Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Hearing Protection in the Field

sportsfan7292,

Someone posted they don't use hearing protection because they don't have a brake on their gun. That fasinates me. Guns are loud whether they have a brake or not. While shooting at deer many years ago, I heard the report of the rifle and felt the full recoil from the 7-.300 WEatherby. After that I bought the Action Ears.

I use them ALL the time while I am hunting. They block the sound of Gunfire and turn back on instantly. If I am going to shoot the gongs at the range, I use them to hear the clang. That's how fast they turn on. They are so sensitive I can hear a buzzard glide by if it is not more than 100 feet or so above.

Ringman-

I did a quick google search for ACTION EARS and I cannot find them. Do you have a link? or do they sell them at Joe's, Bi-Mart, or Sportsman's?

I wear hearing protection when running my chainsaw, mowing the lawn, shooting, and when running other power equipment but I don't wear any when I hunt.

I hunt with a MagNaPorted .300 magnum. Unlike bird hunting and varmint shooting you might get one to four shots in an entire season when hunting deer, elk, and bear. The amount of damage those four shots are going to do is minimal. Having unencumbered hearing has gotten me more game than having lasix eye surgery has because more often than not I hear them well before I see them.

My hearing is tested every year at work. I'm 48 years old and still show ZERO hearing loss and my hearing has always been very accute so I still score really high on the tests.

Hearing damage is a function of time of exposure and the intensity level of the sound. Mowing your lawn once for 30 minutes unprotected is worse for you than shooting your gun once without plugs or muffs yet I sure see lots of people doing it.

I don't wear any protection while hunting. I enjoy hearing the roar of a rifle when I'm in the woods.

The strange thing is that the rifle doesn't sound that loud when I shoot it at an animal. My ears don't ring afterward either. I also barely notice the recoil. I guess I'm just really focused on the shot and tune everything else out.

This phenomenon is called auditory exclusion. It has no bearing on hearing loss. You have lost hearing on every unprotected shot. I believe the VA calls it percussive damage. Apparently Claymore mines, incoming Katyusha rockets and too many hand grenades cause percussive damage as well. Whatayaknow!

I perforated an ear drum shooting a deer with 7mmSTW that had a brake on it. Out in the wide open.

I really like the action ears idea. I'll have to check that out.

I always carry a set of ear plugs to use if I have time before the shot, which many times I do. I am deaf in my right ear, nerve damage when I was born, so I don't have much hearing to loose.

If an opportunity to take a shot arises without time, I don't even give it a second thought, I just shoot. I never wear protection when bird hunting either.

sportsfan7292,

Sorry to say, I can not find the info right now. If I do, I will post it.

I don't in the field, 1 loud bang a year doesn't seem like it would do much damage. I am sure years of working in Radio with my monitor head phones turned up and tons of concerts have done far more damage than the 1 or 2 shots a year my ears face unprotected.

Magnum Ear, model MGR X, by Starkey, a digital in-the-ear mold. Start now; avoid hearing loss later.

These are sound suppresors for loud noises but magnify ambient sound. I also have a pair of muffs, Dimension I Pro Ears, if I don't want to wear the ear molded ones.

You're fooling yourself if you think the noise of a high powered rifle isn't hurting you even with a few shots. You won't notice high frequency hearing loss until you're fifty and saying, "huh?", a lot. They're a worthwhile investment especially if you shoot a lot. Wear them now or a hearing aid later or maybe anyway.

Digital Walkers' Game Ear. From Cabellas at a pretty decent price and they work great. The muzzle blast is quickly shut down but goes back to normal very soon. Can't go wrong.

Turn 'em up stronger and you sure can hear good.

When hunting (or in the field in general) I always carry my day pack ... so, in my pack, I carry a few sets of the little spongy ear plugs on a cord that connects them together ... If I have the time, I'll put them in ... but if not, I'll take the shot anyway ...

any/all other times I'm shooting, I either wear some of those type plugs, or I put on a set of over-the-ears muffs ...


I've tried the amplified (and high-decibel sound dampening) muffs before, and while they work, they are a bit more of a pain for me because of their size ... I would like to try some of the really nice 'fitted' in-the-ear "game ear" type plugs, but have not yet done so ... perhaps one day ...