Looking for the scent-control edge you need to stay one more step ahead of wary whitetails? Check these out. (Photo by T.A. Harrison)
January 04, 2019
By T.A. Harrison
There is nothing more aggravating than a wise old horse-faced doe snorting her silly little nose off alerting every deer in the county to the fact that she thought she saw something. Or thought she smelled something.
I can’t count the number of times that very scenario has played out and wrecked a perfectly good deer hunt. What’s worse, I probably had some sort of scent control in play that obviously didn’t work.
Frustrating.
Let’s cut to the chase: There is no way to completely fool a deer’s nose or fully eliminate human scent.
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Countless products are available to cover or reduce scent emission, and even some claim to be 100-percent effective. They’re not. A few work to some extent, many are a gimmick, but nothing beats playing the wind.
Always play the wind.
I grew up with severe seasonal allergies, and my mother placed an air purifier (ozone machine) in our house to help reduce dust and pet dander — of course we weren't going to get rid of the dog. The point is the machine worked. The dog smell was gone, even according to our guests. My allergies and breathing problems were under much better control.
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When the use of ozone was introduced to the sport of deer hunting as a scent-elimination product, I was very intrigued.
After some investigation I learned that many professional athletics teams use them in locker rooms, rental car agencies use them to eliminate the smell of smoke, so do hotels and realtors. All to eliminate remnant scent left by previous users.
It makes sense in a hunting situation.
When Ozonics introduced the HR200 I had to give it a try. After learning about the science behind it, I believed it would hold a valuable place in my hunting arsenal. And years later it has continued to produce the kind of results I had hoped for.
Again, don’t forget that hunting the right wind direction is absolutely critical — it needs to be a top priority every time you hit the woods. Implementing ozone into your game plan will help on a lot of levels, but don’t rely too much on it. Let it augment your scent-control efforts, not become your scent control.
To measure how my hunts have been positively impacted, my downwind encounters ended far more positively than the days before ozone. In the years that I’ve been using it, I have rarely encountered a mature doe that comes unglued if she were to show up downwind. That’s not to say she wasn’t on to me, or on high alert and eventually left, but her reaction is very different now with ozone in play.
In fact, it appears to almost confuse deer. They clearly smell something, but can’t seem to nail down what it is. And then they lose interest.
It starts at home with clean clothes, then storage during transportation to and from your hunting property and then in the tree while hunting.
The below products are well designed and will fully support your objectives to become as scent free as possible. I believe in them, and you can too.
Scent Crusher The Gear Bag provides an easy and effective way for hunters to eliminate all odors before and after the hunt in an all-in-one fashion. Utilize the power of ozone with the company’s system to quickly destroy all bacteria-causing odors. It’s easy, too. Place all your gear in the bag, zip it up and set the timer on the included ozone-making machine to reduce laundering.
Measures 33.5(L)x15.7(W)x13.3(H) in inches Maintenance-free digital ozone generator included 12V adapter and 110V charger included Heavy-duty liner, zippers and adjustable shoulder strap Airport/TSA compliant Two-year warranty $199.99 The Gear Bag covers a lot of bases, including storage and transportation with capabilities to fully clean and destroy oppressive odors — even while on the road. (Photo by T.A. Harrison) Taking home-clothing and cleaning maintenance to a whole new level, the Hunter’s Closet provides an easy and effective way to eliminate odors on clothing without repeat trips to the laundry machine and dryer. The rack system conveniently allows for hanging clothes instead of stacking them on top of one another, and there’s room for backpacks, boots and other bulky items that also need descented before being deployed in the deer woods.
Shelving is convertible and adjustable to meet your specific needs
Works great on porches, in basements or at hunting camps
Measures 68x45x20 inches Features heavy-duty liner and zippers 12V adapter and 110C charger included Two-year warranty $299.99 The Hunter’s Closet takes scent management to a new level providing hunters with a convenient location to store and clean hunting clothes. Reducing return trips to the laundry machine will extend the life of your hunting clothes. (Photo by T.A. Harrison) When it comes to your bulky necessities like footwear, packs, safety harness, thermal butt pad and extra outer layers, the Ozone Tote fits the bill perfectly. You can toss the rigid container in the back of the truck with no worries about weather or wear and tear, and all your items will be fresh and scent free when the time comes to head to the stand. The tote’s modular shape makes it great for hotel-room or hunt-camp organization that won’t aggravate your roommates.
Built-in bracket to hold the included ozone generator Measures 35x21x18 inches Oversized handles with lid and wheels for easy carting Includes 12V adapter and 110 charger Airport/TSA compliant Two-year warranty $199.99 The Scent Crusher Tote is perfect for bulky items like boots, packs and outer layers for cold weather. It fits nicely in a pickup bed, and nicely completes the storage and cleaning system. (Photo by T.A. Harrison) Designed to run in your truck when plugged into the vehicle’s 12-volt outlet, the Go Max works to clean your vehicles interior to reduce the amount of human odor that collects in the seats and fabric every single day of it’s life. The chemical-free ozone destroys odors in minutes by simply plugging it in.
LED indicator light when unit is running Runs on 10-minute automatic cycles for a total of 50 minutes before automatically shutting off Two-year warranty $49.99 Watch this video to learn more
ScentLok The company’s innovative line of OZ ozone generators are designed to emit a powerful stream of molecules to seek out and destroy virtually all types of odors and bacteria. The spacious, durable bag will keep a lot of gear organized for cross-country hunting trips or from your basement to the hunting land. It’s an ideal tool that serves double purpose of storage and scent destruction.
Measures 32x16x16 inches OZ500 unit included Built-in OZInject tubing/conduit system to evenly distribute scent-destroying ozone Five internal mesh pockets, including one to hold the OZ500 unit Removable and adjustable shoulder strap Carbon absorber included $199.99 Watch this video to learn more
Offering very durable features and ample room, the bag is ideal for hunting trips that require flights and extended drives to remote areas with restricted amounts of gear. This thing is tough. (Photo by T.A. Harrison) Ozonics The new HR300 features enhanced odor destroying ozone output — up to 45-percent more than the HR200. Additionally, the new design utilizes Integrated Pulse Technology, which balances time and oxidant concentration to ensure the proper amount of deployment. Not too much and not too little. Use the HR300 in the stand, blind or in conjunction with the new Kinetic pack and DriWash system to take the power of Ozonics with you everywhere you go.
Excellent user interface with easy-to-understand functionality, even with gloves on Integrated EZ Mount technology for quick and silent mounting Newly developed Smart Battery designed to optimize per-hunt performance Smart Charger designed to maintain battery capacity for a greater production and extended life Unit weighs 16 ounces and measures 7(W)x2.5(H)x6.5(L) inches $499.99 Watch this video to learn more
When it comes to scent management from a treestand, the HR300 is perfect to help reduce human odor when the hunt is taking place. The unit also functions as the cleaning device for the DriWash system and Kinetic pack. (Photo by T.A. Harrison) When used in conjunction with the HR230 or HR300, the DriWash Descenting System is designed to clean and remove residual scent from clothing and gear items. The bag features a specially designed airflow system that ensures efficient and effective odor elimination. The bag conveniently collapses for storage or travel for a hunting trip. It also comes standard with quiet dual zippers for reliable, non-snag operation. (HR unit sold separately.)
When fully deployed the bag measures 26(W)x34(H)x11(Deep) inches Features oxidation resistant materials for rugged durability Easily cleans clothing or gear at the press of a button There are two hanging straps at the top of the bag that make it easy to place in a convenient location $199.99 Watch this video to learn more
A portable closet that is perfect for the traveling hunter looking to keep his clothes clean ever where he goes. The DriWash system conveniently collapses and can easily be packed in a tote or travel bags. (Photo by T.A. Harrison)
