I have tried the thermacell. It takes a while to get going. But I have had them literally land on the thermacell. Was going to start wearing off deep woods till they thin out. I know they can smell it. Anyone say screw it and wear it? I have so many bites, and they swarm me regardless of the thermacell.

I used repellent but I was eight foot in the air at that time ....but saw my normal deer with no problems.

Ben's is better bug dope

Up to you. If they can smell the Off, they can also smell you. You should be hunting the wind anyway.

P.S. I've never had ANY issues with a Thermacell and it's always my go-to in buggy woods. Maybe yours isn't working correctly? Old pads?

In those cases where the wind makes a ThermaCell far less effective, I quit using any of the DEET-based products once I learned of those that use Picaridin. Unlike DEET, Picaridin doesn't damage plastics and other materials common to guns and hunting gear. It seems just as effective and doesn't seem to have as much of a smell to it.

Picaridin repels insects, ticks and chiggers. It is a synthetic compound first made in the 1980s. It was made to resemble the natural compound piperine, which is found in the group of plants that are used to produce black pepper. Picaridin has been widely used as an insect repellent in Europe and Australia, but has only been available in the United States since 2005.

Source

Spray some on a tree where you hunt several times before the season. They don’t care about odors they smell frequently in the same area.

I use Picaridin as well. Odor free and no bites, despite them swarming around me.

I’ve had good luck with picardin, too. If they’re really bad try treating your hunting clothing with permethrin.

Thermocell for me, I've been truly amazed down in a swampy Trinity river bottom with mosquitoes thick as anywhere on the planet, even sitting in an open high seat but little wind. but if using Deep Woods Off, I would definitely hunt with the wind