It dawned on me today... maybe I haven't considered all the possibilities or solutions. You see-- I do very little summer shooten, mostly due to flying CREE-atures. Skeeters, horseflys and their couisins raise heck with me when bit. Understand our range is in a somewhat low lying area where these things breed like rabbits sans any predators. Can be lots of'm-- the deerfly is my worst enemy. Got sorta sick from one bite once.

Anyways... many yrs ago I had a grasshopper gun, actually a very accurate Ruger 220 Swift. On still afternoons I'd be firing groups on my private range-- my own bench just enjoying the heck otta my shooten. This shooten iron would make one hole for five rds-- the landscape of a dime was alot of surface area in regards to those groups. Yet this got boring but was easily solved by the grasshoppers sitting on my target. Challenging targets they made and finding any remnant/proof of a hit was impossible, as those 52 gr HPBT's were making 3800 real easy. If I quoted my success/kill rate on said vermin this yarn would go off into the totally unbelieveable realm. Let's just say I hit my share.

But as I said-- it dawned on me today. Should I be using some projectiles on my current flying enemies? The 'hopper gun is long gone-- I do have a cast shooter or two fairly accurate, but maybe just some normal cast loads spraying the area might work as well?? Forget it-- I've tried the skin so soft etc, the first wave of skeeters licks off the "OFF" repellant only for their kin to raise welts on me.

Solutions?

--build many Martin houses for the range??

--drain the surrounding area

--buy a surplus Nasa suit for protection. I'd need a good AC unit on the thing fitted 52 Tall...

--invent a lube which repells bugs

--YOU TELL ME. TIA.

Take a woman shooting with you, better yet, two.

'Skeeters like the taste of women better.

Start taking vitamin B1, one a day. This helps in this area considerable.

Why not one of those little portable screen shelters like for a picnic table? sundog

Aladin,

A: (Are there any) Solutions? (to the insect problem)

F: Move to paradise (Wyoming) where the wind prevents ANY sort of insect problem what-so-ever on the rifle range... And wind problems? Well, whenever we get folks from back east a man can always hear that certain whining in the air, but it isn't the bugs!

Good afternoon,
Forrest

FAsmus- I camped up on top of Targhetee (sp) Pass some years back there in Wyoming, and them damn skeeters up there had landing lights and tail hooks on 'em.

The saving grace was, we figured if we ever wanted to log in that country, all we would need is a weed eater.

A friend of mine takes his son hunting for Mormon crickets, a big ugly pest found in Utah and Nevada, and for all I know, other states. They use .22 LR rifles. For horseflies the same big bug hunter uses .22 LR shotshells. My friend advises to never hunt these creatures alone, as they frequently charge when only wounded. Regards, curmudgeon

Curmudgeon methinks the best medicine for those charging 'flies is a 12 guage loaded with 3 ott buckshot. Don't fire till ya see the multi-lense eye bearing done on ya.

Thing is-- consider all the rotting vermon etc in the woods area our range is in. Then consider that 'fly mighta been sucking on something dead carrying who knows what-- those germs I think easily transmitted into those being bit quite soon afterwards.

I know. Those DR's say AIDS can't be transmitted by sketters, but I'd place a healthy bet otherwise... If they admitted to some transmission by mosquitto's think of the fallout...

After 2 very dry years we are finally getting some rain this year, so the skeeters will be back in Missouri this year. They had a couple of cases of West Nile virus last year, so that will keep us from hunting the big skeeters much, the meat will be tainted and we always eat the game animal we kill. <g>

Ed

On the lower eastern shore of Maryland they have these flying creatures that the locals call green flys. They are especially plentiful around the marshes. They can bite through your socks like you're standing there naked. They congregate on the underside of the bimini top of your boat. If they aren't flying the same direction your boat is going then you better pray you have a big enough motor to overcome them or you'll fish where they take you. I just purchased a Ruger Super Redhawk in the .44 mag. Maybe I should make room in my tackel box for the Ruger and get in some target practice on the green flys the next time I go fishing. I think a full load with a Keith style 250 grain SWC sould be enough to bring them down.

I'll have to go with take a women thing. They have that smell good stuff on them that attracts the bugs. Keep telling the little lady to leave that stuff off, but she listens about like most women. Huh!!!! Keeps the bugs off of me. But she looks and smells a whole lot better than me so that's her problem.