hearing proctection while hunting

[okanagan hiker]

hi all.. I have a question...

I wear hearing protection while practising, as I am sure most if not all of you do. I have let one or 2 rounds ( 30-30 ) off with bare ears... very loud!

What about actually hunting, though? Do you wear anything to protect your ears at all? I was out this fall, no ear protection, obviously to hear properly... but I was wondering if any of you have suffered, over the years of firing ( in many cases bigger boomers than my 30-30 ) at game, any cumulative hearing loss?

[Steeleco]

You may find over time that you'll suffer loss in the ear opposite the shoulder you shoot from. I wear plugs and muffs at the range but never while hunting.
They do make hunting muffs, but some seasons I never take a shot!!!

[Pete]

In my line of work I am blessed in the fact that I can shoot better than 200 days a year I am NEVER without hearing protection. Even in hunting season I will wear a Sonic Head set or a regular head set. I leave the set on my head and when the time comes I just slip them down over my ears.

[Will]

I get my hearing tested every year as a work requirement. The last decade or so my hearing in my right ear was getting worse......I stopped shooting competitively 4 years ago and bingo....my hearing has been improving, slightly.
(I used to shoot about 2500 rds of revolver, 500 rds of shotgun, and about 2500 rifle rounds a year just in comps not including practise...)
We always wear ear protection....in fact it's mandatory at most shoots I've attended.

For Hunting I've never worn protection.......but then I don't hunt with anyone Cheezy enough to have a Muzzle Break either:shock:

[Jagermeister]

You will most likely have your hearing diminish over the course of your lifetime due to the aging process. Damaging it will increase that decline, so wear the muffs or plugs when it is most practical, not only when your shooting at the range, but when using power tools and other noisy environments (like when the old gal is chewing your ass off).
Those one or two shots taken in the course of hunting should not amount to much, but if you're using a muzzle brake, you can be sure that you are getting increased noise coming back towards you. One of the reasons I've never had use for muzzle breaks.
In time you can join the rest of us in the Hearing Aid Fraternity.
Better to be deaf than blind, just ask my mother.

[hunter1947]

Hear is my advice ,wear ear protection. I was involved in car racing for 36 years and with racing and shooting i have very little hearing left. When you shoot right handed the ear that get most of the damage is the left ear ,or if you shot left handed the right ear gets the damage ,i only have 25% left in that one ear from all the shooting i did over the years.. The worst thing when you don't wear protection is when your in big timber ,your gun makes a louder noise when discharged. One day i was hunting in old growth timber and shot a nice deer ,i put it down with one shot ,then when i got over to the deer i took a second one to finish it off ,my ears were ringing after the second shot. I have my ears checked from Island hearing every year as WCB recommends it. The person that checked my ears said that i can get a set of ear protections that go into your ear that are custom fit from a lab ,they go in just like a hearing aid does. He said you will still be able to hear the same with them in which is good when hunting in the bush. The way they work is when a loud noise goes off they close up to shut the noise out ,then open back up after the shot or other ,i wish they had them out 40 years ago ,i recommend that you or others get them and wear them before you loose your hearing ,hope this helps every one out there.:wink:http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[TIKA 300]

WHAT ???????????? HUH !!!!!!!!!!!! didnt hear the question :eek: LOL

I work in construction and in certain situations i cant wear protection,so that counts for some of the loss,as shooting a deer dont remember hearing the shots :cool: TK

[Wildman]

I don't wear ihearing protection while hunting.

[MichelD]

I have been shooting rifles since I was 13 or 14 (that's 40 years) worked on the log booms with dozer boats, winches and sidewinders, with little or no ear protection and also played in rock bands for years with no protection.

Have tinnitus in my left ear and damage in my right too.

I carry foam plugs in every empty pocket and stick one in at least my left ear and preferably my right too when taking a shot.

I have missed opportunities at game when spotting a nervous buck or a moving bear and having to dig into a pocket for a plug, but I can't afford to lose any more hearing.

I just bought some electronic muffs for waterfowling so I can hear my buddy when he says there's birds coming that I hadn't seen, but the darn things just crap out in the rain and wind so I'm back to plugs and ordinary muffs for that.

[abbyfireguy]

Always wear hearing protection at the range, my 300 Weatherby is magna ported and is a bit louder than most guns,but never bother with plugs while hunting..
The one or two shots a year hasn't changed my 51 yr old ears yet . I get tested every year at work .So far so good...
Now if you ask my wife and kids, they will say I'm deaf:smile:, its called selective hearing...:razz:

[J_T]

I've been shooting and listening to Rock music for so long, I don't here loud. Go into a bar and I'm deaf. Put me in the bush and I hear everything.

Here's my advice. Shoot a bow. It's always quiet.

[hunter1947]

I've been shooting and listening to Rock music for so long, I don't here loud. Go into a bar and I'm deaf. Put me in the bush and I hear everything.

Here's my advice. Shoot a bow. It's always quiet.
You are a funny guy J-T ,LOL :lol:.

[okanagan hiker]

thanks to all who replied... lots of good advice... I will be always wearing muffs when practising, and likely plugs for any hunting.

[rishu_pepper]

Hate to hi-jack but speaking of ear protection in the field, has any had any experience with devices like Walker's Game Ears? I value my hearing as much as the next guy, so I wouldn't mind making an investment in one of these; useful or not?

[1/2 slam]

My hearing gets checks every year and has for 25 years...No Change. I wear protection at the range but not while hunting.

[Ltbullken]

Colonel Dave Grossman, expert in combat research and effects on the body, says the mind anticipates noise from operant conditioning and in a hunter-predator mindset, so the brain automatically protects the ear by shutting it down which is why you get muffled ear for a while after gun shots. But, he says, no long term damage results.

Now, I'll grab some popcorn and see what that 'triggers'!

[pmj]

I have started carrying the disposable plugs the last 2 years around my neck while hunting. I have one in my ear when road hunting so the other one can go in quickly. It is especially nice when shooting grouse. I get my hearing tested every year and try not to have any drop in it. Once it is gone it does not come back.
Note the orange plugs hanging from my neck.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Modified_Westwold_2007_003.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=6836&size=big&cat=&what=allfields&name=pmj)

[Pete]

Colonel Dave Grossman, expert in combat research and effects on the body, says the mind anticipates noise from operant conditioning and in a hunter-predator mindset, so the brain automatically protects the ear by shutting it down which is why you get muffled ear for a while after gun shots. But, he says, no long term damage results.

Now, I'll grab some popcorn and see what that 'triggers'!

Yep...... the ears shut down for a while.....it is called going DEAF.....try talk with anyone who is a long time shooter especially in their good ear as they can't hear out of their off side ear. WEAR HEARING PROTECTION!!!!!!

[hunter1947]

Yep...... the ears shut down for a while.....it is called going DEAF.....try talk with anyone who is a long time shooter especially in their good ear as they can't hear out of their off side ear. WEAR HEARING PROTECTION!!!!!!
I agree a hundred percent ,,,WEAR HEARING PROTECTION .................,lesson to someone that has had 50 years in the bush hunting like me ,i am almost deaf in the left ear ,I'm always saying HEY ,WHAT ,I can't hear you ,speak uphttp://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif. When around a crowd i can't hear half of the time what people are saying ,i just nod my head and agree so i am polite to them.

[legal-hunter]

i never wear ear plugs or nothing hunting but when ever shooting always:-)

[fuzzwilkens]

I like the idea of the In ear hearing protectors that drop the level by 30db when a loud noise occurs.

Anyone here try them? They are expensive even at Cabelas and I wonder if they give you headache after a while likethe ear muff versions?


Hear is my advice ,wear ear protection....I have my ears checked from Island hearing every year as WCB recommends it. The person that checked my ears said that i can get a set of ear protections that go into your ear that are custom fit from a lab ,they go in just like a hearing aid does. He said you will still be able to hear the same with them in which is good when hunting in the bush. The way they work is when a loud noise goes off they close up to shut the noise out ,then open back up after the shot or other ,i wish they had them out 40 years ago ,i recommend that you or others get them and wear them before you loose your hearing ,hope this helps every one out there.:wink:http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[kennyj]

I carry ear plugs and almost always have time to put them in.Boy the ears sure ring when I don't!

[Gun Dog]

I wear ear plugs at the range and nothing when hunting. It's only one round out in the open and I can live with that. I don't wear ear muffs because they hit the stock. I guess I have low ears.

[Scobo]

i am 100% deaf in one ear and over average in my other ear (wife says i am deaf in one and dumb in the other but that's another story). My worry isn't so much as damaging my hearing while shooting at game because really how often does that happen? My true worry is not hearing something taking off or worse coming at me. sooo, i picked up a walker's game ear because they both amplify and supress. i tried it but have mixed reviews. i find that they don't seem to do much good while moving because it amplifies the sound you are making too much (maybe i am just too loud??). i tried to focus on more distant sounds but am not sure it really picks up on them more then without. i ended up putting it away for big game hunting because it drove me crazy. i think they would be more effective for still hunting. where i do like it is for duck hunting. totally awesome for that.

[rishu_pepper]

Scobo, you just saved me 200 bucks from buying a Walker's game ear. I'll just keep using my Princess Auto ear muffs thank you very much:biggrin:

[Pete]

Do I wear them when I hunt....NO.... do I put them on when I go to shoot......YES......