They are nasty little critters and people are realizing they carry a ton of diseases and give you major medical issues.  The best medicine?  Avoid ticks and bugs all together!  It’s actually easier than you may think.  Last year I found a company called Ranger Ready that provides protection from ticks, mosquitos and biting insects with DEET-free repellents.  The best part is they created this in a Scent Zero with hunters in mind!  Of course its not a big deal when turkey hunting but have a Scent Zero product that really works while deer hunting is a game changer!

To have a tick free turkey season all you need to do is utilize the clothing-worn permethrin.  This has been created to spray on fabrics and I spray all my clothes down at the beginning of the spring season, don’t forget your boots too.  I also spray my socks, hunting gear, turkey vest, if I wear it I spray it.  This lasts for 40-days or 5-washes and literally keeps the ticks off you and bugs off you.  The active ingredient is Permethrin 0.5% and contains NO DEET.

If you’re going to be hunting with a bunch of bugs, I usually use a dual layer of protection by also adding the body-worn picaridin spray as well.  This contains Picaridin 20% and can be used directly on your skin.  It’s gives you protection from gnats, flies, fleas, chiggers, no seeums, ticks and mosquitos.  What I love is its safe to use for children (over 1-year), adults, and during pregnancy.  These products are also safe to use on dog beds and horse blankets which is a bonus!  It can even be used for backpacks, outdoor furniture, hammocks, tents, etc.

So my first question was if it doesn’t have DEET does it really work? 

Yes, it works incredible.  The active ingredient in the body-worn repellent is Picaridin.  It’s a synthetic compound derived from the natural compound piperine, found in the group of plants used to produce black pepper.  Makes sense! Nothing wants to be near black pepper and again the best part is its scent free and wont’ damage your clothing or gear.

Our family spends a ton of time outside, but I want everyone to be as safe as possible.  The list of tick and insect borne diseases continue to grow.  From Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, West Nile virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Zika virus, Malaria, the list goes on.  I hope to never have to deal with any of these and do our very best to stay protected.

Well-known hunter, producer and TV Host Melissa Bachman gives us her tips on how to protect yourself against ticks and biting insects while hunting.