Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Bugs in Togiak Lake area in late Sept

Will the mosquitoes still be out? Will 95% Deet (muskol) be enough if they are?

Thanks!

Deet will take care of the skeeters and white sox. Will there be any out???? It all depends.

Bring a headnet. They take up no space, weigh nothing, are airline legal, and can keep you from going insane.

+ 1000 ...

Gloves too. After a week of using 90% + deet your skin will look like alligator hide. During the days it's not bad but in the evenings - yowsa !!!!

Ok will do, omfg temperatures are predicted to be high 40s and still mosquitoes?

We have mosquitoes on the coast here during duck season.. can have em down to the time it gets back to freezing.... fought em one afternoon bad at about 40 degrees... fought em some the next morning for about 30 minutes until a STRONG norther dropped the temps to under freezing fairly quickly....

I hear they had em back again about 5 days later as it warmed up....

Temps were high 40s here this morning and the mosquitoes were ravenous - and it was windy besides. We're on the coast so they are never as bad as inland, but they can be bothersome. I tend not to use much bug dope where we are as I prefer to acclimate to our bugs and ignore a few bites. (Some people seem to be able to develop an immunity to reacting to mosquito bites where others never seem to. And some species are worse than others; I think most Alaska mosquitoes are pretty benign, but they make up for their weak venom through numbers and size.) I use bug dope if the bugs are thick when we're cutting fish as I prefer not to slime myself. 25-40% DEET in aerosol form works for me.

Don't count bugs out until there's ice on the puddles in the morning.

Thanks so much! I will get a head net and bring plenty of Deet. I have gloves.

take the 100% deet .... mix with rubbin alcohol, in a little spray bottle-easy to apply- feels dry (3oz of deet @6.00 will go a long way mixed with alcohol & will work the same) and bring a head net.

I should have mentioned this but 95% deet is overkill IMO. I got stuck having to use it on hunting trip where that's all we had. I far prefer the milder strengths. I'm one those people with a body chemistry that attracts bugs and bug dope is a must have for me.

Mosquitos may not be the big problem in Sept but the white sox are usually out and they are evil wicked nasties. When I get bit by one it swells up with a puss producing itchy volcano of torment for at least two days. I hate those things.

FWIW, I hunted close to where you're going on a float/hunt trip north of Dillingham during mid Sept (last week of moose season) back in 2001.

The only thing I note about deet dilutions is that effective time seems to be a linear function of concentration. I.e. 25% stuff keeps things away for 3 or 4 hrs. The 100% stuff works all day, but I can taste it within seconds of application.

A word on the white socks. Those SOB's will exploit any opportunity. A spot most of us forget is that small area when one sits down and a pant leg might rise and expose a small portion of ones shin. Put some deet on each leg from boot top to mid calf. Also between ones hands and shirt cuffs. Don't know what their saliva chemistry is, but their bites are itchy, nasty things inducing discomfort for several days. When skeeters enter a tent, their mind switches to trying to escape the enclosure. When white socks enter, they are in chase mode.

The head nets, perhaps a scarf, and gloves are excellent ideas if one is sensitive to deet or simply wants to avoid using it. Do carry them with you regardless of AM conditions when one leaves camp. With mid day temp changes or a let up in wind, one can transition one from comfort mode to near panic when the bugs come after you.

We have just gone the full route and take bug suits with us every time we go regardless the weather. Just in case. Bug dope too but generally don't use it.

Jeff

There is often heavy frost in early-mid September that helps with the bugs in GMU 17, but as mentioned the white socks are vicious and last season it was abnormally warm during September and the mosquitoes and no-seeums were of biblical proportions. Bring a good head net and some bug spray. I keep the rest of my body covered and my pants tucked into rubber boots. Keep the tent zipped at all times and you'll be fine. Enjoy Togiak Lake; it's a beautiful area.

Thanks!

holy chit fishead did you float the Tikchik?

i was floating it, when 9-11 went down.

Everybody else pretty much nailed it. Bottom line, BE PREPARED FOR BUGS. What are you going to be doing in that area?

We were on the King Salmon River on 9/11/01. I found out about it from a guide that happened to pass by the day after. We had a portable radio that would fade in and out so we heard a little bit about what happened before getting back into Dillingham. Fortunately we weren't scheduled to be picked up by floatplane until the 17th (IIRC)so no delays there or in leaving Dillingham. It was week before our meat could be shipped home though.

kinda eerie when the skies went silent


no bush plane traffic, no contrails from overhead jets, just the sounds of nature alone out there.

woulda been pretty cool, but I was too pizzed off, wanted to stop hunting moose and hunt hijackers

felt bad for the lady that had to sift through my 2 week old clothing at the Dilly airport and my 13 knives, rifle and short barreled shotgun with pistol grip, twas a circus, IIRC I left Dilly about the 15th, outfitter had cancellations out the wazoo and I was one of his top wage earners but didn't need the money so I volunteered to vamoose. Figured if I got to Anchorage i could rent a car if need be to get home.

I'm hunting brown bear with Bristol Bay outfitters. My two Cabelas headnets just came in (I bought a spare). I already have hats, gloves and duct tape in the duffle.

Thanks!

A hat brim is essential to keeping the netting off of skin. Bugs can "reach" through the mesh.

Some folks prefer boonie hats.