Going Buggy
Rejoice! Hunting season is upon us once again, bringing with it the joys of going afield accompanied by favorite dogs and hunting partners. However, fall hunting season always brings with it some unwanted associates Bugs -- mosquitoes, gnats, no-see-ums, ticks, wasps, yellow jackets, black flies, and fleas, just to name a few. They bite, swarm in our faces, and generally attempt to drive us, well, BUGGY! They defile the cleanest windshield in a matter of seconds. I always heard that you could tell a motorcycle rider when he smiled due to the bugs in his teeth. However, bikers have learned to cope, which may explain why they never smile when roaring down the road. Or, perhaps it is because even a small bug hitting the face at 50+ mph can bring a grown man to tears. Bugs have many annoying habits. In the duck blind, Cousin Buck and I both have momentarily gone to the ready while focusing on a lone duck coming in only to realize that it was just a bug hovering about two feet in front of our face. An experienced hunter will straighten up and say, "Hmm, there was a single coming in but he went the other way."
In damp areas, mosquitoes lurk for one last chance to commit their vampire acts of aggression on hunters and dogs. Meat-eating yellow jackets wait poised to pounce on fresh meat during the warm weather of early seasons. I have endured swarms of yellow jackets that literally covered game as it is being dressed. Trying to eat a mid-day meal is an ordeal with the little buzzers covering your plate. When I was a kid and growing up around the Tri-Cities, ticks were something associated with going to the mountains. Now, ticks are abundant in the vegetation along our local rivers. Fleas are always more common during the dry season. Wasps seem to be more prevalent also. And, on a recent fishing trip to Moon Lake in the High Uinta Mountains of Utah, I had my first and a most unpleasant encounter with biting black flies. The owners of the resort called them "Buffalo Gnats." The editors won't print what I called them.
Every fall hunting season we must endure these annoying little critters until the first good chilling frost. So, how do we cope with them until "Jack" shows up? When younger, I wanted to go hunting no matter what so I made the best of it. In the woods, I always wanted to look more experienced -- older (now an irreversible phenomenon). One short-lived but somewhat creative technique that I hit upon was allowing the thick clouds of mosquitoes to settle on my face to create the illusion of having a thick beard. I soon realized through the agony of mass bites that this was definitely not a good idea. The uncooperative wee-beasties failed to arrange themselves in any semblance of a well-trimmed beard. Furthermore, their random clustering upon my young face made me look a lot like Wolf-man Jack. I immediately abandoned that idea. I like to recall that decision as a milestone in the early stages of my wisdom acquisition process.
I considered a number of defenses for the attack of "killer bugs." Once, I tried "smudging," by building a fire and covering it with green foliage (now most politically and environmentally incorrect). This kept the bugs at bay in the immediate vicinity (maybe a couple of feet) and left me and my clothes smelling like a smoldering refuse dump. In addition, I attracted six Boy Scouts offering to show me how to build a proper fire and one search and rescue helicopter. I abandoned that idea soon after being knocked on my fanny by a load of fire retardant dumped from a low flying aerial tanker -- A failed good idea.
Pappy's Revelation: Where there's smoke there's not always fire maybe just a half-crazed kid covered with bug bites.
In my dad's fishing gear, I discovered an old moth-eaten Boonie Hat with bug net hanging from the brim (like a bee keeper's hat). This seemed most promising until skeeters gained entry and began circling my head. Concentration on the hunt proved most difficult with all that close air traffic making my eyes go crossed every time one did a close flyby, not to mention the anticipation of the impending bite -- Another failed good idea.
Submerging myself underwater also brought relief, but only for brief periods, as I couldn't seem to hold my breath beyond 30 seconds. And furthermore, once I surfaced the bugs renewed their attack with greater ferocity on wet prey. So, I tried breathing through a straw -- only to come exploding out of the water gagging on the bugs sucked down my breathing apparatus. Yep, and yet another failed good idea. Besides, it's tough hunting deer from underwater anyway.
Years ago, bug dopes seemed to attract bugs more than it repelled them and actually seemed to help them to locate you. Once they had eaten the bug dope off of you they proceeded with vigor to feast on your skin like buzzards on the leftovers.
However, take heart friends. Today's improved insect repellants are much more effective so relief is just a swipe or a squirt away and there are some pretty good bug-proof clothing items on the market now. I found a package deal of repellants by "Cutter" at Costco with five different containers (three wipes and two sprays) at a price of $9.95. We put them to the test on adults and children in the Mountains of Utah and they kept biting black flies and mosquitoes at bay for up to two hours before a need to re-apply. Containing the active ingredient "DEET," the repellants are also effective against ticks, gnats, chiggers, no-see-ums, and fleas. But, read and follow the directions on the label. For dogs, use a good tick and flea powder. We also found the wipes effective for the dogs after lightly wiping their bellies, ears, under the chin, and top of their heads (where they can't lick it). Keep the solutions away from the mouth and eyes on people and dogs, and wash your hands after applying it to avoid forgetting and rubbing your eyes.
Pappy aka George Swan
toopappy@aol.com
All trademarks and copyrights held by respective owners.
2000-2006 all rights reserved.
