Case: Ticked off about these terrible little blood-sucking pests

Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Multiple shades of green adorn a wood lot at the south end of McDonald's Field in Chickamauga National Military Park in April 2020 as four hikers and their dog make their way back to the parking lot. Humans and dogs alike are at risk for tick-borne diseases. Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Multiple shades of green adorn a wood lot at the south end of McDonald's Field in Chickamauga National Military Park in April 2020 as four hikers and their dog make their way back to the parking lot. Humans and dogs alike are at risk for tick-borne diseases.

By Larry Case July 21, 2024 6 min read

You have probably noticed, but lately it has been hotter than a $2 pistol. With all of the other fun stuff that comes with summer and hot weather, such as excessive sweating, snakes and heatstroke, we also get to deal with ticks.

We have discussed these terrible little pests here before, but I felt it was time for an update.

There may be no good way to start a discussion on ticks, but it is something that those of you who hunt, fish, have hunting dogs and tramp in the woods need to know about.

If you grew up like I did, tramping the woods and fields almost daily, dealing with ticks was a common occurrence, at least in the summertime. If you had hunting dogs around, as we always did, you were almost assured of close encounters with ticks. We pulled ticks, large and small, off our dogs (and sometimes me) with impunity; it was no big deal.