Ticks. The bug, not your stupid XJ.

[jeeper]

I got a tick yesterday while out shooting with my brother, found it this morning. I itched my side after waking up, and felt something weird. Lifted my shirt and thought it was a small scab. Stuck my finger nail under and lifted it right off. Once it was on my finger, it was obvious that it was a tick not a scab.

It was alive and well, head intact.

The only other tick experience I had was on a GTT with a fellow RME member who belly crawled through a tick field. He had a few ticks and each of them died during our multiple different removal technique attempts.

But… it got me to researching a little. And this was very interesting to me.



So the big fear of lyme disease isn’t actually a concern in Utah.

Also, the only real approved method for removal is a pair of tweezers and a soft but quick pull.
The hot match, hot metal, jelly, and rubbing alcohol are not recommended.

 

[Hickey]

I got a tick yesterday while out shooting with my brother, found it this morning. I itched my side after waking up, and felt something weird. Lifted my shirt and thought it was a small scab. Stuck my finger nail under and lifted it right off. Once it was on my finger, it was obvious that it was a tick not a scab.

It was alive and well, head intact.

The only other tick experience I had was on a GTT with a fellow RME member who belly crawled through a tick field. He had a few ticks and each of them died during our multiple different removal technique attempts.

But… it got me to researching a little. And this was very interesting to me.

View attachment 173299

So the big fear of lyme disease isn’t actually a concern in Utah.

Also, the only real approved method for removal is a pair of tweezers and a soft but quick pull.
The hot match, hot metal, jelly, and rubbing alcohol are not recommended.

I got a little nervous when I got my first tick. My doctor said it’s just not much of an issue in Utah. I’ve had two now, both from my property. They are usually gone by mid June.

For prevention, I wear long pants when I’m cutting dead trees or when down in the brushy parts of the property, and I use the leftovers from my dogs tick collars and stick them in my shoelaces. Haven’t had one since.

 

[Kevin B.]

I like ticks. I get to go tromp around the brush and the weeds and have fun and then I get to come home and have my wife help me make sure there aren't any ticks hiding in places I don't want ticks. Everybody wins.

 

[DAA]

My daughter got one the other day. I just plucked it off. She was surprisingly unfreaked out about it.

- DAA

 

[N-Smooth]

I’ve never had one but I thoroughly enjoy reminding my boys to put bug spray on their legs when we’re at campgrounds:

“Put bug spray on or else a tick is going to burrow into your penis” 🤣

 

[Hickey]

I’ve never had one but I thoroughly enjoy reminding my boys to put bug spray on their legs when we’re at campgrounds:

“Put bug spray on or else a tick is going to burrow into your penis” 🤣

“And that’s when my issues began” -Nate’s sons

 

[Kevin B.]

“And that’s when my issues began” -Nate’s sons

I like to tell people I don't have kids. I have free range psychology experiments. Nate clearly read the same book I did.

 

[jeeper]

I got a little nervous when I got my first tick. My doctor said it’s just not much of an issue in Utah. I’ve had two now, both from my property. They are usually gone by mid June.

For prevention, I wear long pants when I’m cutting dead trees or when down in the brushy parts of the property, and I use the leftovers from my dogs tick collars and stick them in my shoelaces. Haven’t had one since.

View attachment 173300

We actually visited your property yesterday (to the chain of course, I’m no trespasser). It must have been one of your ticks. My property is tick free.

There is an interesting line of sight between us. It had me very confused for a long while. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.

 

[Hickey]

There is an interesting line of sight between us. It had me very confused for a long while. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.

I’ll to make a potato cannon and see if I can land one on your property.

 

[Kevin B.]

I’ll to make a potato cannon and see if I can land one on your property.

Punkin chunkin time?

 

[benjy]

So the big fear of lyme disease isn’t actually a concern in Utah.

I’ve had two friends kids contract Lyme disease after tick encounters in Utah… must have just been extremely bad luck 🤷‍♂️ pretty messed up, it was life changing for them

 

[jeeper]

I’ve had two friends kids contract Lyme disease after tick encounters in Utah… must have just been extremely bad luck 🤷‍♂️ pretty messed up, it was life changing for them

I was surprised as I have also known people with Lyme, but rarely hear of people getting ticks. So it seemed the tick to Lyme ratio was much higher.

 

[N-Smooth]

The disease from ticks that makes you allergic to red meat is probably my worst fear

 

[Hickey]

The disease from ticks that makes you allergic to red meat is probably my worst fear

ABSOLUTELY

 

[Kevin B.]

The disease from ticks that makes you allergic to red meat is probably my worst fear

That one scares the buhjeezus out of me.

 

[jeeper]

WTF. I didn’t know if you guys were joking or not. Had to Google.



Surprisingly, my daughter knew all about it, knew it was a lone star tick, what the tick looked like, and knew that they were not in Utah.

 

[Stephen]

Also, the only real approved method for removal is a pair of tweezers and a soft but quick pull.
The hot match, hot metal, jelly, and rubbing alcohol are not recommended.

Who am I to disagree with the internet, but my tough as nails, lived on a farm for 60 of her 94 years grandmother removed ticks with a match and it worked every time.

Maybe it helped that she told you to stop your yammering when she held the match to the tick head in your leg?🤣

 

[STAG]

I have only ever had one in my lifetime, and I got it right just over a year ago. Didn’t even know I had it, went to go scratch an itch in my armpit and felt a weird bump that I hadn’t ever noticed before. Wasn’t freaked out about it and because it hadn’t been there very long it was small still, but being in my armpit it was difficult to remove by myself.

My dog got 2, right near the same time that I got mine. I’m thinking it was around Kentucky when I was truckdriving and must have pulled over to let the dog out to go to the bathroom.

Never got one in Utah, have hunted a few buck deer that have had them though.

 

[Mouse]

I've had 50+ ticks per day in the summer dirt bike riding through tall grass in Minnesota. Only time I've been concerned was with a bunch of deer ticks (much smaller) that got on me in Delaware; a couple were well attached to my neck. I went to the doc, and instead of testing for Lyme, he just put me on a course of antibiotics - amoxicillin maybe. He said the test was expensive and the antibiotics were a lot easier to prescribe

 

[SoopaHick]

I've had 50+ ticks per day in the summer dirt bike riding through tall grass in Minnesota. Only time I've been concerned was with a bunch of deer ticks (much smaller) that got on me in Delaware; a couple were well attached to my neck. I went to the doc, and instead of testing for Lyme, he just put me on a course of antibiotics - amoxicillin maybe. He said the test was expensive and the antibiotics were a lot easier to prescribe

Back east those things are everywhere. When I was doing door to door recruitment for the church in New Jersey I swear every third person I talked to in the rural areas had Lyme disease. I was terrified to even touch grass!