summer scouting, outdoor adventure & preparation- minus the bugs!
spending time in nature with your kids is super rewarding, but here’s a way to do it without the bugs!
The moment turkey hunting winds down at the end of May we are looking to the future and finding ways to enjoy the outdoors plus improve habitat. Unfortunately just because turkey hunting is a wrap, doesn’t mean the ticks and bugs disappear. Anytime we go outside we do our best to protect our kids and ourselves from bugs. The number of tick-born diseases is constantly growing and the side effects can be incredibly serious. As a rule most people are pretty good about preventing ticks and bugs while hunting, but it’s easy to forget when you’re doing scouting, prep work and just an afternoon adventure.
To make things easy we always keep a bottle of Ranger Ready Permethrin and Picaridin nearby. I take all our clothes that we will be wearing and spray them down with the Permethrin to prevent ticks and then we use the Picaridin spray on our hands, face and as a second layer of protection on our clothes. This not only prevents ticks, but it also keeps you free from a wide variety of biting insects. It’s scent free, safe to put directly on your skin and is a safer yet equally effective alternative to DEET.
This is a simple solution for our entire family as its safe for adults, kids over 1-year old, and women who are pregnant. For years I truly thought DEET was the only option that worked, but as I did more research the active ingredients made me question what we were putting on our skin. Spray DEET on a pair of sunglasses and watch it completely eat the plastic, it’s downright scary. DEET is a neurotoxin that gets absorbed into the body when applied to the skin. DEET is also a plasticizer, capable of eating through rubber, plastic, leather, vinyl, rayon, spandex, elastic and auto paint. So if you want to keep your family and gear safe, this is a wonderful alternative.
My first question is do these products work? Absolutely. We’ve used the Picaridin on hunts all over the country and not only does it work, the fact that it’s scent free is amazing for hunting but also nice just to not smell like bug spray. The Permethrin has really been a game changer as far as keeping ticks away. Whether we are going out to hang stands, plant food plots, scouting, walking to a fishing spot, whatever it is our clothes get sprayed down first while ticks are out. This lasts for 40-days or 5 washes so this isn’t something that needs to be done every single time.
In our family so much time is spent outside, and I truly believe that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s just spending an afternoon with Jax exploring the caves and rocks behind our house, picking flowers, fishing, or running around with our pups. The great part about doing these activities is I can also be watching for deer sign, glassing food plots, or thinking of new locations for stands. Many evenings in the summer we’ll throw on our camo, grab a spotting scope and head to the hills for an hour in the evening as deer are heading out to the fields. Outside activities are tough to beat, but you want to limit your exposure to ticks and bugs, and ensure you’re using something safe to make that happen.
Scouting and habitat preparation are also a huge part of our summertime routine. Ben and I try and plant as many new trees each and every year as possible, but again bugs can ruin your day without spray. Anytime we are in the field our Ranger Ready is nearby. It allows us to focus on the task at hand rather than swatting bugs or pulling off ticks. To learn more visit RangerReady.com and use promo code Melissa10 for 10% off your order.