You can get bit up if you want to, but I'm bringing my thermacell with me. Smacking skeeters off my neck would probably alarm more deer than the thermacell does. Besides, if they can smell the thermacell, they can probably smell you too. They'll only smell it if they're down wind. Also, the thermacell is heated, so any odor it gives off will rise, probably won't make a difference if you're hunting from a treestand. Also, after having numerous deer walk within yards during turkey season and not spook and never noticing a deer so much as flinch while walking past my stand during bow season, I'm convinced it is a useful tool during archery season.