Scouting Tactics, Ozone, and Scent Control

   Hey y'all, welcome back to Johnson Outdoors! Today I'm going to touch on some of my scouting tactics and how ozone works and how its a vital tool in scent control; shoutout to Mr. Tyler Webster for the recommendation on what to write about!

   So first and foremost let's talk ozone. There are multiple companies out today that are selling ozone producing products, Scent Crusher and Ozonics are by far the leading innovators in the industry but lately I've seen HME and ScentLok coming out with their own ozone units. Since, I'm a Field Staff member for Scent Crusher, I'm going to talk about their products.

  How does ozone work? Well, let's go back to chemistry class, ozone is comprised of three
oxygen atoms (O3), and since its an unstable compound, it's going to try to find a way to become stable. So the O3 molecule uses odor causing bacteria as a catalyst to help it get rid of one of its oxygen atoms which then turns into pure oxygen (O2). To put this simply, it turns odor into pure, scentless oxygen. Now, ozone does have a smell, chances are you've smelled it before too! Remember that fresh yet weird smell after a heavy thunder storm? That's ozone! So since it's a naturally occurring compound, the deer don't spook. I have used Scent Crusher for the past three years and ever since then, I have never been winded by a deer. I've had a big mature nanny directly downwind and if it weren't for her seeing me move, I would've smoked her!
  I currently use two of Scent Crusher's products and that is the OzoneGo and the Ozone Gear Bag, but Scent Crusher has products to keep you scent free from the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to bed. Here's a quick rundown, you wake up in the morning and jump in the shower, Scent Crusher has body wash, shampoo, and deodorant that uses copper as the active ingredient to destroy odor, then you go into the kitchen, and Jimbo has a fresh pot of coffee and bacon cooking, enter the Room Clean, it's an ozone generator that treats the room you're in to kill any smell around, then you go into your hunting room and take your treated clothes out of your Ozone Hunter's Closet and put them into your Ozone Gear Bag, jump into the truck, plug in the Ozone Go to kill the smell of wet dog from last weekend in your truck. While you drive to the woods, you can run a cycle in your gear bag, then you get to the stand, your clothes are freshly treated and your up in the stand, the wind shifted, you can pull out the new in the field unit, called the Field Pro and get it running in the stand.
   Point being, there are products for every situation, and every one of them is effective, with Scent Crusher, the quality is there for a very affordable price, on top of that their customer service is second to none! If you'd like to see the full line, visit www.scentcrusher.com.

   On to scouting tactics, everyone has their own method and there are a vast majority of people that have way more experience and way more success than I do. My knowledge is based off hunting Florida ranch land and swamps and Georgia farmland and planted pines. I'm currently hunting in Illinois on public land so its a very large learning curve. That being said, I start scouting the week following the close of season, the deer are relaxed and you can see where they move along trails and which late season food sources are still around and being utilized. In my opinion, food is key, find a food source, and set up a trail camera on it. Deer are lazy, so they will take the path of least resistance, so if you have a cattle trail that runs through the thickest, nastiest scrub on your property, I highly recommend trying to set up along that
trail. Sometimes there are so many trails, you can tell where they go or what to do. This is when I put miles on my boots and follow the trail and see where they go, doing this, I've found bedding areas and small hidden food sources that have been getting slammed. Everyone's property is different though, so the best way is to just get out there and see where the deer are moving. Start with transition areas, set up on the edge of thick brush and open hardwoods, check out a field edge, or hang a stand over a firebreak. If you put your time in it will be rewarded.

  That brings me into my final segment, scent control. So we talked earlier about how ozone eliminates human odors and makes your clothing and gear scent free, but what about those long day sits in the hot early season sun? This is where scent control comes into play, you want to try to set up downwind of the predominant area you believe the deer will be coming from. This is something I just started doing more myself, I would always hunt harder, not smarter, and my season suffered. Lately, I've been taking into account the area topography and where the deer usually travel from. You don't want to set your stand on the north side of a food source, if the deer bed on the north side and you have a predominantly south wind. Sure, your wind is best for the food plot, but you just let every deer in that bedding area know you're there. It's a struggle, but from what I've learned, you want to set up on a "sort of ok" wind. Meaning, if the wind is predominantly south, and the deer bed on the north side of your food source, try to set up on the west side. It narrows your chance of getting busted, and keep the deer in the bedding area unaware, and uneducated.

I hope this post helps, again, big shoutout to Tyler for picking this topic for me, it was a tough one, but I hope I was able to shed some light. Thank y'all so much for the support, good luck this season, and God bless!

-Chris 

Who Wants A Job in the Outdoor Industry?

  Hey Everyone! As always, I'm way behind on my posts and I promise I'll try to be more consistent. If you've read my blog before, then first and foremost, WELCOME BACK! If you're a first time reader, then I implore you to check out my earlier posts as this one is going to be a little out of the ordinary. 

  Something I've learned, and begun to notice more and more often, is the mentality that people in the hunting industry have. Most of the people that are highly successful are extremely genuine and will tell you first hand that if everything, (the cameras, the sponsors, the fame) were to go away; they would still be doing what they're doing because they love it. They have a true passion for what they do and can not imagine their life without being in the woods and being an advocate to get more people to start hunting and enjoying God's creation. 

  Now, notice I didn't say money, or land. Why? Because these people aren't making a fortune hunting, and you can say "they get paid to hunt", but let's take a much closer look. Most states have a one to two buck limit, yet on these shows, they kill two, three, sometimes even five bucks in a single stretch. Ten episodes and they have a kill on just about every one of them. How? They travel to other states! Sure, that's the simplest answer, but let's look further. They only have one state that's their home, so that's only one resident state, meaning they have to purchase non-resident hunting licenses for the year along with non-resident tags, not to mention the fuel to drive to these states, the food and drinks for not only their hunt, but the road trips and every additional cost along the way. Some of these people have families, so they not only have multiple mouths to feed, but also have to buy their family members' licenses and tags, and if there are children, they have to find some time for school, unless their homeschooled and even then, that's more time and money spent, on top of trying to pay the bills for their own home, land, and even all the different hunting leases they might pay for. Not to mention, travel to all the different trade shows and hunting expos to promote themselves and their product... you can see where I'm going with this. It costs millions of dollars just for travel and expenses to be able to travel and hunt, but let's add in the TV show aspect. 

  On average, it costs close to $4,000 to edit a single episode, then they have to pay the network close to $120,000 an episode just so they can air it, and that's even if the initial pilot episode get accepted! Sponsors are there, so they can help afford all this, which is why most hunting shows sometime feel like an extended infomercial. However, sponsor money can only take you so far; these people have outside jobs, their farmers, UPS drivers, steel workers, pipe fitters, engineers, welders, the list goes on. Trust me, there's no one getting rich quick. 

  Why am I writing about all this? Because I've been fortunate enough to talk or listen to people who have "made it". I never thought that these people live their lives with this much on their plate on a daily basis, just for our entertainment. I was ignorant to much of what goes on, and I still am. However, I want others to learn how much actually goes into being a part of this industry, even on this minor scale.

  Now, there are multitudes of other jobs available in the industry, but you're not going to be rich and famous, and most likely, you may end up hunting less than you do right now so before you decide to pursue a "hunting career" just keep this in mind. With all this TV show nonsense, there's needs for cameramen, editors, graphic designers, administrative assistants, marketers, advertisers, game wardens, conservationists, biologists, land management specialists, you see where I'm going with this? Just because you see a face on the big screen doesn't mean that's the only job, with every personality there's a team of people working day in and day out to make sure they all still have a job come next season. In some aspects it's extremely trying on their family life, they're always away from home meaning their spouse is left to take care of the house, the bills, the kids, the land, etc. 

  So why? Why do these people do it? What could be so great about putting your family through all that stress? And I wish I could give you an answer for that. From what I've seen, these families are closer than ever. They have a deep set of values and cherish each and every moment they get to spend together. Their spouse understands why they do what they do; they understand what it takes and what the ultimate goal is. These people love the outdoors. They love God's creations and want to make sure that hundreds of thousands of others get to cherish and enjoy His works. 

  So, before you decide to try to pursue a career in this field, please realize, it is one of the most difficult career fields in the world. No one has a set formula on how to get to where they are because everyone has had a different path that led them there. But, no matter who you ask in this industry, if you ask them "is it worth it?" You won't hear a single person say "no". 

Thank you all for reading, please let me know what you think in any comments below, good luck this year and God bless!

-Chris Johnson