Care needs to be taken when in the woods to prevent these little arachnids from sinking their jaws into you. Ticks don't bite when they first get on you, instead they will crawl around for 30 to 60 minutes looking for a place they like. 

They are often associated with Lyme disease. However ticks need to feed for several hours before the disease can be acquired from ticks, so it is important to find and remove them as soon as possible.

Repellants containing DEET work well for most people in preventing ticks. When shopping for a good repellant remember that the higher concentration of DEET the  more effective it will be. Unscented products may be more effective as well.

The following web page provides some good information about ticks, and how to avoid or treat their bites.

Links

Prevent Tick Bites: Prevent Lyme Disease