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Thinking about buying a Ozonics , are they worth it? Its not that I don't do all the other stuff and hunt the wind BUT hey any extra I can do to help i do it.
I sat in a blind on a salmon stream in Alaska. Was hunting grizzly. Had two Ozonics running in the blind. Two different times a grizzly was walking the stream edge toward the blind.They got to about 70 yards, stopped put their nose in the air, turned 180 degrees and left. That’s one data point out of 1000s. But I’m not sold on them.
Wait, let me pop my corn ! ;-)
Worth it depends on three things
How much does it cost
How much are you worth
How important the money is to you relative to how you feel about spending it on that item
Whether they work or not is a totally different question
I started using one two seasons ago. Ive had good experiences with it. I can only think of one time that I’ve had a deer get down wind of me and actually blow on her way out. Most of the time if they get down wind they seem to know something is off but they generally end up calming down and just continue to move on through. One thing that’s hard to get used to is the noise it makes, if you have a slight wind you don’t really notice it much but if it’s completely calm it’s a little loud. Hanging it upside down does seem to help some. I personally take it into the field with me every time I go. I still play the wind and am a stickler on my scent control.
I’ve fell victim to tons of “scent and wind products”(killed a 190” whitetail with ozonics running in the tree, didn’t have damn thing to do with me killing that deer)nothing gets you more advantage than having the wind in your favor
My experiences have been positive. I still do everything I can, play the wind, thermals, etc but when used correctly, I think they are beneficial.
For every incidence that you think it works, I'll show you one where I wasn't using anything for scent control had deer within bow range or even spitting distance while I was on the ground with them. I've proven it time after time on my semi live hunts. Ozone is a gimmick like everything else.
So you’re saying it’s a gimmick, and yet, you’ve never actually used it, Thornton? This is just like your expertise on the ineffectiveness of NoseJammer (which you’ve never used, either)
Old doe 12 feet under me, actually trying to figure out what I am. Shot a 149" 5 minutes later.
Old doe 12 feet under me, actually trying to figure out what I am. Shot a 149" 5 minutes later.
When I guided, my hunters used everything, and still got winded. Outdoor Life proved an entire suit of Scent Lok couldn't fool a dog who's olfactory isn't as good as a deer's. Ozone wasn't invented at the time, but it's absurd to think that BS works. Not sure why you keep arguing with me when you follow my hunts. Whether a deer responds to your smell often depends on the atmosphere, wind, rut, and or if they associate your particular scent with danger.
I’m not arguing with you, Thornton. I’m simply pointing out that that you’ve never used Ozonics (or NoseJammer), yet you are definitively saying they don’t work, and are simply a gimmick. I’ve never used a HECS suit, and am extremely skeptical of their claims, but I can’t say with complete certainty that they don’t work.
Dale06 gave an example of what he felt was a negative reaction when using one, but he also prefaced his experience with “it was only one data point out of 1,000s” and he wasn’t sold on them. I have a few friends (who’s’ observations I trust) that have used them, and are convinced that Ozonics worked in keeping them from getting busted in multiple instances. And, yes, they could tell that the animals were downwind of them by the animal’s reactions.
I’ve used one of the first generation units when they first came out, and had several mostly positive encounters when using it, however I didn’t like the incessant hum from the unit just above my head, similar to having a mosquito constantly buzzing in your ear. They’re probably much quieter now. I always hunt the wind, but you can’t totally eliminate every animal from getting downwind of your position.
Thinking back to a physical chemistry class in graduate school I can see how ozone works well in confined spaces however remembering something about gas diffusion rates makes me inherenetly sceptical about the idea of ozone effectivness in an unconfined environment.
I would use nose jammer long before I would spend money on HECS or Ozonics.
I used one last season and never had a deer blow at me. I had several occasions where deer came in from directly down wind. Not sure I’ll have the same experience next season, but so far, I’m a believer.
x2 Stubbleduck. I will say up front that I've never used it. I do think that it would be effective in a confined environment. Can't argue with that and the proven commercial applications that ozone is used for. So box blind, or ground blind, I can see it being effective. Treestand hunting, not so certain. I guess it depends on setup, wind speed, etc. I will say that I can't see ozonics hurting from a hunting perspective (unless you take into account the sound as other have said), so you have to weigh the pricing and affordability with the type of hunting and how effective it might be. Downside to use in a confined environment, you don't want to keep breathing that stuff in. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Have any of you who use it, got downrange of it and how is the buzzing noise at say, 20 yards?
PECO2...... of the very few times I've climbed down from my stand and left the unit on, I cannot recall hearing it run. Maybe if it was dead calm I might have been able to. And of any deer that walked underneath me, they never visible reacted to hearing it.
Works like a charm. I have hundreds of examples where I have had deer directly down wind while running ozonics. The key has been that I was in a elevated enclosed blind. The blind alone wouldn’t have saved me. I pulse it and the. when deer are getting close I run it. They say to not breath that stuff and I’m sure they are right, but when the big boy is in the field I throw out all recommendations.
I’ve not used it and I don’t mind saying it’s total BS. No way in Hell that works.
As mentioned, if your in a enclosed space running the unit it may help. Being in a elevated blind/ treestand helps by itself. If you 20 ft up then the deer are for the most part not going to wind you, hence the reason why guys climb trees.
Now, I have used nose jammer and it worked very well and this past season I tried a product called Scent theif. This stuff IMO is the bomb. Had a doe walking in a corn field toward me and when she was 60 or so yards away downwind , I sprayed some scent thief on the brush around me. After spraying she threw her nose in the air and was sniffing and then she turned and walked right to my stand. I use a little ladder that puts my feet at 4/5 feet and she came right in front of me at 5 yards. Wind was at my back and she stood five yards starring right at me. I could tell she was unsure and she kept licking her nose rapidly trying to smell me but was unable, she turned and walked back from where she came about 15 yards and stopped. Turned into the treeline I was in and starred at me stomping her foot trying to get me to move. Luckily my ASAT camo kept me covered, and I could see after a few mins her entire body relax. She turned back to the field and walked right by me at 12 yards,not a care in the world, and I shot her. All I m saying is that if you haven't tried scent thief try it before you spend hundreds on a machine. Scent thief works , no doubt in my mind.
I will say that I do run a Coleman two burner stove in the blind and cook breakfast about an hour after sun up. Ozonics covers up all the smells. Bacon and sausage grease don’t stand a chance. The only thing that seems to mess me up is when I cook pancakes. Go figure! Not sure why they smell that but not all the other stuff.
PECO2……..the noise level even on the first generation unit was actually pretty quiet and most likely inaudible at 15’-20’. When it’s mounted a foot or two above your head, you could definitely hear it.
I’ve not used it and I don’t mind saying it’s total BS. No way in Hell that works.
It actually works. I promise
When I read these "it works, I promise" statements, I really wonder how much experience these hunters have? Maybe they just don't spend much time in the woods, bolt an Ozone air conditioner above their head, and when a deer doesn't spook, they automatically exclaim online "That there deer WAS DEAD DOWN WIND BY GAWD"!! I mean seriously, there are literally a dozen things that can cause a deer downwind not to give a darn about you camped in a tree. High pressure, low pressure, humidity, thermals, body heat and scent rising instead of settling around you, rut and hormones, the deer not recognizing your scent as danger, the deer relying on other deer, how bad you stink that day, the moisture content of the ground, the deer thinking you're another deer (I've had more bucks follow me at dusk than I could remember to count) ...the list goes on.
25 yards downwind and this buck didn't care that I stood up out of the grass to photograph him following a doe.
Fresh bacon and sausage grease works for me too. And unlike Ozonics, you can eat it.
Some swear by it, some don’t…Although I don’t use it hunting, I do use one in my truck to get rid of smells…It works! Also, I’ve seen it work at crime scenes (the messy ones) … So there is something to it!
LBShooter, it was the ASAT that enabled you to kill that doe.
The only time I used one was in a ground blind on the edge of a rye field. Deer came out downwind of me, got alert, moved further away, but still went out into the field. It didn't prevent those deer from smelling something they didn't like. But they didn't leave either. For me it's another thing I don't want to haul into the woods every time I hunt. I carry enough with my stand, sticks, and fanny pack full of stuff. I'm already carrying over 30+ pounds of gear with me. Enough!
I had one, it worked "most" of the time, it was bulky, a bit heavy and took a bit to get it set up. But like 12yards, I have just to much other stuff that I carry, sold it. I did try nose jammer, I had better results, took up much less room in my already stuffed pack, quite a bit lighter, and easier to use.
Those who say it doesn't work, simply don't know what they are talking about. An ozone generator eliminates and/or masks odors. That is not even up for debate. What is debatable is whether or not ozone can be used to eliminate enough of the human odor to fool a deer long enough to make it easier to kill that deer. That is the million dollar question.
I've used an Ozonics for about 8 years in any number of senarios (maybe 1000 hours worth) and can tell you for certain that I'm not certain it makes a lot of difference. In other words, sometimes it seems to work as intended and sometimes it doesn't work at all.
When using it in an open treestand I seldom have a deer walk downwind that doesn't wind me. Does the ozonics make enough difference to allow me to get a shot before that buck catches my wind? Maybe. That's really what I'm hoping for when I use it. I hope that it helps that buck take one more step and give me a shot that otherwise wouldn't happen.
Some guys preach, just hunt the wind. You should always hunt the wind, but how many times do you have a buck come in from a direction you weren't expecting, a direction that will cause him to walk by down wind. How many stands to you have where a deer can come from any direction? I've shot a number of bucks that were coming in down wind and got the shot off just before they winded me.
I often doubt that it is worth the hassle but for some reason I still hang it up and turn it on most of the time.
Here is one thing I am absolutely certain about. When I do everything in my power to eliminate my scent, from clean body , boots and clothes, running my clothes and equipment through an ozone bag every day, to spraying down my feet and bow with scent eliminator to wearing carbon infused clothing including head cover, I have consideraby higher success. If I slack off on those preparations, I have fewer opportunities. If you stink the deer will smell you sooner and from farther away. Which extra step will get you that shot and which missed step will cost you that shot?
Peco, the ASAT kept me hidden to her eyes, but her nose was 5 yards downwind and there is no doubt in my mind that the scent theif did what it was designed to do.the entire time that doe was down wond of me, at 60 all the way to 5 yards and she didn't blow out of there.
Haven't read all the responses...don't have the patience...so perhaps mine is redundant. My experience with ozone impregnated clothing is that, unless aired out after treatment, I get a headache. Now...is ozone a good odor eliminator, absolutely. Otherwise they wouldn't use it for motel rooms where people smoked or rental vehicles where people smoked. BUT is concentrated ozone good to breathe, absolutely not. Check it out...lot's of info out there. Thus there's no way I would have it generating in a blind or any other confined area..
"The blind alone wouldn't have saved me"... curious how I rattled in multiple bucks to spitting distance when I was a teenager in a tent blind with torn zippers and open windows. This thread is making me lose all faith in guys that call themselves "hunters"....
Gotta give ya credit, Thornton. You’re nothing, if not consistent!
Jason, we are talking about Ozonics working or not.
I personally haven’t missed a deer season since 1979 and was probably in a tree before you said your first word or mowed your first lawn
I am fortunate to own several thousand acres and am very fortunate to hunt low pressure deer and hunt for ancient bucks. I skeptically started using Ozonics about 3 years ago and immediately noticed a difference. I spent ten years in NY state hunting public and grew up on IL and MO public forest land. I have had many hundred close encounters and much of it with a recurve in my hand before all the modern BS took over the hunting world. Having said all of that, I know without a doubt that Ozonics, like much of the other crap we are marketed, does make a difference. Should we use it? That is the ethical question each of us has to answer for themselves.
Does soap work to make you not stink after a hard days work out in the yard? Does it make a difference at deer not detecting you and you getting a shot?
I can say that from my experience it does work. I am certain of it. It’s funny; when I was a kid we called bows with wheels “training wheels”. I remember thinking about how archery was being ruined as we knew it. The never ending incremental improvements in technology certainly have made hunting easier than back in the 70’s. In the end we need to draw the line somewhere. Trail cameras are a hot topic regarding ethics and hunting. We have to each look at what offers an unfair advantage. On my farm; running Ozonics during the late season in an enclosed blind with 100 deer in the field; I personably feel invisible to them.
Is it fair? Hmmmm
Opening day, 2019, I had 3 bucks directly under my tree for over 30 minutes. I had just gotten done mowing yards around 3 PM and did not shower afterwards. It was hot, it was September, and I was sweating my balls off while balancing on a branch about 10 feet off the ground. It was the only 80 acres I owned at the time and those bucks had barely made it through the neighbor's youth season. All three bucks were probably 3 years old, but old enough to know better. I suppose if I'd of had an airtight Redneck blind with Ozone, they'd have stayed just a little longer so I could convince myself to shoot one. It was so still, I could hear every breath and chomp they made. Either way, about 30 minutes after sunset, I got tired of the ticks and mosquitoes so I started scratching the tree like a fat coon coming down, and they finally trotted off. I saw the biggest last year one time. I grew up hunting with a $40 Darton recurve, and shot 3 deer with it before going back to a compound after I had to watch a bachelor herd of 8 bucks walk by me at eye level on a bank across the creek, about 40 yards away. 2020 I posted on my late season hunt, 33 deer walked by and under me while I wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt.
So was it the ball sweat, the balancing act, or the fat coon impersonation that they finally could no longer tolerate?
15 yards
15 yards
8 yards maybe
8 yards maybe
T-roy, I believe it was the 'Fat Coon' impersonation...LOL
It’s too bad the Ed Sullivan Show ain’t on anymore. If you could juggle too, you’d be a hit!
You’ll probably have to google “Ed Sullivan”, Thornton….A little before your time
The gimmick still gets attention and suckers unreal
Do you guys that use ozonics and hecs get that fake tree for the bucks to rub on also?
Yes. Fake tree. Fake PP too. Always use a cough silencer for extra protection. Never would dream of not setting out the PeeWillieWick either!
I think Ozone may be the only substance on the face of the earth that is more divisive than the covid shots, lmao
I've never understood how/why folks get so entrenched and upset about it.
