Thermacell can help keep mosquitoes at bay

Every few seconds, as we walked through the dense early-May woods, my guide, Scott Woody of Ohio, who was in front of me, would flail his arms in the air.

"Did you bring your Thermacell with you?" Woody turned around and asked me, swatting another mosquito from off his neck.

Indeed I had. I was in north-central Missouri hunting eastern turkeys with IMB Outfitters out of Macon (866-855-7063). It was day two of a three day hunt, and so far, it had rained everyday. Consequentially, there was water everywhere -- paradise for mosquitoes and torture for turkey hunters.

The day before, I'd witnessed the mosquito repelling power of this new generation of bug spray. Guide John Yost and I had spent the morning in a pop-up blind adjacent to a swamp. Every few minutes we'd fire up the Thermacell to keep the skeeters at bay.

Ironically, the insects were leaving me alone today. Usually they find me irresistible. Meanwhile, in front of me Woody was feeling like the main course at a mosquito buffet house.

After sitting down next to a spindly tree, I pulled the unit out of my vest and handed it to my guide, who hastily attached it to the tree's trunk above us. Newer Thermacell units are covered in Realtree camo for concealment. My appliance also came with a matching holster, which has a built-in strap for attaching it to small trees or branches, and two side pouches for carrying extra butane cartridges and repellent mats.  

Each spring, I battle mosquitoes while turkey hunting. Last season, my dad and I were driven out of Kansas by the bloodthirsty hoards. Once summer rolls around, I often quit fishing because of the pesky bugs. Up until a few years ago, mosquito bites were nothing more than an itchy nuisance. Then West Nile virus came along, and all of a sudden a red welt represented something potentially more sinister.

That reality has sparked a personal quest to find a decent bug repellant. Unfortunately, most of the sprays are largely inadequate. So when I finally decided to give Thermacell a try, I held little hope, figuring it to be another gimmick.

Shortly after we sat down and turned on the unit, though, the mosquito swarms dispersed. Over on the other side of the tree, Scott could finally relax, and I suspect he even dozed off a couple times, only to be awakened every few minutes by my sporadic calling.  

The Thermacell is powered by a butane cartridge that is screwed into the unit's base. Once turned on, it releases bug spray from the repellent mat that is placed under the grill at the top of the appliance. A light on top verifies the unit is operating.

The unit itself comes with one butane cartridge and three insect repellent mats. One cartridge lasts up to 12 hours. The mat turns from blue to white when the active ingredient is used up. Affordable replacement packs with four butane cartridges and 12 mats are also available.

While it repelled mosquitoes quite efficiently, the Thermacell did very little to deter ticks. In the end, it was dozens of the tiny little bugs crawling on Woody's rubber boots that encouraged us to get up and move.

"I must be sitting in a nest of ticks," he said as he brushed them off his boots with his gloves. Looking down at my LaCrosse snake boots, nary a tick was found -- highly unusual since I typically attract ticks like honey attracts bees. Apparently I was living some sort of charmed life that day.

Even so, back at the lodge the first order of business for me was a shower, just in case any made it to my carcass. Over at the guides' house, Woody re-shaved his head for good measure.

I have yet to find a good repellent for the tenacious tick. However, I was impressed with Thermacell's mosquito deterring power. This is good news, especially with the threat of West Nile increasing each year. And with all the rain we've been having this spring, and resulting standing water, things only look to get worse. Many other hunters in camp also had Thermacell units along. Like any tool, it's not 100 percent effective, but it's portable, affordable, and effective enough to warrant joining you on your next camping, fishing, or Fourth of July fireworks watching expedition.  

Thermacell units are widely available at stores such as Cabela's and Wal-mart. For more details, visit thermacell.com or call 866-753-3837. For more information on IMB's turkey and trophy deer hunts in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas, visit www.imbmonsterbucks.com.

To book a hunt with Woody, Yost, or any of IMB's other excellent guides, e-mail Tony May at imboutfitters@embarqmail.com. One good aspect of having a guide along is it gives the bugs someone else to focus their attention on!

For more information on the West Nile Virus, its symptoms, and how to prevent it, visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile. Be safe this summer. 



Jarrod Spilger writes about the outdoors for The Independent.