Krokus is correct - DEET smells and the deer can smell you when they are down wind (which they always are - somewhere). DEET will also mar plastic eye glass lenses, plastic watch faces, binocular eye cups, arrow nocks, and just about any petroleum based (plastic) product. DEET drives insects away but does not kill them. For true killing power try Permethrin.
Four (4) ounce Commercial spray cans (Permanone) contain 0.50% Permethrin and cost about $7.95 each. Ortho "Basic Solutions" Lawn & Garden Insect Killer @ Home Depot costs $8.95 for 32 fluid ounces (1 quart). Its active ingredient is Permethrin...2.5%. So I cut it with water to make 0.50% solutions.
Mix one part 2.5% Permethrin (Ortho) to four parts water to make the final solution 0.50% Permethrin (white liquid). The whole 32 oz bottle of Ortho makes 2.5 gallons of "Bug Juice". Put the 0.50% solution in a $1.00 spritzer bottle and LIBERALLY coat your hunting clothing, face mask, gloves, socks, hat, shoes, etc. The initial faint petrochemical smell will quickly disappear as the liquid dries.
Permethrin has been extensively tested in agriculture. Its preeminent quality is it KILLS probing insects (DEET only drives them away). Let me say that again: Permethrin KILLS mosquitos, chiggers, no-see-ums, yellow flies, horse flies, ticks, gnats, wasps, house flies, and just about anything that bites, stings, probes, or tries to penetrate your protection.
Permethrin sends their nervous system into LSD-like hyperactivity and they literally burn out their nervous systems. Ants seen feasting on Permethrin killed mosquitos have died not long thereafter too.
Permethrin is effective after multiple washings of your treated clothing as written up in "Smithsonian" Magazine (circa 1997). In accordance with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) see links below, Permethrin is not toxic to people, although the MSDS and manufacturer's recommendations indicate use on clothing only - NOT SKIN. Contact with skin swiftly breaks down the active ingredients and neutralizes the repellent.
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento...in%20Spray.pdfMy personal experience is no-see-ums and mosquitos are especially difficult to sit still through when you are under their relentless attack. Ticks are no fun either when showering at home and finding them in the least appropriate places. Killing the insects that would ordinarily drive us out of the woods is a good thing. If you are going to use "insect repellent" anyway, why not kill the suckers at the same time.
I have used my dog to wear a Permethrin laced tee-shirt around the house when mosquitos get thicker over the rainy summer months. One evening outside with the dog is all it takes for about two week's peace - until the next batch hatches - in about two weeks.
Here is some "easy reading" Web research on Permethrin (there are over 500,000 others):
http://www.travmed.com/trip_prep/insect_permethrin.htmby: Mark S. Fradin, M.D. is Adjucnt Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill and the author of Mosquitoes and Mosquito Repellents: A Clinician's Guide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin Wikipedia defined Permethrin.
http://www.state.sd.us/doh/WESTNILE/permethrin.htmSouth Dakota Department of Health; Permethrin Fast Facts
Most links indicate Permethrin is quickly broken down into inert ingredients by contact with human skin; is quickly absorbed by soil constituents; is long lasting; is non-toxic to humans; does not smell; and kills insects by contact - but not necessarily instantly.
Others use Permethrin in higher concentrations too. See QDMA.com General Discussion Forums [page 4 right now] under the post "Insect Repellent - Permethrin [Long but Info-packed]", which is essenitally this post with responses.