So… A bump for the info sharing purposes.
I have been out a few times this year, not nearly enough for my liking. Surprisingly, I have seen a few of these buggers every outing, very little, nothing like last year or the year before. I even worked out a theory in my (uneducated on the subject) head that maybe it was a dry and hot spring/early summer and their eggs dry up in the dryness of the heat. I mean it was brutal this year, above 30 degrees on the thermometer almost constantly and no rain starting in April!
Today, I have hit a few jackpots hiking the same place and trails I have been on just a few days ago. Literally, exact same trails and there was almost nothing there. Today, there were plenty. The difference between now and few days ago is it is cooler (but it happened before, though now it really cooled down in comparison) and there was a good rain (steady light rain for a day and a half or so).
That last pic I took when I noticed them right before getting into the vehicle to go home. I know they were caught on just moments previously because it only takes it a few minutes for most of them to fall off from the pants that were previously sprayed with permethrin. The funny part is that there is hardly any vegetation there above ankles or so and these buggers still found their way. I sprayed the pants with permethrin pictured a few posts above about 4-ish weeks ago and it works great still. Before I forget to mention, the bottles kind of suck and they will leak if not in upright position. I found out the hard way type of thing when that bottle fell at the back of my SUV and plenty had spilled.
So, when I saw them before driving away, I grabbed a store receipt I had lying on the passenger’s seat and I used it to rub them off. It worked amazingly well. They probably don't enjoy the heat generated by friction, in addition to squeezing (and, of course, the sprayed pants). Anyway, I thought if you don’t have the spray (though other options were described and tested on the previous page) some paper in your pocket may be your friend.
Good luck to all this year!