Ticks

DMC

Member
I have just skinned a couple of Roe that were shot on Sunday, one was local to me and the other was from a patch of ground about 30 miles away. I noticed a few ticks doing backstroke in the drip tray under the one from the patch away from me and upon skinning it counted 50 plus ticks. The other deer had about 6, and they could have transferred from the other one!
Has anyone else noticed an increase in ticks or does anyone have any comments on this?
 
I have never seen as much as this year,, been a constant battle to keep the dogs clear some times. Very bad year for it imo
 
question if you find ticks on a deer that you have just shot should you remove them before taking it home or leave them until you skin the deer and at what point do you not take the carcass because it has a lot of ticks thanks
 
stalking on the west coast of scotland we have a real problem with ticks in fact so much so if you talk to them nicely they help with the drag back,lol. seriously i hang the beast as normal to cool the when we are going home i use medical grade body bag to transport as everything gets zipped in and to keep cool you can use ice in bags once home it goes into the chiller then skin when needed and discard I wash out my bags and reuse as they come with a little carrier. a full size bag will easy do a red but they do small person bags which is ideal for roe.
these are strong so you can carry out as well, atb wayne
 
As mereside says the west coast is particularly bad, not uncommon to have twenty or more on my person after an outing, just pay careful attention to removing them as soon as you can, not much danger to you if you get them off fairly quick, the ones that pose the greatest danger to you are ones you might miss and are on you for twenty four hours or more, not as unlikely as it sounds this year in particular I have been plagued by tiny ones so small you can't see them until they start feeding on you even then they are like pin heads.

AS to the original question I have never had to discard a carcase due to tick infestation and I have had them hanging like bunches of grapes on the insides of the huanches.

I suppose its possible for deer to get diseases like louping ill or Lyme's disease but can't say I have seen any that seem to be any worse for carrying them.

Did once see a pony that nearly died from them, but it had come from a tick free area, suppose they build up some immunity.
 
I am sure it to do with the lack of winter theres loads about .i no alot of people will disagree with me but i am wearing the rovince tick proof clothing it is exspensive but you cant put a price on your health ,has it been as mild up north as we southen folk regard -1 -4 as a winter ,i only ask because its normaly colder up your way ,so how cold dose it need to kill off ticks ??? mereside
 
Ticks don't seem to die with cold weather it just seems to put them into a hibernation period where they are not active, still see them on deer in the winter just not as many and i suppose being cold don't move so much on bracken or tree canopy,
I wear a thinsulate top and bottoms under my gear i dont have an issue with ticks stalking as everything is tucked in and i always wear a brimmed hat.
gaitors help through heather the problem for me is back after hanging it is amazing you pick a beast up after hung in a chiller and they seem to jump on fast tiny micro ticks climbing up your arms and even before latching on they seem to stick, pay very close attention to yourself and stay safe,they like to go to the warm parts,armpits,backs of knees but really they will go anywhere,atb wayne
 
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Like Bogtrotter has said. . The worst ones are the tiny tick nymphs which get absolutely everywhere and are a pain to find and remove.. . With such a mild winter, I think we are in for a terrible tick burden this year.
 
occupational hazard
cannot abide the nasty wee creatures
if you dont like ticks
stay at home, dont go deer stalking,
dont crawl in the heather,
dont carry deer round you neck,
once saw a mouse with 50 ticks:(
deer just have to put up wth them

not many locally but in areas like the highlands
can be a real problem.

tuck in, double trousers,
treated outer clothes all help
fumigate your vehicle boot, wash your clothes
shower well, check your body
 
Just pulled another out, just outside the armpit. Who knows how long that little feckers been there, second one this week both being the little nymph type!
 
My mrs washes all my stalking and work clothes with a few drops of eucalyptus oil in with powder. Not had a tick on me since! Loads about this year though springer has had a bite that all put paralyzed him needed anti bios and anti in flames all his joints swelled scared me seeing him like mrs is now washing dog in the same stuff!!!!
 
I took two roe bucks from the Newton Stewart area last week, I've never seen so many ticks in my life
on both me and both the deer!
Took them back the game dealers and told him they were particularly infested with ticks this year do you still want them?, he said not a problem I'll soon have the skins off cheers.
when I got home I was literally moving with em must of had at least 50 crawling all over me.
luckily a good scrub in the shower has got rid of em all as none have swollen up on me anywhere.
My question is how long would they live in the back of your car or on your jackets with nothing to feed from?
 
that's a good Question and one I don't know ,I was told by someone that if you put your clothes in the dryer on a hot setting for 15 mins that will kill them ,so in your car in winter I guess that will live some time ,but in the summer when your car sits in the sun baking I dout much would live in the heat very long
 
I took two roe bucks from the Newton Stewart area last week, I've never seen so many ticks in my life
on both me and both the deer!
Took them back the game dealers and told him they were particularly infested with ticks this year do you still want them?, he said not a problem I'll soon have the skins off cheers.
when I got home I was literally moving with em must of had at least 50 crawling all over me.
luckily a good scrub in the shower has got rid of em all as none have swollen up on me anywhere.
My question is how long would they live in the back of your car or on your jackets with nothing to feed from?



Interesting question, would be good to have a definitive answer on that!
 
Interesting question, would be good to have a definitive answer on that!


This is the big problem , even the military dont have a definitive answer for prevention of Lymes and encephalitis , deet seems to be only answer ,the anti tick clothing Ive seen is not scientifically proven to work so deet on your gaitors and clothes seems the best preventative.
There`s definitely an opening for scientific study of theses little baskets.
 
Hi
I read an article that said Permethrin is much better to stop ticks from getting on you. Apparently it can be sprayed on clothes as opposed to deet which should be put on the skin. Check out lymeneteurope.org, they have a really interesting article.
has anybody experience with deet versus permethrin.
 
I use the rovince anti tick clothes ,I just got back from the wood and found a tick on the dogs eye lid no ticks on me I have not had a.tick on me since I brought these clothes but people I shoot with have.there must be some thing in it. I have watch what they do when on the clothes and it drives them mad.wouldn't be without them now
 
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I took two roe bucks from the Newton Stewart area last week, I've never seen so many ticks in my life
on both me and both the deer!
Took them back the game dealers and told him they were particularly infested with ticks this year do you still want them?, he said not a problem I'll soon have the skins off cheers.
when I got home I was literally moving with em must of had at least 50 crawling all over me.
luckily a good scrub in the shower has got rid of em all as none have swollen up on me anywhere.
My question is how long would they live in the back of your car or on your jackets with nothing to feed from?
I put two heads in a bucket of water before skinning them and the little feckers crawled up the antlers and were alive for a good week .soon as I touched the antlers they pounced and my hand was crawling brrrrr makes me shiver hate em as more than midges
norma
 
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