USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Like the fleeting image of a ghost, a chocolate antlered eight point appeared from the morning vapor.
November 5th, 2014 had mother nature winding the internal clocks of each buck, tighter and tighter for the rut.
The lustful tension which filled the air was so thick, it could have been plucked like a guitar string. My secret funnel which connects two swamps had does swarming into its protection, bringing bucks in to investigate. As the beautiful eight point began walking on a direct line for my tree, the pounding in my head and chest forced my instincts into tunnel vision. With each step closer I began looking for my opportunity. Bow in the ready position with the slight back tension on the string for the one moment I might have to make a shot.
It never happened. The buck, so focused on the ground in front of him, reached a downed log in his path, spun in a circle, and walked into another part of the swamp. Although I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the morning in the tree, work called my name and I had to leave the woods. But first, I walked into where I last saw the buck, and was able to find a new tree in the middle of the old swamp.
Changing into my work clothes at the truck, I put my camouflage pants on the truck tailgate and small movement caught my eye. Staring closer at my pants, my ultimate nightmare came alive. Ticks! I cannot recall how many ticks I picked off my clothing that morning, but the red bodies of the Black Legged Ticks kept appearing on my pants like a scene from a horror movie. I quickly checked my entire body for ticks.
We’ve all dealt with ticks or will deal with ticks in the future as tick numbers continue to rise through the country. Whether it’s a day spent hiking, playing with your kids in the fall leaves, dealing with a downed game animal and especially during turkey season, we all have our own tick stories. Some people you know may be fighting tick born illnesses today. Up until now, methods for removing ticks have been based on old homeopathic remedies and wives tales. People burn ticks from their skin, wash embedded ticks with soap or alcohol and I’ve heard of some people even cutting them out of their skin. Some of these methods are counter productive and speed up the release of diseases from the tick into your blood stream.
What about finding out if you have been infected with a tick born disease or not? Often times, tick illnesses don’t show up right away. They may take a week or more for symptoms to begin showing and blood testing takes several days.
What if there was a way to aid in the release of the tick and find out if the tick carries a disease, quickly? After having my clothing covered in ticks, my brother having found a tick burrowed into his leg, and pulling ticks off my pets, I educated myself on ticks and looked for a solution to help remove ticks safely. I found that and more.
Earth’s Balance, a natural based pet products and solutions company has introduced an all natural solution to the growing tick problem in this country: The Tick Releaser Spray and Mail-In Test Kit. This kit won the H.H. Backer Innovation Award in 2014, a prestigious Pet Industry event and award. The entire kit is actually a small package, perfect for putting in your pack. The kit includes, the natural oil spray, tweezers, an alcohol swab, test tube and test order form card. This kit retails between $5.99 and $7.99 and my kit does not leave my deer pack or duck bag for my black lab.
Made with natural oils, the Tick Releaser Spray aids in the release of the tick by softening the cement like substance which ticks use to stay embedded. When I spoke with the company they acknowledged that different ticks respond differently and while this may not magically release every tick, it helps loosen their grip for easier removal. Hey with a tick, any natural aid to loosen their grip has me interested. However, there is a second part to this kit which may be the best part of the system, the Mail-In Test Kit.
As stated earlier, symptoms may take days or weeks to appear. Blood testing results may take longer. Earth’s Balance acknowledges that the Mail-In Test Kit does not replace consulting your physician, but this allows you to have your tick tested by a third party laboratory and know within one day of receiving the tick if the tick tested positive for any of the seven major diseases. The seven most prevalent diseases ticks transfer to humans are Lyme, Anaplasma, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. Diagnostic testing costs $25.00 for one disease, $50.00 for three and $75.00 for all seven. Compare this to the cost of an initial doctor’s visit. The Earth’s Balance website has a regional tick map to help you identify your tick and know the possible disease they carry. Armed with the knowledge of your tick, you can seek specific medical attention much faster than before.
On the product package Earth’s Balance writes, why take a chance with tick born diseases? That is a true statement. Why take a chance? Earth’s Balance is giving everyone and their pets a chance to not just help remove an embedded tick, but a chance to stay on top of diseases before their disastrous side effects grip and control your life and your pets’s. Why take a chance? With ticks, I’m not taking a chance. Are you?
More information on Tick Releaser can be seen here at earthsbalance.com/products/tick-releaser-spray-and-mail-in-test-kit.
About The Author: Jason Reid is a writer and business professional from Upstate, New York. While bow hunting big game is his passion, he writes an adventure website which he started from a college dorm room and works to bring the stories, the gear, and techniques for seeking the unsought to life for readers. Other examples of his work can be seen at pushingthewidlimits.com