Eric Davis

Sun Outdoor Columnist

I might be getting ahead of myself and jinxing all of us but there is a prediction for warmer weather towards the end of the 10-day forecast. Hopefully it comes true because I’m tired of the snow.

I’m waiting for a break in the weather so that I can use my pellet grill/smoker without going through a ton of pellets keeping the chamber warm. I also have plans to work on a ground blind that fell victim to heavy snow accumulation during deer season that resulted in fiberglass rods snapping on two of the sides. Hopefully that works out and will be a great article topic. The warm-up will finally allow some of us to wander in the woods and fields without any snow on the ground so hopefully shed antlers can be found as a sign of what deer made it through the hunting seasons.

However, with the increase in outdoor activity there will be an increase in tick contact with humans and pets. Ticks are a common carrier of diseases that affect hundreds of thousands of people each year in the United States.