Lochloosa during bow season was the worst I've experienced. Skeeters the size of your thumbnail and were drilling right through my camo. That was the year I switched to using a scent lok suit with my camo's over it just to keep the skeeters off. The thermal cell came later!
JBUG! you wouldnt know a skeeter form a skid steer!
I carry 3M Ultra-Thon for back up with the Therma Cell in case it won't fire up. Had to order it from Cabelas. Let the guys at the check point use a dab when the no see ums were so thick this past year they were staying in the trailer. They all ordered a tube the very next day. Works on deer flies, skeeters and no see ums. And yes those bug suits are hotter than you can stand in the early part of the seasone.
Fishing the Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana every now and then you'd get down into a dead end channel, and if you stayed in one spot more than 30 seconds, you'd see them coming out of the trees in clouds.
Nothing beats DEET for skeeter repellent...I usually use the OFF brand. That said, it always makes me nervous when I spray it on my face and it makes my lips go numb so I only put it on hands/arms. To keep them off my face and neck I safety pin a bounce dryer sheet to the back of my hat...works every time. They won't get within a couple feet of a dryer sheet for some reason.
