Have missed this forum because of low participation, because I use the "active thread selection" and once it is past page 2 ,,,well ciber goblins do their work.
Thank Paul for locking up the last thread during cleaning in Feb 2019.

But to issue; The CDC has put out a new page with all the diseases etc listed and the locked thread has some 2015 Data, a lot has changed since them.
Can someone post the link.
I've been in the periphery in research for 30 years now, and some of my comments may taint some viewers.

Question when new trapping courses are being taught, how much time is spent on this discussion ?

Thanks.

Tick diseases are a big deal around here. A person constantly needs to be aware and alert. I can get them sometimes even just walking through the yard. What a pain. But I'd take ticks over scorpions, tarantulas, and copperheads.

Just got a heads up from Neal Graves our Illinois Trapper's Association president...regarding some incidences of "Bobcat Fever"....that has been found in both bobcats and domestic cats...tick related. Tough on younger cats...usual weaker and death might occur. The cases have been reported from some vets from Southern Illinois.

I'm not surprised it would effects cats. I've wondered about its effect on furbearers, not just humans. The last fisher I caught was absolutely loaded with ticks.

I have lived here now nearly 50 yrs. Had not heard of ticks till spring 2016 and 2017. Lots of em those two summers. Had a colder winter than past few (2108-2019) and have not heard of a tick this spring, yet...

I just read an article today actually that said despite the colder winter, there's more ticks this year. I don't see many myself though.
https://www.weau.com/content/news/M...-more-Lyme-carrying-ticks-510447391.html

Spent most of last night in the ER. Knee started giving me troubles a week or so ago, and last night it got so bad that I couldn't walk anymore. I was very surprised when the first thing the Dr said after looking at at the knee and the images was "I am almost positive that you have Lymes. I had it 7 years ago and because of my energy levels lately I had wondered about it, but never gave any thought to it being the cause of my knee pain. I agree that any hunter or trapper classes should spend time on the topics of tics! I wouldn't wish this on the president of Pita!

Problem with this article is that they used a picture of a " Lone Star tick " not a Black legged tick.

The ticks around here, on average, are much much smaller than they were 25 years ago. It's annoying.

Just went though this with a tick bite the doctor thinks it was just carrying some kind of “normal” human flu type disease, but I got to be on doxycycline for 10 days as a just in case situation.

Hard to tell what these ticks are carrying these days. It used to be we only had to think about lymes, but they can carry so many other disease.
Doxy works good. In fact I suggest the 2 pill mega dose. My dr suggested it a few years ago. If I get bit I can take the 2 pill mega dose and it prevents lymes.

I think that would have happened but buy the time I was able to go my symptoms were over, I got sick the week of the 4 of July and other that going to the ER I couldn’t see a doctor. At the time I thought it was the flu or heat but then remembered that I had a tick bit about 3 days before I got sick and then I went to the doctor. It did take till about 5 days of the antibiotics until I felt better, so I do think I had something even though the blood test showed normal for white blood cell count and general things.

I was at the Dr today. He told me to use a pump sprayer to spray bug spray with 40% deet on my clothes (or use permethrin). He said the risk of todays numerous tick diseases far outweighs the potential risk of toxicity exposure from the bug spray. He said once in a while it's ok to put a little on the neck, otherwise he said to spray it on the clothes. He said to avoid the aerosal sprays, partly because of the risk of breathing in some of the vapors.

It's funny how no one ever mentions the best tick repellant though: wearing rubber knee boots. Seriously.

The knee boots work the only problem with them is they are so hot.

Unfortunately the deer tick do climb higher than others tick species so just rubber boots don't cut it.
Another bubble burst.

They don't bother me too much. I bought a good quality comfortable pair, and I think I'm just so used to wearing them.