How to Have a Mosquito-Free Hunting Season

A single hunting season can bring a lot of extreme conditions, from ice crystal-coated eyelashes to the mental gymnastics of trying to tell your armpits, “stop sweating, please! The deer will smell me.” With September rolling in quickly, the season of gym shorts under waders and trying to stay scent-free when the short walk to the tree stand has you dripping in sweat is almost upon us. With this comes a factor even more annoying than the sweat and heat: mosquitoes.

Growing up hunting out of a tree stand in rolling oak-hickory forests, mosquitoes during hunting season weren’t much of an issue. You might have the occasional insect buzz your ear, but they didn’t roam in hungry bloodsucking packs. But in the marshy, flat habitats I hunt now, it’s actually a large concern during early duck and deer seasons. There was one particularly buggy duck hunt two years ago where I tried the “mind-over-matter” technique to deal with mosquitoes and emerged from the marsh with a face full of itchy welts. 

I’m still working on perfecting my mosquito-prevention techniques in situations where you can’t be moving around slapping bugs or loading up on potentially deer-detering, smelly DEET. We’re getting there. Here are a few things I’ve picked up in the last few seasons of marsh hunting.

Thermacell

Thermacells are fantastic because they create a reduced-mosquito environment right where you are. They’re great for duck hunting because ducks don’t rely on their sense of smell to deter predators, and the creation of a mosquito-free area where you are hunting will reduce the instances of you automatically slapping at mosquitoes and potentially giving your position away to overhead waterfowl. Deer, on the other hand, can smell a Thermacell. However, they may not associate it with humans and danger so it could be perceived as more of an odd, unfamiliar smell in the woods to them. As always, using wind to hunt will keep the deer from smelling the Thermacell, or you. 

Bug Nets

Bug head nets and jackets work great during early season to keep the bites away. My bug jacket is just a staple in my early season hunting gear kit, even though it gets full of sticker burrs. Using a hooded bug jacket in conjunction with a face mask does a pretty good job of preventing the majority of bites without obstructing your vision too much. Head nets are fantastic, but in an activity where acute vision is a necessity, they can be cumbersome and cost you valuable opportunities at spotting game.

Anti-Insect Treated Clothing

You can send any clothing you want in to several different companies that will actually treat your clothes with an insecticide that makes the fabric itself an insect repellent. You can also purchase pre-treated clothing from a variety of different brands. The in-fabric repellent lasts for about 70 washes and in my experience does a great job of repelling mosquitoes and flies. This is a great option because you don’t have to spray DEET or other chemicals on to your clothing and skin but get (in my experience) the same results. 

Mosquitoes are an annoying fact of life when you choose to spend your time in wilder places. Preventing bites becomes even more difficult when you’re trying your best to be scent-free and still! So far, these three techniques have become my bite-fighting arsenal during hunting season, please comment your tried-and-true methods below!

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