One thing I remember far too well about hunting the early seasons in North Carolina was the mosquitos. Most of my hunting was along the edges of the big swamps, or the thick pocosin, and the skeeters thrived in that wet, still environment. But so did the deer, which usually meant getting eaten alive on the stand… a true blood sacrifice for the opportunity to put a little venison in the freezer.
Toughing it out is not an option. I don’t care how “manly” you are, there is no sitting still under a literal black cloud of mosquitos.
I tried a bunch of different things to protect myself, of course. Most sprays though, were too smelly, so if I hunted with an unfavorable wind, it was pointless. When DEET first hit the civilian market, I doused myself in that stuff. It seemed to work, but it turns out I’m pretty sensitive to chemicals, and that 100% DEET really worked me over. After an evening in the woods, I’d come out feeling irritable and nauseous. It took a few hunts to figure out what was causing the problem.
Years later, on an August deer and hog hunt down in the South Carolina lowcountry, I was introduced to the Thermacell. This unit works sort of like an incense burner. You put the wick in the burner, and fire up the butane-powered heater. As the wick warms, it releases a chemical (Permethrin) into the air for an odorless repellant shield.
I had my doubts, both about its effectiveness and the claims of odorless protection. I’ve heard that too many times before. In fact, on that same hunt, I was trying out a highly advertised “odorless” bug dope. The first morning, a doe stepped into my crosswind and was gone like a shot! The next day, a hog reacted the same way, just as I was drawing the bow for my shot. Like most “odorless” claims, this new product was more hype than reality. So I figured the same about the Thermacell, and decided not to get one.
I spent the next three days getting chewed to pieces by the skeeters. Meanwhile, the three other hunters in our group (Maryland Yankees, no less) who had purchased the Thermacell units raved about the performance. Then, one after the other, they all scored on hogs and deer. Meanwhile, all I had seen were does and distant pigs… and skeeters. LOTS of skeeters.
When I got home from the hunt, I contacted the folks at Thermacell and had them send me a unit for testing. There aren’t a lot of places in arid California where you’ll find mosquitos, but there are exceptions. One of those places is on the Sacramento River Delta, and I just happened to have an early-season duck hunt coming up.
As I walked in and set up, the mosquitos came down on me and my dog in literal swarms. My yellow lab literally turned black, and began rolling in the mud for relief. I fired up the Thermacell, and in minutes the air seemed to clear. I looked up, and I swear this, there was an actual dome of mosquitos, swarming at the outside edges of the Thermacell scent field.
I was sold.
I’ve since used the unit on both deer and hog hunts, and have had animals walk right into the wind without apparently noticing the smell. When it’s running, I can detect something like an ozone smell, like right after a lightning strike. I guess the critters don’t mind that, though.
Of all the gadgets and gizmos I’ve tried out over the years, this one definitely gets my highest marks. It works, which is the main thing, but it’s also very reasonably priced and fairly available. I’ve found refills for the butane and wicks in little country hardware stores, Wal-Marts, and several hunting stores as well.
With early deer, teal, and dove seasons opening across the country right now, this may be just the tool you need to add to your gear bag.
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I have contemplated buying this thing for like a year now and I I’m finally sold. Seems like an excellent little device.