Holy Mosquitoes!

[Bowhunting Brian]

Too many skitos for me. I'm sitting out. Going golfing this afternoon instead.

[Dewey]

Is it considered bad when the marsh is humming loudly with skeeters when walking in at noon on a bright sunny day with a good breeze?

I’m ready to donate some blood.

[tgreeno]

I'm right behind you Dewey!

Do people think they'll get better next week? Cooler weather would make people more comfortable, but I'm guessing the bugs will be bad until a hard frost.

[mheichelbech]

Although not hunting yet, I have noticed them to be worse around my home this year in southern Indiana.

[brkissl82]

Got bit pretty good on the walk in but amazing what this thermacell can do

[Hatchetman]

I have lived where I live, in the middle of a the woods for 39 yrs...
I have never seen the skeets this bad.

I have a lot cut out around my house so I'm in the sun most of the day. I judge it by how many are drilling you out in the sun, 30yds plus away from shade, in the middle of the day... yes they're horrible!

Hats off to you guys going in after them. but for me, the annoyance would easily override the fun factor.

I always say 20 days... 20 days after the first big hatch and they are usually tapered off quite a bit.
Cooler weather won't get rid of them, but it will slow them down quite a bit. Pray for no more rain and some wind.

Good luck all,

[Brandonkinchen]

Thermacell & Maxi Deet here in Louisiana

[Dewey]

Just opened up my truck cap for the first time after last night. Seems I trapped a whole bunch in there overnight and they were not happy. They hammered me almost immediately. Can’t say I have ever seen them so vicious.

I usually just deal with them but this year they are at another level. Gotta be driving the deer absolutely crazy. Can’t even escape them by bedding on the high ground because they were just as bad or even worse there.

Oh well....not gonna stop me from hunting. Suck it up and move on.

[Octang]

I seemed to find the only spot in Wisconsin without mosquitos yesterday. I was hardly bothered at all during my sit. My thermacell even ran out of juice with an hour left to hunt and I never bothered to swap it out. It was a wet area too, I was surprised. I had more mosquitoes swarming my driveway at home!

Tonight I am hunting the swamp that I trap during the winter. The mosquitoes were horrible this summer when I was in there getting some traps, I expect they may carry me away tonight.

[Hizzoner]

I braved opening day vampirefest and will echo what others say about thermacell working well along with bathing in deet. So much for scent free lol. My first time using milkweed(thanks Dan) and I loved it..put a pod in the webbing on my boonie and just reached up to grab a pinch once in awhile. I sweated so bad getting my stand up I soaked everything. Every now and again a couple would buzz around but what was scary was the constant sound of skeeters swarming just out of thermacell range...like a distant jet humming all evening.

No deer but I was glad to be out and even scouted a couple new spots mid day.

Good luck all and be safe.

Mark

[Singing Bridge]

Holy Skeeter! When I first saw these reports I figured you guys were encountering normal early season populations which are always a pain... but there’s no exaggeration Wisconsin is being overrun.

https://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf ... due_t.html

[bowhunter15]

I left my thermacell at home opening morning and had my fingers crossed on Permethrin treated clothing alone. I was pretty pleased. I maybe got a bite or two, but the bugs were only bothering me around my head. So I put on my treated balaclava and no more issues.

[Tim H]

No skeeters in the north, but it’s probably cuz we ain’t got any deer either.

[Dewey]

Relief arrived.

An area I just scouted with a lot of water was loaded with dragonflies. They are mosquito eating machines. I could tell the skeeters were noticeably less where the dragonflies were patrolling. Hope to see more in the next few weeks to clean this mess up. They have a lot of work to do.

[Dewey]

At least the mosquitoes are good for something.