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| one of us |
Dear All, I don't know if we are to expect a bumper crop of ticks this year but be prepared. I shot a Roebuck on Tuesday morning, took it home and skinned it and got it hung up, there was a tick or two evident but nothing too drastic. This morning after I got out the shower I noticed a little black critter attached to my leg. I summond the memsahib, along with her tick removal tool that she uses on the dogs, and she removed no less than eight of the buggers that had attached themselves to me. I have lived in the Highlands for the last 12 years and have had three prior to this. I don't know if this was a one off or if the soft Winter has left a huge population of the little charmers intact. Be warned. John | ||
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One of Us |
The roe buck I shot in Scotland at the weekend was covered in ticks. Nothing has attacked me yet but they keep appearing on the dogs. I hang the animal in a mosquito net and as the beast cools the tick fall off into the net which then gets hot washed. Sort of works. Beware of the Lymes disease though. Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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| Moderator |
I can confirm the beasts we took in Thetford last weekend were alive with ticks... I am not sure how quick they drop off once the carcass cools, but on Sunday morining as we were tagging up the carcasses, the ticks were swarming off them as we handled them...Evediently a couple of days at 3C had done them no harm. Lymes is a constant worry in that area and I know of two people who have contracted it while stalking there..one knew the symptoms and got it sorted in fairly short order with no problems, the other was seriously ill for about 12 months before Lymes was eventually diagnosed..He was very lucky it was not fatal... It should be remembered that your dog is also succeptable to Lymes and again it can be fatal if un treated.. Regards, Pete | |||
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Make sure you get your meningitis shots - assuming your ticks transmit this disease (they do on parts of the Continent). - mike ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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I once had 28 ticks on me during 7 days at a boy-scout camp. Nothing happened though. Most people here who are actively involved with all kinds of outdoors activities are vaccinated for encephalitis. And Lymes is real easy to spot and treat: when a red circle starts to expand from the bite (not a normal mosquito bite like skin irritation), it's time to go to the doctor. At that stage simple antibiotics will treat it out completely. | |||
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Mike, I neverknew about ticks carrying meningitis..how common is it in say relation to ticks carrying Lymes? Regards, Pete | |||
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One of Us |
Jeez, you guys have got me itching now!!!  I took a couple of roe bucks last Friday and they were covered in ticks! One of them was in pretty poor condition being only 21 lb clean, his chin was absolutely covered in ticks. Luckily i escaped without a single one of them attaching to me. Wish i could say the same for those midgies though  Still itching now!  _______________________________________ Affordable Holiday Accommodation in Devon, UK - Self catering (with shooting if required) PM for details. | |||
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one of us |
Here are some "tick" data from Slovenia: meningitis:  lymes:  | |||
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| one of us |
It's just LYME disease not Lymes. It's named after the city of LYME Connecticut.I guess this increase in ticks is caused by the higher temperatures though an infestation in an animal can also mean malnutrition. | |||
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Guys, All good advice and certainly a watch-out for the apparent bumper crop of Ticks expected this year (at least according to the German press). I've seen first-hand the circular rings mentioned above from ticks that appear after an infectious bite. Primarily in Bavaria which here in Germany is considered in a high-risk Lyme Disease area. While certainly some precautions can be taken and some of these measures considered controversial among hunters who think their styles and types of hunting approaches to be hampered by the strong scent given off by various bug sprays. I've found a good coating off Deep Woods Off (or others approaching the 100% DEET mark) to be effective in keeping the little buggers off your clothing and therefore preventing attachment to body parts as a start. While definately my old Remington cap and summer hunting boots & shoes have suffered from liberal applications to the head & face and around shoes, cuffs and pant legs this appears to help considerably in assisting these buggers to depart in haste instead of crawling about on uncoated clothing. These bug sprays are a big No-No for watches, eyeglasses, bino coatings and rifle metals so I normally take my spray bath and wash hands afterwards or use a moisten towelette. The spray generally tend to have good staying power and a good rub will last the duration of most hunting outings. I also remove the skins of carcases as soon as possible (also to assist cooling) and away from the hunting cabin and other preferred areas of human habitation with a good body inspection followed immediately thereafter. Cheers, Number 10 | |||
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This is the worst time of year for ticks, they leave the deep litter and make their way to the top of the grass stems where they sit with their legs outstretched waiting to catch any living thing that passes their way,I have found literally hundreds after walking through the grass on my deer hunter leggings. I used to scrape them off with the edge of the knife they can even hang on to the flat steel of the knife.. What was curious was that they only seemed to attach themselves to my deer hunter leggings, my co-stalker who had leggings from Cabelas did not have any attached at all, perhaps it was the smell of unwashed leggings that they prefferred rather than the smell of Daz.. I suspect that anyone who has ticks below the waist has been had from them attaching themselves to your the leggings, any thing above the waist has been from carcass handling.. Their is a product available that is like a garter that contains an insecticide that is worn just above the knee so to prevent this sort of thing.. regards griff | |||
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| one of us |
Pete, you are putting me on the spot here. I'm not a medical expert, nor do I have any statistics to support statements about frequency of either Lyme-Borealis or the tick transmitted "meningitis". What I do know, is that both diseases are transmitted by ticks here on the continent. The meningitis form apparently is not available in all tick populations - and innoculation is primarily recommended if you happen to live or frequent an area where it is known to be available. For hunters who get into the field a lot, and often visit different areas (at least for the travelling hunter), inocculation seems cheap insurance, though. I don't know if this disease occurs in UK tick populations?? In German, the "meningitis" form I'm referring to is known as "FSME" - which stands for "Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis". According to Wikipedia, this should translate into "tick-borne encephalitis" or "TBE" in English. That should give you something to google for... In contrast to Lyme - which is a bacterial disease, and thus treatable with antibiotics - TBE is a viral infection. You can vaccinate against it (in contrast to Lyme), but it is hard to treat once you have contracted it. According to Wikipedia, the disease (sometimes) starts out with flu like symptoms, and in parts of the patients can progress to a "meningitis" like state - i.e. infection in parts of the brain or related tissue (sorry about the layman's description). - mike P.S. Just saw Mouse had added statistics - post collision... Thanks Mouse! ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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We got just the same problem here up north. Mild winters combined with denser deer population, as well as fewer domestic cattle and goats/sheep free grazing to keep the bush and grass at bay. These things added give the tics superior living conditions. I have had good experience with the 100% DEET, Lifesystems Expedition 100 Insect repellent, bought in Edinburg a couple of years ago. Not aviable her in Norway so it is as valuable as my single malts  ( Artemis I my call upon your service again when I run low  )Another problem of mine is that I´m single, so there´s no aviable lady who can check me out for ticks on short notice  Arild Iversen. | |||
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I should add that they say the tick has to be on you for 24 hours to transmit the Lyme disease . I have a friend who contracted it before it became known .She continues to deteriorate many years later so take it seriously !! | |||
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OK, well that seems to have stirred everyone with regard to ticks and some real good information. Lyme disease I knew about together with the associated red rings, did not know it was named after a city, it's nice to learn. I never knew anout the other infections though, better start finding something nasty to dissuade the wee beasties. Now, the midge season is all but upon us, I dread to think how the soft winter has treated them. I think most of the Summer will be viewed through a net. John | |||
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| One of Us |
Arild, No problem, give me a yell and i'll send some DEET over to you. Although you really should use this as the perfect excuse to come over and see us again _______________________________________ Affordable Holiday Accommodation in Devon, UK - Self catering (with shooting if required) PM for details. | |||
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| one of us |
Thanks Artemis If our moose/red contract goes down the drain, I might call upon you this fall for roe and fallow if possible. Bristol ( via Amsterdam ) seems like an option to travel to with my own gun, not to far from Devon ? Back to ticks; pants with draw cords tightly fittet over the boots, and a spray of DEET help keep the suckers away. Same goes around the wrists and neck/face area. So far so good. But I guess nothing gives a 100% protection. I also skin the carcass in the woods, that way I won´t be dragging the ticks with me into the car and back home. Arild Iversen. | |||
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Hi Guys The ticks have arrived full force.   THats not my tick by the way, the one I found was tiny compared to this MF. I just removed a small tick from a place on my body were the sun dont shine very often.This is 5 days after the hunt. Out of interest there is research stating that taking a single dose of doxycycline 200 mg withing 72 hours of the tick bite make a good prophylactic regime rather than waiting and starting several weeks at a later date. Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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| one of us |
I have now got myself a chiller, which is a rather grand name for a coca cola cabinet. I got it from a man who advertised them on another site, they are refurbished and he is a gent to deal with. Anyway I digress, I am now considering hanging beasts in their jackets, one of my reasons being that the cold will deal with the ticks by the time I come to skin it. Then I noticed in Pete E's reply that a couple of days at three degree's had not done much damage to them. Anyone made any observations after a longer hanging period? Or are the little buggers going to get me no matter what. Mind you I was out yesterday morning and I can say with confidence that there is more venison in my freezer than in the wood I was in, not a sign of deer anywhere. Having had monsoon weather of late, 24 hours non-stop rain the other day, it was like a bloody swamp. I was glad to go home, how sad is that? Any tick's in there would have been wearing life jackets. Never mind our clubs Salmon water opened yesterday, see if we get last years grilse run putting in a late appearance, because I am bloody sure they never turned up last year. John | |||
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Hi JayB The chiller will just slow the buggers down a bit thats all. They wont disappear after a longer hanging it just giveds you more time to spot tham or for them to crawl albight v slowly away. Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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Just disposed of the last roe from the chiller which now needs deticking @ 30-40 of the tiny buggers in there.  Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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| One of Us |
gerry just came back from germany last weekend cannot belive the amount of ticks ,i have removed several and cant recall how many i killed when i felt them crawling accross my hands,the bites seemed more irritable than english ticks for some reason ,maybe the bitburger ! scirroco | |||
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Here in the US in Kentucky in the US I went hiking a couple times and using bug spray and all I still pulled several off of me. "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | |||
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I generously spray my ankes UNDER the trousers with AUTAN. Just above the shoes. I wipe away those above the trousers on the Hunting stand. It works. H formerly, before software update, known as "aHunter", lost 1000 posts in a minute | |||
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You should Google "DEET dangers " and learn how to use it especially on children !!!Saturating and high concentrations are not needed and not wanted !! It's not just deer but many animals and birds are host to the ticks ! | |||
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| One of Us |
I'm really starting to wonder if people are talking about keds instead of ticks. We get a lot of keds (flat crab like things that scuttle about) and very very few ticks (round things stuck somewhere) I never thought that keds were a problem other than the embarassment of dealing with fiends children on the school run who get them when they have migrated from deer to car to them. JayB, after a week at 1celcius they move very very slowly indeed if at all. | |||
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Thanks for that, the next one goes in with it's skin still on. There is a definate tick explosion with us, they are not keds. John | |||
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I allways used to put in chiller about 8hours after shooting (logistics) now I'm chilling from the start hanging time can be over 2weeks instead of 1 week. Last night I ate muntjac fillet that had hung for 3 weeks - so tender I could have cut with a finger nail | |||
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Still removing ticks from my bloodhound 2 weeks later. Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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| One of Us |
Just came back from a first weekend of roebuck stalking. Didn`t have much luck with roe, but managed to catch a tick onto my "private" organ. Not going to post any pictures, obviously. Another one was crawling on my thigh. I have been wandering around these woods for 15 years and haven´t even seen a tick here before. Luckily I´m vaccinated, so no worries about something useful falling off or something... | |||
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| Moderator |
1894Mk2 Thats an interesting observation with regards the hanging time. I've always assumed that other than in very hot weather, leaving the carcass to cool slowly to room temp (usually over night) and then moving into the chiller was the "usual" way of doing things in most larders, so I am wondering if any one else chills asap? I have read some where that from a tenderness point of view, a carcass should have its temp reduced to the target chill temperature slowly over a 24 hour hour period to allow all the associated biological processes to happen. As I recall this was a paper on beef production so I have no idea how if the same applies to venison or if the fact our deer carcasses tend to be a lot smaller than a beef store would have any bearing?? From your own observations, what difference do you think it makes chilling them straight away? Does it halt the onset of mould for instance??? In addition to temperature, the humidity (and hence mould growth) in a chiller seems to be another factor that governs how long a carcass can be kept... Regards, Pete PS My apologies as I may have butchered (excuse the pun!) your original post as I pushed the "edit" button instead of the "quote" button in error! No censorship intended, just me being ham fingered! | |||
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Hi Pete I think Food Stds requires game to be movedto a chiller at 7oc ASAP. I chill immediately as this reduces the risk of bacterial growth especially at the wound site. I have hung meat a little to long in the winter but the mould is purly superficial and can be removed with a little vinegar. It can smell sweat but not like the proverbial 'dead cat'. Off to Botswana on Thursday - their chillers apparently require 50 impala and 30 Kudu. I'll see how longthey recommend out there. Mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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| One of Us |
Pete, It definately makes a big difference to the growth of mould. I do a weekly run to the game dealer which is a lot less stressful now. I too thought that immediate chilling was going to result in some toughening but I think the additional hanging time sees to that. My ideal carcass for home consumption is unaware prior to the shot, chest shot and hung until the inside is pretty mouldy. | |||
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| one of us |
I have treated in excess of 200 patients with Lyme disease over the last fifteen years. It first appeared in the medical literature 100 years ago in Germany! The Red Ring, "Target Lesion" is only present in 40% - 60% of cases. The best repellent is Permethrin. It goes on your clothes, not on your skin. DEET helps as well. The real danger of DEET is if you don't use it. The most effective preperation of DEET is called "UltraThon". It is made by 3-M, here in the US. It is 31% DEET. There are many preperations of DEET that are quite safe for children. The Ioxedes (deer) tick that transmits the Borrelia Burgdorfi (named for a nice fellow named Gary Burgdorf) is rather small. Look closely after every outing in the woods. A few days of prophylactic Doxycycline, as mentioned above, is not a bad idea at all. If you do get a target lesion, take a "Z" pack (Azithromycin) immediately. A few injections of Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) will work as well. This bug acts like syphillis (which the bacterium resembles); it is easy to treat up front, but nearly impossible to cure on the back end. For the other generic "tick fevers", Doxycycline is hard to beat. It is quite cheap as well. Enjoy. LD  | |||
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Not for us humans but for those with dogs. We get a lot of brown dog ticks and cattle ticks here in the Northern Territory and what we use on our work dogs is a cattle drench called Ivermectin. For a 35kg dog we give 1.2mls orally once a month. This knocks the ticks down and worms the dog and is a heartworm prevention. If you have a smaller dog your vet should be able to adjust the dose. Works a treat but you can still get the odd tick on the pooch. We just check our dogs regually and pull off what ever we find still clinging. ------------------------------ A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!" | |||
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Bakes, Is that stuff ok to use on Border Collies? The reason I ask is that I recall Collies react badly to one of the cattle drenches, the results often being fatal, but i don't remember which one it is.. Regards, Pete | |||
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Hi Pete Back from the Limpopo today, see the African hunting report if you like. In the UK use Frontline on the dog works for a month at a time. mark Hunting is getting as close as you can, shooting is getting as far away as possible. | |||
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Ivermectin is ok for Border Collies. Just feed it to some cats and throw them in with the collies. Kills parasites and flosses their teeth, all at the same time. LD | |||
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| Moderator |
Sorry, not so..I did a little digging and came up with this: Invermectin & Collies I'm not sure how wide spread the problem is, but certainly here in Wales the Collies and certain Collie cross lurchers are prone to this bad reaction... Regards, Pete | |||
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| one of us |
Just seen a mention in the 'Shooting Times' (UK weekly shooting newspaper) regarding the effectiveness of dosing your hound with medicinal sulphur. Apparently the dogs are no longer bothered by ticks! Hmmmm - wonder if it would work on Homo Sapiens!?! Further wonderings....... if the sulphur dosed dogs brush against a tree - will they ignite!? Rgds Ian Just taking my rifle for a walk!........ | |||
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