Thermacell Tip of the Week for all you warm-weather duckers

1798 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by spoonie, May 23, 2008

TomFL

Discussion Starter · Dec 11, 2007

This is useless if you hunt up north in the snow and ice, but for those of us who hunt marshes south of the border (like me in Florida) where the mosquitos outnumber ducks 111 trillion to one, this is a must-do.

Found out a neat trick to use when there's enough wind to make your thermacell useless, but not enough to keep the skeeters at bay. This is particularly useful for us duck hunters who sit in the marsh for hours on end, even before daylight. The thermacell is magic as long as the wind doesn't blow away the smoke.

Take some 1" PVC pipe (the thicker walled hi-pressure stuff is ideal) and cut a section about 6' long, or longer if you're pretty tall. Cut one end at an angle to make a spear out of it (this will be the bottom to push in the mud), and on the other end drill some 3/8" holes in it, straight through from one side of the pipe to the other. Drill a hole about at the top, then another hole every foot down for about 3-4 feet. Paint the whole thing camo, including the inside of the top.

Take some spare decoy line about 1' long and put it through one set of holes and tie the ends together to make a loop. Repeat for each hole you drilled. No you have a bunch of loops that you can hang your thermacell on, depending on what height you want it.

When you set up where you'll be standing/shooting, turn your thermacell on (hold it away from your body so as not to interrupt the natural breeze to it) and look at the smoke coming out of it and notice the wind direction.

Stick the pipe in the mud a few feet upwind of your station and hang your thermacell on whatever loop lines up best with your body, this will vary according to how deep the water/mud is, etc., but you'll be ready for anything with all the holes you have at varying heights.

Hope this helps you duck hunters out there!

-T

See less See more

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

code5coupe

· #2 · Dec 12, 2007

Or, you could just smear on the OFF! ..... :wink:

TomFL

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 12, 2007

Not quite. Actually not even close. With the OFF, you still have a zillion mosquitos hovering and attempting to land on you. Buzzing is so loud you can't even hear the ducks coming at first light. Annoying as h*ll. With the thermacell, the mosquitos are GONE. No hovering, nothing. Just gone.

Same goes for turkey hunting in some parts down here. Without the thermacell, the buzzing is so loud you can't hear distant gobblers.

-T

code5coupe

· #4 · Dec 12, 2007

I can whole-heartedly agree with you about the nuisance of having a cloud of skeeters in front of your face, even if they aren't biting you. :wink:

But, hunting in a cloud of smoke can have its downsides, too. :lol:
All in all, I'd think the inconvenience of taking the aforementioned six-foot pole, the smoke bomb, and matches to the marsh (plus the fact that any breeze would negate all benefits of that system) would make the OFF! look like a viable option.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.

May the remainder of your season be bountiful(and mosquito-free).

TomFL

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 12, 2007

code5coupe said:
I can whole-heartedly agree with you about the nuisance of having a cloud of skeeters in front of your face, even if they aren't biting you. :wink:

But, hunting in a cloud of smoke can have its downsides, too. :lol:
All in all, I'd think the inconvenience of taking the aforementioned six-foot pole, the smoke bomb, and matches to the marsh (plus the fact that any breeze would negate all benefits of that system) would make the OFF! look like a viable option.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.

May the remainder of your season be bountiful(and mosquito-free).

Matches? What matches?

Cloud of smoke???????

Breeze negating all benefits? That's precisely what my post was directed to solving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's obvious you've never used a thermacell!!

If you agree that a cloud of skeeters hovering about your head, even if they are not biting, is enough to drive you crazy, may I suggest you pays your money for something that WORKS, bring a $1.50 pole to the marsh and sit in peace, no matter the conditions?

I guess there's always someone out there who's glass is half-full, I just offered a way to fill it. Do what you wish, hope your season goes well sitting in a cloud of skeeters with your OFF.

Some areas of the county are never skeeter-free.

-T

See less See more

code5coupe

· #6 · Dec 12, 2007

Interestly enough, down here close to Mexico, mosquitos are a non-issue after the opening weekend (middle of October), yet further north (up around San Fransisco) they can be unbearable until after Thanksgiving.
Maybe it's the topography?

Wolfe-Shooter

· #7 · Dec 17, 2007

he means one of these.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... id=0019305

01lariat

· #8 · Jan 8, 2008

How is this thing supposed to help someone walking to and from?

TomFL

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 8, 2008

Honestly it won't help that much when you're moving. Not what it's designed for I don't think. More for a stationary hunter IMHO.

-T

01lariat

· #10 · Jan 8, 2008

I guess then DEET is the way to go yet.

TomFL

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 8, 2008

01lariat said:
I guess then DEET is the way to go yet.

read the label on the deet. I think it says "the liver is evil and must be punished"

Don't quote me on that, but in 10 words or less it's accurate.

-T

01lariat

· #12 · Jan 8, 2008

TomFL said:
01lariat said:

I guess then DEET is the way to go yet.

Click to expand...

read the label on the deet. I think it says "the liver is evil and must be punished"

Don't quote me on that, but in 10 words or less it's accurate.

-T

I believe it is linked to cancer, but so is everything else.

onestar

· #13 · Jan 25, 2008

Thermacell is the sh!t! I never have taken mine turkey hunting but it sounds like a great idea. Bow season here in the south is miserable without a thermacell.

gbottger

· #14 · Jan 25, 2008

Ditto Onestar - Bowhunting without one is not an option anymore. No scent, quiet and no damn bugs! I left a window open in my Double Bull one night and it was full of flies, thermacell was the bomb.

13maxxx13

· #15 · Feb 7, 2008

did you ever hunt sta 3/4 in 08? sta 5 was super hot this year no need for the themacell. it was in the 80s all but one day. some of our pm hunts were over by 1415.

spoonie

· #16 · May 23, 2008

just got back from maine on a spring bear hunting. the thermal cell was the way to go.worked very well.the black flies were thick

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.