Ticks!

[Raghorn_Reaper]

Does anyone get the vaccinations for ticks? I am not one to ever get the flu shot but have been thinking of getting one for these little blood suckers. I don't recall ever seeing any ticks in the mountains. I suppose the frost kills them off when I get there. I know transmissions are not that common but my buddy picked up Lyme disease a few years back. They say 50 % of female deer ticks carry lymes. Heck, I can remember shooting deer that were absolutely covered in ticks.

[Elkduds]

I got a kind of tick fever in CO, about 1984. As a very healthy 22 year old, it kicked my butt for 2 months, and was still getting better 6 months later. I'd have wicked headache, joint aches, and keep falling asleep for 1-2 days. Then I'd be good for a few days. Repeat cycle. I think I had antibiotics that did little good. This was not Lyme disease, I think it was Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

[CurlyTail]

The Lyme Disease vaccine was available from 1998 to 2002. It was a 3 dose vaccine with 78% effectiveness (just OK). It was taken off the market in 2002 due to poor acceptance and use. There is currently no approved Lyme vaccine for humans. It is a good and popular vaccine for your dog however.

Lyme disease was a popular diagnosis in the 80's and 90's. Due to poor laboratory studies, there were a lot of people diagnosed with Lyme that didn't really have it. To my knowledge, Lyme disease is not present in the Western US and is mostly a concern in Wisconsin/Minnesota/Michigan, and Vermont/New Hampshire/New York areas. There is no vaccine for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever which is super rare but quite serious.

Ticks just started here in Nebraska, pulled a few off this weekend Turkey Hunting, but I don't get too excited about them. Risk is very very low.

[Brendan]

Went out shed scouting in Mass last weekend - pulled at least 10 of the little f&$"'ers off of me. Wish there was a vaccine- I'd get it....

[TheBuzz]

I don't mind pulling ticks off me....it's the Chiggers that tear me up!....

[Raghorn_Reaper]

Interesting info. Looks like they pulled it from the shelves because of bogus claims and the media over hyping inaccurate data . After 20k new cases a year, you'd think they would give it more thought. Sounds like early detection is key and even if they latch on you have some time before they transmit. Definitely seems like the number of cases are increasing fairly quickly. Most say to simply use repellant but what hunter is going to do that.

[welka]

Agree that doctors say mainly a Midwest/north issue as we have tons of them in the south. I have been covered in them in WI, MN, TN, MS and you can almost ensure they will leave you alone if you HEAVILY dose your clothes with permethrin. It works.

[Passin Thru]

My wife has Lyme and it is a terrible disease. Debilitating. She can hardly walk and moves constantly at night. On bad nights she jerks and cries all night. Have lost about 1/2 of recommended sleep in 10 years. Use the bug stuff and yes, Colorado has ticks.

[Raghorn_Reaper]

Wow that is terrible. I knew it was bad but not to that point. It seems people underestimate the disease. Did her symptoms start from early on or right after diagnosis? That's too bad Passin Thru.

[Fridaythe13th]

It took the DR. 3 months to figure out my cousin had got Lyme's. She had to quite her job because every time the phone would ring or any small amount of stress her heart would just go crazy like she was haven a heart attack. She was deemed very high rick and was watch very closely when they where having there 1st child. I think it took so long for DR. to figure it out was she is not a outdoor person. No hunting, camping, fishing or mowing the lawn.

[Charina]

Dang! That sounds terrible. Guess that's one reason I'm glad I hunt UT. I have never seen a tick on myself, or the dog, and we have never used any repellant. The dog has brushwacked miles of off-trail areas, and nary a tick on her. No fleas to speak of here either. Nothing like CA or OR (esp CA) where ticks and fleas are very common. I've pulled many CA ticks out of myself from just casual hiking.

You know, even if one doesn't want to wear repellant while hunting, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a travel-size bottle, or wipes, in one's pack to apply before processing a downed animal.

[CurlyTail]

Lyme has an interesting life cycle. Requires the right tick (only found in certain geographic regions of US), whitetail deer, a mouse, and 3 bood meals

[CurlyTail]

Lyme disease is easily treated with a couple weeks of Doxycyline if caught early. Unfortunately, accurate diagnosis is not easy due to unreliable and difficult to interpret lab testing, symptoms are often nonspecific and quite variable, so some people develop a chronic infection which stimulates an autoimmune state that no longer responds to treatment. Thankfully not as common as you would think from the publicity it generates.

[Ridgernr]

I found 12 ticks on myself and gear a coulpe weeks ago while shed hunting , so I did some reading to see how to deal with my clothes before I took them in the houise to share with the wifey. Dry your clothes for an hour this kills the ticks, we need hot dry weather to kill them . Luckily no ticks were attached to my skin. I also found this great info in you live in some states like Idaho or Colorado , sucks if you live in others.
http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/chartstab ... ality.html
I had a friend that had lyme D and he said it sucked , sorry for anyone that has it.

[il_ray_phillips]

The ticks are horrible in Southern Illinois and Kentucky. Had to find a way to deal with them and this stuff is the trick. You
spray your clothing and let it dry and you are good to go. If I use this stuff 0 ticks on me when I return from the woods. If I'm
not using it I could have 100's of the little buggers on me. They can cause some serious heath issues. I have taken rounds of
antibiotics for preventative measures. I had a buddy who got into the Lonestar ticks and it sent his immune system crazy. Several
brands of this stuff available. It keeps the ticks off along with chiggers and skeeters!!!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/21947774?wmls ... 92&veh=sem