With spring finally arriving, we can hardly wait to get outside. Turkey season gives us a chance to renew our relationship with nature and see firsthand the transition from winter to spring.

Permethrin is the perfect tick repellant and a must for all of your outdoor clothes.
Permethrin is the perfect tick repellant and a must for all of your outdoor clothes.

On the down side, spring also brings the emergence of ticks and the diseases they perpetuate. You may know of Lyme’s disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but there is more bad news from this pesky vermin. Deer season is months away, yet this post from the QDMA website will highlight the importance of taking extra precaution, whether in the backyard or the outback.

On Thanksgiving Eve 2013, as I sat in the emergency room waiting area for the third time in less than a year laboring over each breath, I watched my forearms turn from pink to purple to almost completely black. I began to face the reality that I may have a tickborne condition that would change my life as a deer hunter forever. I know what you’re probably thinking: A life-changing tickborne condition… Lyme disease? Thankfully, no. Rocky Mountain spotted fever? Guess again. This recently-discovered condition is a game changer (pun intended) for any deer hunter who might contract it, and if it becomes wide-spread, it could have negative impacts on our entire deer hunting heritage.

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