, this should be efficient for the 1 week period.
I may start using this 20% Picaridin down here in SW Louisiana during deer season since I have learned the product is odorless. Especially against mosquitos which become horrible during warm weather in the swamps I hunt. Have used Thermacell for years, but this may be a better alternative. A lot of the older deer we kill on the property have ticks on them, but I have yet to have one on me. To be honest, I have only had 3 ticks get on me down here ever and were actually in N Louisiana...
Seems the Sawyer 0.5% Permethrin is the most advised so I will purchase (2) 24oz spray bottles off Amazon to spray me and my son's hunting clothes, cowboy boots and backpacks, and (1) 24oz spray bottle Ranger Ready Repellent 20% Picaridin to apply to our exposed skin before we leave camp everyday.
I would purchase the Sawyer 20% Picaridin, but it only comes in pump spray of 3oz, can spray of 6oz and lotion of 4oz. 24oz of the Ranger Ready beats the volume and is the exact percentage of mixture.
We are only going to be in North Idaho for 1 week of hunting in the woodlands so according to everyone's testimony and researching on the advise, this should be efficient for the 1 week period.
I may start using this 20% Picaridin down here in SW Louisiana during deer season since I have learned the product is odorless. Especially against mosquitos which become horrible during warm weather in the swamps I hunt. Have used Thermacell for years, but this may be a better alternative. A lot of the older deer we kill on the property have ticks on them, but I have yet to have one on me. To be honest, I have only had 3 ticks get on me down here ever and were actually in N Louisiana...
