What hearing protection in the field you use? I finally damaged my hearing...

[schmalts]

Well after 51 years I think i did it. I have had a mild ringing in my ears since October after shooting a deer. I really don't know for sure what causes tinnitus but I am definitely not going another season without some kind of "game ears" type of device. Can anyone share what they have tried? I want to try electronic ones that still let you hear geese, elk and whatever but blocks gunshots and wive's voices.

 

[choc dogs]

My son wears game ears while hunting. Seem to work well for blocking gunshots. To block my wifes voice out I've cultivated selective hearing, but I suppose you could try a gunshot.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Wish I had done something of that kind years ago, don't know what it's like to not hear that ringing in my head! John

 

[Hunting Wife]

My husband has gone through a couple of types of electronic earplugs. He tried some Etymotics, which we can get a pro deal on. They worked but he said the wind noise was terrible. We went to one of the sports shows and stopped at one of the booths that did the custom molded ones. He was kind of hesitant at the price, but decided to try a pair anyway. So far he likes them a lot better. They fit down in the ear farther so he doesn’t have near the problem with the wind, but he said it can be hard to get them tuned so you can hear conversation without amplified background noise drowning it out. In that case, might be exactly what you’re looking for !

 

[RobG]

If you guys know the prices please post them. My custom molded passive ones work well unless you need to communicate while getting ready to shoot, which seems to be the case when hunting with kids.

 

[elkantlers]

I always use ear plugs and muffs when shooting at the range or for fun. I never use anything while hunting. I also don't have any firearms with brakes on them and never will for that reason.

 

[marksjeep]

I have Walkers electronic muffs I got off camofire for the kids, I have a set of Howard Lights. Walkers were $40ish, HL's usually run $50.

I've had tinnitus in my right ear since an ear infection a few years ago. It sucks, but there is little to nothing you can do about it. It's damage to auditory nerves, a phantom noise if you will. That's how it was explained to me. Protecting the hearing that remains is very, very prudent.

 

[Addicting]

It depends on the situation. On our farm or target shooting the ear muff come out because there is no reason to rush anything. If out goose hunting I wear the disposable soft rubber ones on a cord. If out doing much of anything else hunting wise, I don’t usually wear anything. It’s not that I don’t think I need them, I just haven’t found anything that I like to wear and still hear animals or conversations.

 

[schmalts]

. It’s not that I don’t think I need them, I just haven’t found anything that I like to wear and still hear animals or conversations.

That's what will get you to the point of no return. I wish they made surpessors that were more compact and that could fit on a goose gun. Since I shot a lot more rounds with a shotgun this fall than the few with a rifle I venture to guess the shotgun has done more damage. I can get dealer price on Pro-ear and Sport ear, but never tried either and am looking for input if anyone has tried them. Top end ones are over $300 but it's cheap compared to this damn ringing in my ear.

 

[Deleted member 22670]

I hunt with these around my neck now. I to wish I would have done this earlier in life. I emptied my mag on a buck last year that wouldn't go down. My ears rang for a week.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006GDBEU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Hunting Wife]

If you guys know the prices please post them. My custom molded passive ones work well unless you need to communicate while getting ready to shoot, which seems to be the case when hunting with kids.

I want to say the Etymotics were somewhere in the $400 range. The custom molded ones were closer to $900.

 

[PAGOAT]

It depends on the situation but hunting out west or stand hunting here in the north east or just at the range I wear custom molded ear plugs around my neck and slip them in before I shoot. If I'm driving deer and have quick shots I don't wear anything. The custom molded are great but you can't hear anything else, I would like to try the electronic ones but haven't yet.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I bring a standard pair of muffs when hunting with my 300 WM. It has a muzzle brake and is incredibly loud. I don't worry about it with other rifles but maybe I should. I had surgery on my right ear a few years back to correct hearing loss, but that was due to a condition which causes the middle ear bones to calcify.

 

[archer wapiti]

I vowed 7 years ago to never fire another shot without hearing protection after I fired a .410 shell and my ears rang for a day. I tend to use a .410 a lot, and those shells fit perfectly in my ears (turns out I have larger than average ears though). Otherwise, I'll use wads of toilet paper or paper toweling if I don't have earmuffs. None of those options are good for being able to hear just prior to a shot, like for flushing upland birds, for instance. I suppose some day I'll have to pick up some shot-supressing electronic earplugs if I get more into hunting upland birds.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Sorry to hear about your tinnitus Schmalts, hopefully yours won't digress quickly. My ears started ringing 10 or 12 years ago, hearing aids helped for awhile at reducing the severity. The hearing aids no longer help with the tinnitus and I have it everyday. I use suppressors a lot and wish I would have sooner. Duck and goose hunting, especially in a group of hunters, can really be tough on ears, use the electronic muffs even if you don't like them - use something.

 

[mdhunter]

I am fifty and wear hearing aids. Loud music, gun shots, bad genetics, I have the trifecta working. My only suggestion to all you guys delaying the purchase of hearing aids is "don't". The hearing aids help your ears hear sounds they would not hear otherwise. The stimulation of the ear drum is healthy and actually slows the progression of hearing loss. By not doing anything you are going deaf faster...

 

[1_pointer]

I have read very good reviews of the Hocks for protecting one's hearing.

http://noisebrakers.com/home

 

[onpoint]

I completely understand the need for protection at the range, clays, etc. due to volume and duration of exposure.
But I'll be the skeptic as to using these in the field. Maybe just another gimmick for us to spend our money on?? One place I don't hunt is in a blind with a couple others blasting - so my comments don't apply to that situation - no experience.
But, then again, I poo pooed the use of a GPS outside of the work environment until just a couple years ago..............

 

[JTHOMP]

I'm 25 and my ears partially the right one (shoot left handed) have rang since I was a kid. For my work physical they said there was damage in my right year. I bought a pair of electronic ear muffs last season after a friend liked his, but I did not use it because of the bulkiness around my head. This season I finally sucked it up and tried them. Now I will rarely hunt without them again. It is so much more comfortable to shoot and only feel recoil. The loud concussion that fills the woods and your head after a shot isn't there.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T7QJ9O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[JTHOMP]

Saw this on the Q&A and figured I would share.....

Question: Will these block out a nagging wife?

Answer: only if she exceeds the decibel limit...otherwise she will be amplified. btw, does your name have anything to do with your question?
By greatwhite22 on April 13, 2016

Impossible. Despite the enormous demand for such an item, technology can only reach so far.
By shimrod on July 17, 2016

My wife says I don't listen to her anyway. At least that's what I think she said.
By Enchanted Tiki Room on November 3, 2016

Depends which caliber your wife is.
By A on October 15, 2016

only if you place it in her mouth.
By Selwyn O. on July 9, 2016

If that's your goal shoot without hearing protection. After a while high pitched voices (mostly female) start to sound like adult voices in Peanuts cartoons.
By Manousos Vasilakis on August 26, 2016



Joking aside the first time I tried hunting with these I was squirrel hunting with my ex. With all the noise she was making walking behind me I couldn't concentrate to listen for squirrels and had to use them the next hunt while by myself. The protection part works great but the sound amplification can be too good. One good thing about the amplification part is it makes you pay more attention and walk quieter if that is a goal.