It does work. I don’t know anyone who has ever used a ThermaCELL that now goes into the woods without one. I know I won’t. They’re available at many sporting goods stores.

ThermaCELL also makes an equally small unit that dispenses a variety of game scents, like doe urine, that it spreads over a wider area than traditional wick dispensers.

While bugs are annoying, poisonous snakes can be downright dangerous. They’re very active this time of year. In fact, early in my bow hunting career, I came within just a few feet of stepping on several, including a 3-foot cottonmouth, and a diamondback rattler in the 5-foot range with a head the size of my fist.

The latter encounter began my love affair with inexpensive plastic snake-proof leg guards. They’re a comfort while picking my way to a stand in the pre-dawn, and can quickly be removed and stowed while I’m in the tree. Also, they’re not expensive. But if you ever feel a slight rap on your leg and hear a sharp “tic” when a snake’s fangs make contact with them -- as I have -- they become priceless. A poisonous snakebite in the deep woods can ruin more than just your day.

Critters can cause problems, but just the inherent heat and humidity can too. The human body requires both water and certain electrolytes (salts) to function properly. Both are expelled through the pores through perspiration, and this process is accelerated under these weather conditions.

It’s very important to stay properly hydrated, and smart hunters carry an adequate amount of water for the day. That means a minimum of at least 2 quarts. The really smart guys also include one of the sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, because those contain the needed electrolytes. Just having these with you is not enough -- you need to maintain a moderate intake of both during the course of the day. Heat and humidity are very manageable if you maintain that steady intake of fluids.

With a little forethought, dealing with the early season is fairly simple. Here are some areas where you might want to put that into practice this year.

SOUTH ZONE
A primary reason for the staggered bow hunting seasons from south to north is the rut. Wildlife managers try to adjust seasons to allow hunters to be in the woods during the rut. But just what portion of the rut can bow hunters experience? It varies. But in the South Zone, just trying to pinpoint the peak of the rut is pretty variable in itself!

“In this region, we can have some deer in rut, and some fawns born, just about any month of the year,” says Jen Williams, the Public Hunt Area Biologist for the South Zone. “To say there is a true peak of the rut is not really possible. Just like bass in Lake Okeechobee, they can breed throughout the year. Our studies show that a bit over half the rut will normally occur in June and July, so bow hunters may not be getting in on the maximum rutting activity. But there will be some rutting activity during the September 9 to October 8 archery season -- although how much can vary from year to year.”