Do you wear hearing protection while hunting?

[TAWS]

Len I have been shooting comp. since 1958 trap and then into sporting clays, along with time in Viet Nam. It is not rocket science here. If you want to keep your hearing wear hearing protection--- its that simple. Or you will wind up almost deaf, like me, and a lot of ---- Huh's and whats, cause you did not hear what others said.

 

[zondfive]

Wearing ear protection while hunting can be much more dangerous than hearing loss,is that one maybe two shots really going to amount to anything...

Straight off - use protection - I had many situations where I had to "Get by" with out it, like next to a jet engine and I mean four feet from the intake, but hey it was only a few seconds.... tore me up. A day at the trap range, I wasn't on the line so the reports were not as loud - HUH? I was slow to get my muffs on at the rifle range and the guy down from me was shooting a 220 Swift - What's that? Finally went in for an evaluation and the "disability" word came up! One shot! WOW! I now own some really nice electronic hearing protectors and I took a long time to find them. I am very sad to say that on a recent range trip I had them on and was walking towards the line and heard the grass whipping on my shoes for the first time since I was a young man. Put some extra batteries in your pack and make sure you check them out well before you go. I hate the high pressure air line sound I hear all the time - too late now!

 

[zondfive]

One more time I just came across an APP for Iphone called gunsonic - Looks interesting

 

[ballistictip2506]

handguns yes to head gear rifles no

 

[one crazy kid]

I am pretty diligent about it, the foam "neck ring" type if running around on quads or Rangers for big game and the Surefire Sonic Defenders otherwise, even with shotguns and rimfires.

There are times you have to crack off a shot but I WILL NOT let my daughters shoot without ears no matter what (7 and 9), no reason to live with ringing for a lifetime.

How often do you replace your Surefire Sonic Defenders? They say 6+months of use is that 6 months of strait shooting? or just use and abuse?

 

[zondfive]

handguns yes to head gear rifles no

Rifles are not as bad but that is like a light case of Plague. If you are a youngster it will come for you as time passes. There are so many things now that affect our hearing. When I was having mine evaluated I was asked if I drink coffee and told that it does add to the ringing I already have. I can't encourage you enough to embrace the use of muffs, mine are electronic and work really really well. They will turned up and assist me during the hunting process. It is a blessing.

 

[DocB]

Rifles are not as bad but that is like a light case of Plague. If you are a youngster it will come for you as time passes. There are so many things now that affect our hearing. When I was having mine evaluated I was asked if I drink coffee and told that it does add to the ringing I already have. I can't encourage you enough to embrace the use of muffs, mine are electronic and work really really well. They will turned up and assist me during the hunting process. It is a blessing.

Wow, really?? I have had constant tinnitus in both ears for several years. I know what it's from: years of weapons going off right next to me, exploding ordnance in very close proximity, jet engines, fire trucks, sirens, concussions... life has been tough on my hearing... but now you tell me COFFEE is making it worse!! OMG!! What next... Jack Daniels makes me go blind?? lmao!!

Yes I wear hearing protection now, Howard Leights and Sure Fire Sonic Defenders.

Animo et Fide "Courage and Faith"

Doc

 

[DawntoDusk]

Yes, I wear hearing protection while "shooting", not necessarily while hunting. I hunt in areas of Arizona with bears, mountain lions, and at least two documented cases of jaguar sightings so I only protect my ears for the actual shot. I want to be able to hear if I'm being hunted!! This year on an elk hunt, me and my buddy put our plugs in as a herd of elk walked straight toward us. Since I spotted them I got first shot (hunting camp rule #1). I hit my elk hard but it did not immediately go down. After my shot I was telling my buddy, who was a few yards away from me, to take his shot. He was already down on his gun but did not hear me since he had his plugs in. I finally ended up yelling and waving my hand at him to get his attention. He actually still got a shot at 230 yards and both elk were down within 100 yards of each other. He said he never heard the "whack" of the bullet hitting the elk and thought I missed so he was waiting for me to shoot again. It was a little hectic with two hearing protected hunters, but we have meat in the freezer and still have our hearing. When practicing with rifles or handguns, I use double hearing protection. Yeah, I know most of the story was a little off topic but I still wanted to tell it.

 

[zondfive]

Wow, really?? I have had constant tinnitus in both ears for several years. I know what it's from: years of weapons going off right next to me, exploding ordnance in very close proximity, jet engines, fire trucks, sirens, concussions... life has been tough on my hearing... but now you tell me COFFEE is making it worse!! OMG!! What next... Jack Daniels makes me go blind?? lmao!!

Yes I wear hearing protection now, Howard Leights and Sure Fire Sonic Defenders.

Animo et Fide "Courage and Faith"

Doc

I too was bothered by the doctor telling me about the coffee - I cut back and sure enough, so it comes and goes. As I have gotten older I use half a cup of coffee and fill it up with hot water, that helps, but I beat my ears up for too long.

Nothing like those electronic muffs though. I was amazed at how much I like them. I have the Peltor muffs and was really surprised at how effective they are at blocking the sound when the electronics are shut down. I use my Leights for locations where I may be exposed when taken by surprise. I like the way they compress down to such a small size. I have a bag I made to keep them handy and not get prematurely worn.

Again I encourage any one who reads this and shoots to get your hands on some if the products mentioned here - there is a lot more at stake than you first think.

I hadn't heard that about Jack Daniels I guess some things will just have to be tolerated, now I have to start looking for a good guide dog.... maybe a pointer would be best!

 

[DeerHunter101]

I usually carry ear plugs when hunting but sometimes it seems like the deer just come out of nowhere and when your least expecting it, so I dont always get a chance to use them.

 

[JP100]

I used to try and wear earmuffs alot but they get annoying.
Luckily we can get suppressors here easy and now have most our firearms suppressed. so much nicer to shoot!!

 

[Scratch]

Can't wear hearing protection in the country I hunt, if you do you may become a grizzlies snack.

 

[hynes57]

Me and my buddies had a really good day of duck hunting a few years back. For several days afterwards my hearing was noticeably affected. Thankfully it went away after a couple days but I know it had to have some long term effect. It scared me enough that afterwards I was determined to find something I could use.

I first bought a pair of amplified muffs. They are great for the range but terrible in the field. For starters I could not mount the shotgun properly. With the rifle it was okay since I typically had more time to get set up. However, I do a fair amount of coyote hunting and it quickly became apparent that the muffs weren't going to work out. Having two ears allows you to hone in on the direction sound is coming from. Most amplified muffs only have one input which prevents you from being able to accurately tell where sounds are coming from. The other thing that's problematic with muffs is the wind noise is usually terrible if the muffs are amplified.

After seeing the review for the Sound Gear plugs I started to look up info on similar products made by other companies. A friend pointed out to me that most of the other products were more expensive than Sound Gears plugs so we both decided to try them out knowing that there was an excellent return policy if we weren't happy with them.

Yes, it is a lot of money to shell out for a set of ear plugs!!! Believe me, I am just as much of a tightwad as the best of them but I can tell you that I am beyond happy with these things. Some people posted about not wanting to wear plugs because they couldn't hear themselves walking around or a bear was going to sneak up on them. HA!!! The thing I like about the Sound Gear plugs is that they are only slightly amplified. It actually helps with stalking game because you can hear yourself better than without the plugs. You also can wear these things all day. No need to stop what you are doing in the heat of the moment to place them in your ears. You can pick up your hunting partners whispers much more clearly!!! Directional hearing is the same as if you didn't have the plugs in (if your hearing without he plug is good enough to tell where the sound is coming from it will be as good if not better with the Sound Gear plugs). Lastly, wind noise is not an issue except in gale force conditions.

One thing that did take a bit to get used to is the sound is slightly "tinny" with the plugs in compared without them. The sound is slightly sharper. Not annoyingly sharper but enough to notice a difference. Once you have them in for a few minutes though you stop noticing it.

No BS these Sound Gear Plugs are going to be the answer to most everyone's issues with normal hearing protection and amplified muffs. Again, yes they are expensive, but when you consider all of the other benefits from slightly amplified hearing as well as preventing hearing loss...... It's well worth it.

 

[Bughole]

I always use ear protection now. Since the muzzle brake craze on rifles it's just as important as having your rifle sighted in, I never hunt without plugs etc.. I always have a couple pair of plugs anyway stashed handy to get at. When range shooting I usually use double protection with any braked rifle. And yes you can lose hearing for good with a single round fired, so plug up, if you are hunting longrange for real ,you have plenty of time during set up to protect.