A primer in the ways that hunters and other outdoorsmen can reduce the odds of contact with ticks.
Tick prevention is a serious business. Being outside comes with significant risks of experiencing tick bites, especially for those who ignore important tick prevention tips and tactics.
In the United States, those who spend any time outside risk contracting alpha-gal, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and numerous other tick-borne diseases.
According to the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/data-research/facts-stats/index.html), more than 60,000 cases of Lyme disease is reported each year. That said, more than 475,000 are treated for Lyme-like symptoms annually. Up to 6,000 individuals deal with Rocky Mountain spotted fever each year. The same number encounter anaplasmosis. The official number of alpha-gal is approximately 18,000 each year, but that number is believed to be grossly underreported. The commonalities of other tick-borne diseases are unknown.
Oftentimes, each case is a horror story in its own right, though.
Tick Diseases Are Horror Stories
Kyle Barefield, co-host of Simmons Sporting Goods All Things Hunting (ATH), fears ticks more than anything else in the outdoors, including bears, snakes, weather, and more.
“I believe tick prevention is one of the most important things you can do to keep yourself safe outdoors,” Barefield said. “There are many tick-borne illnesses you can catch, and some are life changing.
“I know multiple people who have gotten Lyme disease while hunting or fishing,” Barefield continued. “It impacted their lives greatly in a negative way. I know multiple people — including my business partner and best friend Cole Barthel — who have gotten Alpha Gal from a tick and can no longer eat beef. Most likely, he was bitten on a hunt that we were on together.”
On a hunt in Africa, Barefield contracted, “tick bite fever.” It causes flu-like symptoms, but fortunately, faded after a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics. Another member of their camp fought it for weeks.
On another occasion, Barefield and a friend were hunting in Colorado. After the hunt, he began feeling sick, and quickly came down with severe headaches, nausea, and fever.
“It lasted for weeks,” Barefield said. “Multiple trips to the doctor gave me no answers.”
Eventually, he received proper treatment and recovered. After receiving treatment, he was well within a week or so. Still, it’s a period in life he wouldn’t mind forgetting.
Simply put, tick-borne diseases are nothing to take lightly. These are serious, and cause issues for many thousands of individuals each year. Fortunately, with the right plan, most of these are avoidable.
Tips to Prevent Ticks from Biting You
There are several things individuals can do to minimize risks of tick bites. The big and most obvious one? Properly treating their clothing and footwear with permethrin.
“I believe a person going outdoors needs to treat their clothing in Permethrin, according to the directions on the bottle,” Barefield said. “Permethrin has been the one thing that I can see working on a hunt when I count the number of ticks I see on myself vs. other hunters in camp that have not treated their clothing. Also, thoroughly check yourself (on a daily basis) and properly remove any ticks found while hunting.”
Other tips for preventing ticks include wearing long shirts, pants, and socks. Additionally, tuck pants into socks, spray insect repellent, avoid tall grasses and brush, regularly check for ticks, properly remove attached ticks, wash clothing in hot water, shower promptly, and more.
Avoiding Tick-Borne Diseases
According to Travis Avery with Sawyer (https://www.sawyer.com), Sawyer and Coulston pioneered permethrin fabric treatment for the U.S. military. Eventually, it did the same for consumers.
“The 100% odorless after drying fabric treatment is a very effective way to stay protected from ticks,” Avery said. “According to a study from the University of Rhode Island, permethrin-treated shoes and socks reduces the chances of a tick bite by 73.6 times.”
Incredibly, Avery has been fortunate enough to never have contracted any tick-borne diseases. He attributes that to his routine use of Sawyer permethrin.
“Proactive tick prevention is far more effective and affordable than after getting bitten,” Avery said. “As for limiting your odds, treat your clothing and gear with Sawyer permethrin, wear light-colored clothes when possible, and perform routine tick checks.”
Since 1984 (https://www.sawyer.com/about#0), Sawyer has offered exceptional tick protection. They continue doing so today. Outdoorsmen can protect themselves against the horrors of tick bites.
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Check the disease organism stats in your state (from ticks submitted for testing) with a date range of over 20 years (2006-now).
https://www.tickreport.com/stats