Unfortunately it was the same for me. Last year was terrible. I was hoping for a break this year. Can't say enough good things about this stuff. Spray it on your clothes and you might get one per trip. I unfortunately didn't think it would be necessary so early.
That stuff works awesome! I use it to treat my wife and my pants and boots when we go woods bumming at the deercamp. For our dog I use Frontline Plus and I rarely see any on her. I've been really luck having less than 10 bite me over the years, apparently they don't like -Rh blood types.
The dog had ticks on him both yesterday and today... that's really odd for mid Feb and it's been below freezing all day, 27F now.
Just a safety note. Said it before will say it again to prevent tragedy Anything with PERMETHRIN or its derivatives, is lethal to birds and cats. Those sprays work great, I have a industrial version meant for horses, but keep any clothes, boots, socks, sleeping gear etc that you spray away (rubber maid tubs are great, tape them shut) away from your birds and cats. Wash hands and body with hot soapy water after use of treated clothing in the field. Do not apply sprays to gear / clothing at home or anywhere the cats can walk, unless you can hose down the ground extremely well to wash away the residue.
I've spent the last three weekends picking ticks off me in the deer stand. Little bastards are out in full force.
Picked one off that was embedded into my puppy last week....it was so engorged it had changed colors. Vet said to keep an eye on the area. So far so good