This will be long, but worth the read if you truly want to know more about the Ozonics and how it works.

I'll be the first to admit, I was a skeptic, and am a skeptic when it comes to gimmicky pieces of gear. I was like most of you and thought this was the kind of thing I'd never waste my money on.

And, I'll say this up front, even after what I'm about to say, I know many still won't believe, I was the same way until I tried it.

Before I reached out to Ozonics, I talked to a good friend of mine who was working on a scent killer system using the ozone technology. He explained to me that several hockey teams and the Green Bay Packers had been putting ozone-creating units in their locker room to decrease the obvious scent of sweat. And it was working wonders.

I also learned that many rental car and real estate agencies use ozone generators to eliminate scent, smoke especially. The ozone attacks the scent and destroys it.

I grew up with, and still have, severe springtime allergies, and my mother bought me a ozone maker when I was in high school, and I can tell you as someone who suffers with extensive respiratory issues, I can feel how much I breathe better in a room where one of these is running. They kill pet dander, among other allergins and scents.

With that said, and knowing how the concept works in sports teams locker rooms, why wouldn't it add something to the deer hunting world?

I was skeptical, like I said, so I called Ozonics and managed to get the president on the phone. I wanted to hear his sales pitch--and I'm a guy who doesn't take a hardcore sales pitch well, but I thought I'd hear what he had to say.

Up front, he told me that like many other scent elimination systems, this would not kill 100 percent of odor emitted by humans in the woods. What he did tell me is that 80 to 90 percent of my downwind encounters would end positively as opposed to not running the unit at all. And on top of that, he said that "forgetting the wind" is exactly the wrong way to approach deer hunting, period. He said the Ozonics would improve your hunting experience, not make you invisible to a deer's nose...

But it is also worth noting that if the unit is not set up and used correctly, it won't be as effective. That means there is a wrong way to use it

In short, it gives you an edge. I'm a edge kind of guy.

After what I would consider an honest and consumable sales pitch, I decided to buy two units and give them a go.

After 100s of hours testing the unit in the tree in three different states and one Canadian province, I can tell you with confidence they certainly add something to the equation of successful deer hunting.

Do they work every time out under every downwind encounter? No. But, here's my honest assessment:

We've all been there, a big doe shows up downwind and blows her slutty little nose off for 20 minutes alerting every deer in the county to your presence. The Ozonics will greatly help reduce those downwind blowups. I promise you that much ...

When it comes to bucks, it'll bring them closer before they break your scent cone, which actually seems to confuse them more than alert them.

Seems like a small edge, but any kind of edge is worth considering in this game.

Proper set up: The Ozonics needs to be set about 6 inches above your head and on the downwind side of your position. The goal is to have the scent particles emitted from the unit to attach themselves to your scent particles. The O2 particles are heavier than yours, so they drag them to the ground almost directly below you.

Now, if the wind is blowing pretty strongly, the Ozonics is pretty useless, unless the wind blows in spurts, then it's worth setting up. That means I take it with me everywhere.

In a swirling wind situation, I've found it to be very useful. Like I said before, it seems to confuse deer more than alert them, and will reduce that obnoxious mature doe freakout thing.

Let's address the "Toxic to humans" thing. Yes, if you your mouth on the output for extensive periods of time, you probably won't feel good. But, in a ventilated blind-type situation, you'll be just fine. It is NOT toxic, and it won't hurt you at all, especially from a treestand.

So, that's my assessment. My personal experience says that it's a worthwhile piece of equipment. But, you'll have to determine if it's worth the money, because they ain't cheap.

I don't hunt without it anymore, and I believe it gives me an edge, the kind of edge that has helped me kill several deer. Again, it won't make you invisible to a deer's nose, but if you can fool it once in a while, doesn't that hold some merit?

In short: Think reduced downwind blowups from mature does. To me, that's worth every penny.