Top 5 Best Tick Sprays For Hunting Clothes and Gear

Why? Because ticks themselves don’t wander far, they simply hitch a quick ride on their unsuspecting host, bite and transmit life-altering diseases.

Yes, you have options. DEET, Picaridin and Permethrin. For purposes of this article, we focused on the Top 5 Tick Sprays for Hunting Clothes and Gear. Don’t let the hunter become the prey!

In this ProSurvivalStrategies.com Guide we will focus upon the following:

• Why is it important to prevent ticks while hunting?
• Worried about spooking off game while hunting when using repellent?
• How to prevent ticks while hunting?
• And much more!

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Take a quick look at our Top 5 Best Tick Sprays For Hunting Clothes and Gear in the comparison chart just below. 

All of the above-mentioned Permethrin Tick Sprays for Hunting Clothes and Gear are excellent choices. In fact, any one of them would protect you from disease-transmitting ticks. However, our top pick is the Sawyer Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing, Gear & Tents.

The Sawyer Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent For Clothing Gear and Tents is an absolute essential for any sportsman during most of the year. This is especially true for fall, spring and summer hunting or off-season activities. Whether it’s scouting for deer, hog hunting or turkey hunting, spraying your hunting clothes with Sawyer Premium Permethrin protects you from disease-transmitting ticks.

This Permethrin insect repellent from Sawyer is specifically made to be applied on your hunting clothes and gear such as your backpack and boots. It’s the perfect choice when you need a layer of protection for your clothing and essential gear. Be mindful to apply permethrin to your clothing before heading towards your favorite hunting grounds. 

This tick spray contains 0.5% Permethrin that is the perfect shield against ticks because most often ticks will catch a ride by first climbing on your clothes before finding your skin to attach to. Permethrin will not damage or harm your clothing and most ticks will die or fall off after covering only one inch of treated clothing. Recent research confirms that Permethrin interferes with Blacklegged, American Dog, Lone Star and Asian Longhorn ticks' ability to move and bite.

Spooking off game to protect yourself from tick and bug bites defeats the purpose of hunting, doesn’t it? Every hunter knows that deer have a remarkable sense of smell. Wild hogs on the other hand possess one of the strongest highly-developed sense of smell of any animal you will hunt, capable of detecting certain odors in excess of 5 miles away. Sawyer’s Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing, Gear and Tents is odorless, so it doesn’t alert game animals to your presence. You want to bring home a trophy and not a disease-transmitting tick.

This premium product is very easy to apply to your hunting clothes. First you want to select an outdoor area or garage shielded from the wind. Give the bottle a good shake and then lightly moisten the fabric of the garment with a slow sweeping motion keeping the bottle six to eight inches away. Remember a great rule of thumb is to treat each side of the garment for approximately thirty seconds. Once treated, let the garments air dry for two hours. A single application of Permethrin lasts 6 weeks or 6 washings, whichever comes first! 

Hardly anyone encounters as many ticks as a hunter who spends hours or days in the wilderness. No matter who you are, safety should always be your number one priority. So make sure you are well-protected with Sawyer’s Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing, Gear and Tents while you are out enjoying the great outdoors! 

Top 5 Best Tick Sprays For Hunting Clothes and Gear!

If you’re in a hurry, take a quick look at our Top 5 Tick Sprays for Hunting Clothes and Gear or keep scrolling to learn more. 

1. Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent For Clothing, Gear and Tents 
2. Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellent for Clothing, Gear and Tents
3. Ben’s Clothing and Gear Insect Repellent Permethrin
4. Ranger Ready Permethrin Clothing and Gear Protection
5. Repel Permethrin Clothing and Gear 

Why Is It Important To Prevent Ticks While Hunting?

Every year, hunters venture into fields and forests and continuously face a constant and serious threat. Ticks! These tiny arachnids may not seem as intimidating as being stalked by a bear or mountain lion, but while they may not put you in the hospital instantly, they can easily ruin your hunt or give you a life-altering illness such as Lyme Disease, Babesiosis or Powassan Encephalitis.

The biggest threat to hunters are the small ticks, the larvae and nymphs because they are so miniscule that you can hardly see them. For example, the average size of a nymph is 2 millimeters. That’s the size of a poppy seed. They patiently sit in the grasses and undergrowth and wait for an unsuspecting hunter. 

DID YOU KNOW?
There’s evidence to suggest that a bite from the Lone Star Tick can trigger Alpha-Gal Syndrome, a potentially fatal allergic reaction from consuming red meat. 

The other serious threat of tick larvae and nymphs is that due to their small size, you will never notice them on you. It’s only when the bite starts to itch or the tiny tick is so swollen from your blood it gorged on that you can finally feel and see it, will the uninvited hitchhiker be noticed.

DID YOU KNOW?
A tick’s saliva can also cause “tick paralysis”. It’s caused by the salivary neurotoxin of several species of ticks such as the American Dog Tick and Rocky Mountain Wood Tick. This neurologic syndrome is characterized by acute ataxia that progresses and ultimately leads to paralysis. If not recognized early and treated promptly, tick paralysis can lead to respiratory failure and death.

Now you have a serious dilemma on your hands. Remember, the longer a tick has been feeding, the greater the risk that it will transmit pathogens. The list of tick-borne illnesses they cause is overwhelming. That’s exactly why it’s extremely important to prevent ticks as much as possible when hunting in tick country. For more on preventative measures, click here. 

Should You Be Worried About Spooking Off Game When Using Permethrin?

Placing game on high alert to protect yourself from ticks ruins the point of hunting, right? Insect repellents usually have a pungent smell that’s supposed to keep ticks and other biting insects from attacking you. Now this definitely poses a serious problem to hunters. Many big game animals are extremely sensitive to scent and quickly leave any area that contains the wind-borne or residual ground scent of humans.

For example, Steve Ditchkoff, a professional in wildlife ecology and management at Auburn University, states, “It’s estimated that a deer can smell at least 1,000 times better than a human”. Impressive, but in order to smell you, the game must be downwind, and then they smell you anyway, when you add bug repellent that permeates through the air.

If you don’t sit still and continuously check your clothes and gear for ticks or you're frantically fending off mosquitoes, your prized trophy will detect your movement and in a flash he’s gone.

So let’s kill two birds with one stone. Permethrin is odorless once it dries on your hunting clothes and gear. So you don’t have to worry about a foul odor that will immediately alert game of your presence. If you have to constantly get up and check for ticks, it’s game over! Let’s not forget the mosquitoes constantly drilling into your face, neck, ears and hands. It can be extremely difficult to refrain from swatting them or trying to fend off their repeated attacks. Looking for ticks and fighting off mosquitoes adds a ton of movement and takes your focus off the hunt!

Permethrin is an insecticide, meaning it doesn’t only repel ticks and mosquitoes, it kills them. So you don’t have to worry about doing the tick and mosquito dance when quietly sitting in your blind, stand, or stalk hunting.

Guys! Think of the consequences if you don’t treat your hunting clothes and gear. Bring home a trophy and not the ticks!

Why Use The Best Tick Sprays For Hunting Clothes and Gear?

No matter what state you hunt in, ticks keep spreading into new habitats and transmit tick-borne illnesses. In 2019, state and local health departments reported 50,865 cases of tick-borne illnesses to the CDC. This danger increases steadily due to changing environmental conditions.

For example, Blacklegged tick populations have expanded to spread Lyme disease, first described in Connecticut in the 1970s, into new areas. The tick is now found down the East Coast and across the Midwest and has moved north into Ontario; the number of US counties it’s been found in has more than doubled in the past two decades. 

To protect yourself from tick-borne illnesses, tick repellent applied to your clothing and gear is an absolute safety measure. Hardly anyone encounters as many ticks as a hunter who spends hours or days in the wilderness. The longer you stay out in the field, the greater the risk of finding ticks attached to clothing or gear. 

What To Do After A Successful Hunt.

If you come home after a successful hunt, beware of ticks on harvested game. Even if you are bringing back plenty of venison from a successful hunt, you are also bringing back many ticks stuck to their hides. The danger of being bitten doesn’t stop after you leave the woods.

Hanging a deer up for skinning can harbor hundreds of ticks that can literally rain them down on your backyard. Ears, face, groin and under-legs all host heavy concentrations of ticks. But keep in mind, there are plenty of ticks residing wherever there’s hair to hide under. 

So if you have skinned a deer, check yourself thoroughly, shower immediately afterwards and be vigilant not to wear previous clothing that may harbor ticks. 

In-Depth Reviews Of Our Top 5 Best Tick Sprays For Hunting Clothes and Gear.

Sawyer will keep you outdoors this hunting season! Anticipating a great hunting season? It will be here before you know it! You checked your gear, hit the shooting range, set up your stand and strategically placed your scouting cameras. However, did you think of preparing your hunting clothes and gear?

All of the preparation ensures a better and more successful hunt. However, there are always things out of your control. When you’re hunting in the middle of nowhere quietly stalking game, you are always being stalked by an unseen enemy. Ticks!

A great way to eliminate this threat is to protect your hunting clothes and gear with Sawyer Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent For Clothing, Gear and Tents.

You may immediately think that this tick spray will stink and spook that prized trophy you stalked all day. That is not the case with this tick repellent that is applied directly onto your clothing and allowed to dry the day before your big hunt. Aside from your clothing, this product can be directly applied to your gear such as boots, backpacks, hats, tents and other gear. Not only does it repel insects, it kills diseased-ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, mites and 55 other types of insects. With tick-borne illnesses on the rise, don’t take any risks!

Use this tick spray on your pop up blinds which seem to be a magnet for insects moving into them. By using this effective tick spray, you will not have tiny predators distracting your hunt.

Sawyer’s synthetic Permethrin lasts 6 weeks or 6 washings on clothing and other fabrics, making it a fantastic odorless barrier of constant protection from ticks and mosquitoes that are eagerly waiting to get at your skin. This is exactly what you want when hunting in any condition when you share the woods with these disease-transmitting bloodsuckers.

Rest easy when you're hunting by using Sawyer Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent For Clothing, Gear and Tents. If you’re in bear country, then you’re on your own!

Pros:

• This insect-killing repellent for your hunting clothes and gear is effective against ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, mites, fleas, lice and 55 other insects.
• Reduces the likelihood of a tick bite by 73.6 times by treating clothing, boots and socks. (University of Rhode Island study - 2017).
• Use it while hunting to protect yourself from the unseen enemy.
• Permethrin spray bonds to fibers for up to 6 weeks or through 6 washings (whichever comes first).
• Odorless after drying.
• If you treat your tent, you can expect full potency for up to 40 days of direct sunlight. This is a great way to give your entire campsite a barrier of effective protection. 

Cons: 

• Remember, Permethrin is a pesticide, and highly toxic to fish and other animals such as cats, bees and other beneficial insects.
• Make sure you read the label before using because inhaling Permethrin can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. 

Bring home the trophy, not the diseased-ticks! Ask any successful hunter and they’ll tell you to keep things simple. Treat your clothing and gear and go hunt for the rest of the season.

For use on clothing gear and other fabric, Sawyer Permethrin is a preventive measure that kills ticks, mosquitoes and other biting vectors on contact which is why the U.S. Military has been using it for over 20 years. 

DID YOU KNOW?
More active military service days have been lost to diseases - many of them transmitted by insects - than to combat. In the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War, disease casualties (caused mostly by insect bites) outnumbered combat casualties. U.S. military personnel deployed on field operation all over the world face an increased risk of mortality or morbidity from insect-borne diseases. More than 60 diseases are spread between humans and animals by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and mites. 

It’s odorless after drying and will not stain or damage clothing, gear, or fabrics unlike DEET. 

A single application lasts 6 washings or 42 days of sun exposure. The highly-effective repellent bonds with fabric, providing protection while you’re on the move or when you need to be perfectly still.

Before taking off on your next hunting trip - stop and think. Did you treat your clothing and gear? Don’t become a casualty from insect-borne diseases.  Treat your clothing and gear with Sawyer’s Odorless Permethrin insect repellent. 

Pros:

• Contains 0.5% Permethrin as recommended by the CDC and registered for use by the EPA.
• More than just a repellent, it kills ticks, mosquitoes, spiders, chiggers, mites and more than 55 other insects.
• Provides an odorless barrier of protection that lasts for 6 weeks or 6 washings.
• Can be applied to dogs to control fleas, ticks and lice.
• Portable lightweight bottle is ideal for international travel.

Cons: 

• Be extremely careful if you have a feline friend roaming the house. Permethrin is extremely toxic to cats - don’t let them come into any contact with clothing or gear that’s been treated with Permethrin.
• When Permethrin gets into surface water like lakes or streams, it sticks very strongly to sediment and can stay there for more than a year.

This rugged and powerful repellent is another bullet-proof option to treat your hunting clothes and gear with. When you’re out bowhunting or patiently waiting for that hog to come through a pasture, you never expect something to be hunting you. However, hundreds of ticks, mosquitoes, deer flies and other biting insects would like nothing more than to turn you into prey!

Not only are they eager to bite you, but to add insult to injury, they can also infect you with life-altering bacteria, viruses or even microscopic parasites. Not only do they ruin the hunt, they also get the best of you psychologically. You will be worried sick, praying you are not infected with a horrible disease. 

Get back on top of the food chain! Ben’s Clothing and Gear Insect Repellent harnesses the power of Permethrin, an effective insecticide recognized worldwide for its powerful ability to repel and kill disease-transmitting vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes and other countless bloodsuckers. Ticks carry Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Powassan Virus and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) just to name a few. Let’s not forget diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as Dengue, Chikungunya and the dreaded Zika virus.

Spray your hunting clothes and gear with Ben’s and these infected savages will steer clear of you. Protect yourself with one of the most trusted insecticides known to man, Permethrin! The CDC recommends that hunters treat their boots, clothing and gear with a 0.5% Permethrin product. Ben’s literally has you covered. Just like Sawyer’s Permethrin-based products above, Ben’s 0.5 % Permethrin formula bonds to fibers and lasts up to six weeks through several wash cycles.

Apply a protective coating to your clothing and gear in seconds with this easy to use pump spray, which has an ergonomic handle and makes protection against disease-transmitting vectors quick and easy.

With enough insect repellent to treat four complete outfits or two sets of gear, turn the clothing you wear and the gear that you carry into a powerful layer of insect protection. 

Pros:

• Made in New Hampshire and torture tested in the White Mountains - the heart of bug country.
• Rugged and powerful repellent is another bullet-proof option to treat your hunting clothes and gear.
• This insect-killing repellent for your hunting clothes and gear is effective against ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, mites, fleas, lice and 55 other insects.
• CDC recommended 0.5% Permethrin-based formula.
• 0.5 % Permethrin formula bonds to fibers and lasts up to six weeks or through several wash cycles.
• Odorless after drying. 

Cons: 

• If your eyes are accidentally exposed to Permethrin, symptoms of ocular exposure may include pain, redness, or a burning sensation.
• If accidentally ingested, symptoms include sore throat, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. 

All hunters have a lot of experience with bugs, and the ultimate outcome is never pleasant. No hunter wants to be outdoors constantly checking their clothing and gear for ticks or vigorously swatting at swarming mosquitoes when you’re trying to stalk in close or sitting still. No hunter is a big fan of pulling ticks off after a great day outdoors or coming back covered in mosquito bites. If that’s your idea of fun, be my guest!

Ranger Ready solves this constant problem with the Ranger Ready Permethrin Clothing and Gear Protection. When you want those nasty ticks away from your clothing and gear, this 0.5%-based Permethrin spray is applied directly on your hunting clothes and gear. If you’re wondering what Permethrin is, it is an odorless insecticide that’s produced using the chrysanthemum flower. It incapacitates and kills ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests by targeting their nervous system that ultimately causes muscle spasms, paralysis and to a hunter’s greatest appreciation, death. Oh yeah, this is an extra layer of defense you can’t be without!

Treating your hunting clothes and gear with Permethrin is one of the most effective ways to stay protected.

Insect repellents usually have a pungent smell that’s supposed to keep ticks and other biting insects from attacking you. Now this definitely poses a serious problem to hunters. Many big game animals are extremely sensitive to scent and quickly leave any area that contains the wind-borne or residual ground scent of humans.

Don’t smell like a can of bug spray when stalking game. Ranger Ready’s Scent Zero formula is music to any hunter’s ears. As you already know, certain species of big game animals have a highly-developed sense of smell. If you’re detected, they will take off and all your hard work goes right down the drain. 

Special Note:
Remember to always keep your hunting dog safe. You want to make sure your faithful companion is just as protected in the outdoors from ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers and other biting insects. Ranger Ready Permethrin Clothing and Gear Protection is safe to apply on your hunting dog. 

Ranger Ready Permethrin bonds to fibers of your clothing and gear and lasts up to 40 days or 5 washes - whichever comes first. Unlike DEET, which is greasy, oily and has an unpleasant odor, this Permethrin-based product doesn’t have these characteristics. Better yet, it doesn’t harm your clothing and gear.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor! Stay undetected, stay safe and use Ranger Ready. 

Pros:

• EPA-approved 0.5%-based Permethrin formula.
• Incapacitates and kills ticks, mosquitoes and other biting pests.
• Bonds to fibers of your clothing and gear and lasts up to 40 days or 5
  washes (whichever comes first).
• Ranger Ready’s Scent Zero formula helps you stay undetected.
• Unlike DEET, this product is not greasy, oily and will not damage your gear.

Cons: 

• If your eyes are accidentally exposed to Permethrin, symptoms of ocular exposure may include pain, redness, or a burning sensation. 
• If accidentally ingested, symptoms include sore throat, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

Fight the bite with Repel Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent. Treat your hunting clothes and gear with this 0.5% Permethrin-based formula that repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers and other nasty pests that can ruin your hunting trip.

By now, I’m sure you understand that ticks, mosquitoes and other biting insects are a constant threat to hunters worldwide. Never let your guard down, because you can be infected with a very nasty life-threatening organism. Let’s put it in simpler terms. Would you drink untreated murky water from a river or stream? Of course not, you would expose yourself to life-threatening pathogens. So, are you that cavalier to refrain from treating your hunting clothes and gear with Permethrin? Don’t play Russian roulette in the woods!

Repel Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent repels and kills the ticks, mosquitoes, chigger and biting insects that take the thrill out of a hunt. This unscented spray creates a barrier for your clothing and gear so you can stay focused and ready when that trophy is in your sights.

This 0.5% Permethrin formula binds to the fabric of your clothing and gear. One treatment lasts for two weeks, so stay vigilant if you are planning a long hunting trip.

This repellent is odorless, giving you a serious advantage when you're quietly sitting in a stand, blind or stalking that trophy.. It will not make clothing or gear give off a nasty smell like DEET. Aside from its odorless attribute, this repellent will not eat away at your clothing or gear like DEET.

As with any Permethrin-based product, it is designed to be applied to your clothing and gear rather than on your skin.

Treat your hunting clothes and essential gear with Repel Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent. It repels and kills ticks and biting insects that are more than willing to call you a meal!

Pros:

• 0.5% CDC recommended Permethrin spray.
• Kills the ticks, mosquitoes, chigger and biting insects that take the thrill out of a hunt.
• Odorless formula that creates a barrier for your clothing and gear.
• Binds to the fabric of your clothing and gear and lasts 2 weeks.
• Will not eat away at your clothing or gear like DEET.
• Unlike DEET, this product is not greasy or oily. 

Cons: 

• Depending on how long you plan to stay outdoors, this product only lasts 2 weeks.
• Only 6.5 ounces of Permethrin-based formula. 

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Final Note.

Far too often we hear of fellow hunters succumbing to tick, mosquitoes and insect-borne diseases far too often. With tick populations rising and spreading into new territories, the risk of contracting a life-altering illness is ever so present.

By treating your hunting clothes and gear with a 0.5% Permethrin-based repellent, you significantly reduce the risk of contracting a devastating illness. Always treat your clothing and gear before heading outdoors because the hunter will become the prey. There’s just no way around it!

No matter where your adventures take you, always stay vigilant and safe. We wish you nothing but the best for you and your families. 

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