Hi all, this is a touch off topic, but I noticed a thread a moment ago that mentioned finding a large number of ticks on the shooting bench (or maybe the shooter) while doing some target practice. We're getting into heavy tick season, and nice weather has a lot of us outdoors more often than not, so I wanted to offer a friendly warning.
We've all been familiar with normal tick borne illness like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but on the east coast we're starting to see "Alpha-Gal" allergies. It's tick-borne, and makes you allergic to mammalian products. No more beef, no more milk, no more butter, etc. I have several friends who have picked it up, and it scares me stiff.
Keep the little guys in mind when you're out shooting, camping, hiking, etc. Treat your clothes and shoes with permethrin, it's way safer than DEET and lasts for months, blouse your pants into your socks, and check for ticks when you get back in.
We've all been familiar with normal tick borne illness like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but on the east coast we're starting to see "Alpha-Gal" allergies. It's tick-borne, and makes you allergic to mammalian products. No more beef, no more milk, no more butter, etc. I have several friends who have picked it up, and it scares me stiff.
Keep the little guys in mind when you're out shooting, camping, hiking, etc. Treat your clothes and shoes with permethrin, it's way safer than DEET and lasts for months, blouse your pants into your socks, and check for ticks when you get back in.