Do you guys where any hearing protection in the field? if so what?

No...But I don't shoot any thing with a muzzle brake on it...I do wear muffs or inserts when shooting any other time, but not while hunting...

I used amplified muffs when hunting varmints or culling and have plugs on me when hunting big game. I might not use the plugs for my own shot but if Im spotting for someone else I will slip them in.

I have thought about this too I see all the guys on tv are wearing the plugs with a neck strap. Where I hunt in the timber things happen pretty fast I don't have a lot of time to see animal and put in plugs but for antelope I might trying carring some. Always have muffs when practicing. I think it is a good idea not sure how practical but some of the time might be better than none of the time.

Exactly what i was thinking ehunter. Might as well carry them..

Happy Birthday, sportsfan7292. You're one day younger than me!

I carry plugs or muffs all the time. Sometimes you just don't have time... but stand hunting in TX I generally do.
I do some dove/duck, and finally at 43 bought a set of amplified muffs, won't hunt without them again.
Even have muffs for the lab to wear on the airboat.

Jeff

I use ear plugs on a metal head band when handgun hunting. I put them in before firing. I haven't missed a chance in the field by taking this step (other things have happened but that's another story). In any event, I'll continue to use them when firing a magnum revolver in the thick woods.

Thanks bulletbutt

Happy Birthday Sportsfan. Sorry I didn't notice. Hope you have a good one!

I use a walkers digital game ear combined with a hearing aid type ear plug to block noise.

When I shoot it cuts out the blast, but it does throw off your sense of direction a bit.

Happy birthday sportsfan.

spotshooter I have wondered about the walker ear do they pick up sounds pretty good from a distance I have a buddy that is always talking about it some times when we hear a bugle we cup our ears we look like dorks but it does work he is always talking about them. Now can you shoot with them right? You say it can mess up your balence were you kidding or being serious?

ehunter,

I use on in my left ear to block the blast from the muzzle.
I've lost about 25-40% of the hearing in my left ear ... due to shooting live fire.

Now there is a tad (small amount) of delay added to the sounds making it into my left ear so when I hear a sound it's normally about 30 degrees off from where I thought it was (for close sounds). For far off sounds I can crank the unit up if I want and then I can pick up turkeys purring in between the leaves they are stirring up. I normally keep it just at normal so it corrects my hearing loss.

Spot

Thanks spotshooter sorry about your ear but that is good to know I will pass it on to him. My ears are getting older too I find that I have to turn the volumn up on game days grin!

Thanks highbrass and ehunter! and thanks for talking talking up this forum.

One of our members hunts with a biggie handgun. Always takes the field wearing standard earmuffs. The right side is in place, while the left rests above his ear. At shooting time, even when a jack explodes out of a sage, while his right hand is drawing the gun his left is pulling down the left muff.

I have my hearing aids set up to turn off when I shoot. They work like ear plugs. The guy I bought them from set them up to turn off at the sound of gun fire. They tuen back on in12 sec. Very nice. The hearing aids are the best thing I ever bought. Iam only 30 and have had hearing lose at brith. They rock

Unlike the walker game ear my hearing aid doesn't introduce any delay. I haven't shot with it in yet to see if it clips the loud noises but I'm pretty sure it would.

Walkers game ear (digital) like I have costs around $400, a hearing aid on the other hand is $1,800 for a good one.

Spot

I use the walker digital camo muffs. They amplify sound by about 8-9 times and shut out any loud noise. Too many years in the Infantry has left my hearing pretty well shot so I need the amplification.

lost most of my hearing shooting or running heavy machinery, I carry a pair of caboflex ear protectors all the time where ever I go, even shooting the 22s with my kids. And they wear plugs also, I dont want them to end up like me

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 ...