The weather is getting warmer and that means new threats are on the rise, like the Powassan virus spread by ticks.There's no known cure for the Powassan virus so reducing the risk of being infected needs to be a top priority for all of us. Powassan is also sometimes fatal. It is spread by the same deer tick that carries Lyme disease and once you've been hit, it'll attack your nervous system and cause your brain to swell.
Powassan is mostly found in the northeast but we're not immune here in Idaho, and with so many of us enjoying the outdoors on the greenbelt, hikes like table rock, hunting, jogging, biking, etc... we all need to be a little more aware of what's out there.
While we haven't seen a case this year so far, we need to take preventative measures to keep it that way. These things spread like wildfire so let's just keep it out.

There's no legal cure for ticks either, every single pesticide that would control them has been outlawed in the US. You walk 50' anywhere in this area and you will have a tick or fifty. Permethrin is about the best thing to use now.

I haven't heard of that tick borne illness yet. I get way less ticks when I started wearing rubber knee boots.

Found the first tick of the year about 15 minutes ago. Snowed last night and its 36 degrees now, so time to treat the dogs.

2weeks ago I made the mistake of going into the woods without my clothes being sprayed with permethrin and ended up with three tick bites. I did find the little bugger and flushed him down the toilet. Next day I sprayed all my hunting clothes for spring gobbler season.

AJE, I have found the same thing while wearing knee boots with my pants tucked into them. Far less ticks. If I am going into someplace where I need a true hiking type boot I use a pair of tick gaiters with them and that helps a ton too.

Yes, it's incredible how well knee boots deter them.

Another thing I like to do is shower after being in the woods. And I use a long brush from Walmart to clean my back. A friend with a tick infection said his Dr recommended he start using 1 of those wand brushes on his back in the shower. Makes sense.

been rolling up some fence along the woods and have picked ticks off every time I have been out there. Hate the little buggers.

I would guess I have about 30 saved up for the ND Health Dept to check from the last week. The older I get the less I care for them.

Sawyer's has helped me a TON.

I wonder if you carried around a pet grinner in your pocket if it would eat them all 🤔

Mark, when did you move to Idaho

Lee that was a short trip, about two hours and moved back, not counting travel. The article was about ID. I saw that 18 batches out of 31 batches of ticks I sent in last year tested positive for Rickettsia spp and two for Francisella tularemia, so I have that going for me.

https://gamehide.com/product-category/elimitick-hunting-clothing/ I've been using this clothing for about five years and have never had to pick a tick off .

How does it work? I looked at the site but didn't see anything about it other than "for sale"
I am in an area that if I spend a day in the grass I can pick 50 off at the end of the day. Then I will find another dozen in the pickup the next day. I used to use repel for clothing until they stopped selling it.

It's impregnated with permethrin . My hunting buddies and I wear them and we never get ticks on us . Supposed to be effective up to 70 machine washes . You could also buy the permethrin and mix up a few gallons and soak your hunting clothes in it and hang them out to dry .

Talked to 2 medical professionals yesterday.
There is no doubt that in an area that ticks were very rare to now they are common something has changed.
They are on the rise. They are seen earlier every year and more often I'm told.

Why more ticks?
1) deer population has been on the rise over the years in my area, more hosts more ticks?
2) More coyotes pushing out Foxes, coyotes eat less small rodents than foxes do, foxes eat more mice that are the carriers of larval ticks?

Can't be global warming, if there is such a thing, as ticks have always been much more common in the northern 1/2 of the state vs the southern 1/2 since I was a kid 50 years ago.

When you use the term TICKS you use a very broad term.........there are many species and every one of them has a nitch they fit into.

better get your head around Global warming it is here to stay.

From what I was told it isn't just more ticks. It is ticks that were not in the areas that are being found now. Some even from outside the United States. There is way more here now than there was 20 years ago. So not just more, but others. They are also finding they carry way more transmittable disease's than they thought.

Good info. Thanks for the thread, Mark! All except the global warming nonsense! lol

I rate ticks right up there with liberals. They'll suck the blood right out of you and I just don't have much use for them.