I guess that "quiet" is a more important consideration for some folks than it is for me.
I've never found LOUD to be an advantage to QUIET whilst hunting/shooting. If there is a reason that LOUD is better, I'm all ears.
I never said that I thought that "loud" was better, it just isn't an issue that I've ever considered a problem. Loud is certainly not good when doing urban herd reduction shoots that happen in people's backyards and in neighborhood streets in the middle of the night. That is my only experience with suppressors and using them allowed us to do a job that couldn't have been done if the residents had been aware that we were there.
I think that a hunter generally needs to be quiet while hunting, but once he/she squeezes the trigger, the bullet will reach the target before the sound of the muzzle blast. Unless you hunt in an area that is thick with hunters, which I don't, I think that deer, for example, are more sensitive to people moving about in areas where they normally don't encounter people and that is more disruptive than the muzzle blast of a firearm. There have been deer hunting seasons when I've never heard the muzzle blast from another hunter. I've also shot deer from as close as 30' while in a tree stand and believe that the other deer were spooked by the erratic behavior of their mortally wounded companion, rather than the muzzle blast. After all, game animals live in the wild and they hear the crack of lightening and the boom of thunder all of their lives.
I also like a well balanced firearm and for me, screwing several inches of weight onto the muzzle of a firearm would throw it out of "normal" balance. I don't find suppressors alluring based on my experience and my situation, but everybody has different experiences and different situations and must tailor his kit to meet those needs.
