Ticks!! (and wool)

fishslap

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Jan 8, 2017
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I went out to see if I could find that single turkey who’s tracks I found last year. When I was moving some stuff around in my pack at lunch, I set a firstlite chama on the ground and it instantly had two ticks on it. When I got home, I pulled FOUR ticks off the wool t-shirt I was wearing and three off the chama in my pack. No other non-wool garments or pack had ticks.

Northern front range foothills Colorado. Be careful this year. Looks bad already.
 

bsnedeker

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MT
I don't think it has anything to with being wool. You set the chama on the ground and they attached to it. The ones you pulled off the shirt probably started on your pants and made it to your shirt before you noticed them.

Treat all your clothes with premethrin. I do it every spring before turkey and bear season.

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Permethrin. Spray all outer wear, boots, gloves, hat, pack, everything. I spray my tent too. That's crucial.
 
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5MilesBack

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Feb 27, 2012
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Wow, I've seen one tick in my lifetime in CO......and I grew up on a farm with a river bottom. That's one of the reasons why I live here......I've never had to deal with them. If they're moving in, perhaps it's time for me to move out. Not sure where to go though that has no humidity and very few bugs or spiders.
 
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Doubt it had anything to do with the material. You can go miles without finding one and then hit spots where they're everywhere. Between me and the wife I bet we flicked well over a hundred of our legs yesterday. Then you hit spots they don't exist.
 

grfox92

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Mar 14, 2017
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I grew up in the Hudson Valley in NY and that's where I've done almost all of my hunting.

The Hudson Valley is the lyme disease capitol of the world. You have ticks on you every single time time you set foot in the outdoors. Its not a question of will I get a tick, it's a question of how many ticks.

I have pulled thousands of ticks off my clothing, hundreds off my body, dug dozens out of my skin and been treated for Lyme with antibiotics over 12 times including one hospitalization.

That being said, wool has nothing to do with it un less that garment was White. Walk through the woods back east in white pants and you will have every tick in that area on you. That's the only factor that will attract ticks to you is wearing white.

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def90

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At least the ticks in Colorado don’t carry lyme disease. They may carry Colorado Tick Fever though it’s pretty rare and the fever is just that, you go through a few days of it and then you are over it for good.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2013
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Colorado
Northern front range , too...
I do a lot of off trail hiking, and I’ve picked up about 30 ticks in the last 6 weeks.
Actually picked up my first tick in February.

No different than any given year up here.
Lots of ticks, especially near water.
 

Scoot

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Nov 13, 2012
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Permitherin! I can't believe people don't do all they can to keep these disease filled buggers off! I hate them. I had a bullseye rash many years ago from a woodtick bite (treated and no problems) and I've been very vigilant about keeping them off since.
 
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Wib

Lil-Rokslider
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Permethrin is indeed the answer. Simparica pill for your dog or the equivalent. I rarely take a tick off him and when I do they are usually dead or dying. I spray all my boots and pants with the permethrin and almost never see a tick, and I live where there a ton of ticks. Without the spray on me and pill for him we would be covered.

Curious, what does white clothing have to do with attracting ticks? Makes it easier to see them, but why would color bring more of them? It's usually recommended to wear long white socks over your pants so you can spot them before they can get on your skin. Spray the tick spray and you won't have to worry about it.
 

grfox92

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Permethrin is indeed the answer. Simparica pill for your dog or the equivalent. I rarely take a tick off him and when I do they are usually dead or dying. I spray all my boots and pants with the permethrin and almost never see a tick, and I live where there a ton of ticks. Without the spray on me and pill for him we would be covered.

Curious, what does white clothing have to do with attracting ticks? Makes it easier to see them, but why would color bring more of them? It's usually recommended to wear long white socks over your pants so you can spot them before they can get on your skin. Spray the tick spray and you won't have to worry about it.
I'm not sure the scientific reason, but they stopped recommending wearing white and light colors to help see ticks because they found out that ticks are attracted to the white color.


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