Hearing protection while hunting

[62flint]

I have been wearing the rubber ear plugs on a band, Just put them in before the shot. I have been considering the in ear electronic ear bud style hearing protection,
Helps with hearing but shuts off with gun fire. Does any one have any experiance or recommendations with the ear bud style?

 

[widetrackjack]

For the money, it’s hard to beat Walkers Game ears. They are a bit obtrusive, but they work reallly well. I’m on a Safari in Zim as I write this and am demoing some Axil hearing aids. They shut off as advertised but the quality of hearing improvement is lacking. I also use Tactical Hearing hearing aids and they function like a traditional hearing aid until around 85db where they shut off. They tend to increase the db of the sounds I can already hear, which doesn’t improve my situation much. Still searching, and I’ve been told to try the ones at Costco by sone friends. Good luck to you in your search!

 

[Flipper Dude]

I’ve never used any at all


( Could you turn the tv up just a bit? And quit mumbling)

 

[bohannon]

I use the surefire ear plugs with mechanical baffle. Allows quieter sound to enter, but the baffle shuts off at a certain db. They've worked well on multiple DG hunts. I wouldn't use them on the shooting range with high volume shooting as the protection isn't quite as good as solid plugs or muffs, but for hunting they're good - and cheap at <$20

 

[Franco]

What? What? Huh?

If it wasn't for CC on the television I wouldn't have a clue what was said.

Since I refuse to go for a hearing test, my wife has suggested we enroll in an ASL class.

On second thought, hearing aids just might be the way to go - just turn them off.

 

[uplander01]

I'm the worst at this not wearing hearing protection and at 56 years old am paying for it already. The surefire "reducers" is what I wish I would have been wearing the last 3 decades....but I didn't, and now I have a hearing aid for my left ear, which I don't ever remember to wear. Such is life,.....I just can't imagine not hearing everything especially when on dangerous game. The best would be inner ear noise reducers with hearing aid in them,....they can be had, but good ones are very expensive. Lugging around any electric muffs, or putting anything in at the last minute is something that I wouldn't do....could just be me.

 

[Lancaster]

My surgeon told me that so much sound is absorbed around the ear to wear muffs - not in ear protection. For DG I'd want microphones in whatever I wore and muffs are a lot cheaper with them.

I carried them in a pouch on my belt and, in the final approach put them on, never had any issues

 

[ianevans]

I carry electronic muffs and only put them on just before the shot .have very little hearing left and not going to make it worse

 

[62flint]

What brand and model ?

I carry electronic muffs and only put them on just before the shot .have very little hearing left and not going to make it worse

My surgeon told me that so much sound is absorbed around the ear to wear muffs - not in ear protection. For DG I'd want microphones in whatever I wore and muffs are a lot cheaper with them.

I carried them in a pouch on my belt and, in the final approach put them on, never had any issues

What brand and model ?

 

[Lancaster]

What brand and model ?


What brand and model ?

Had a few but the 3M Peltor Sportac seem to last longer than most

 

[Sabre]

I have tried a lot of different kinds trying to find a balance of comfort, decent quality, ease of use, etc. It is a difficult thing to find something really good.

One thing I have experienced with the muff style is many of them get in the way of shooting and sometimes you might not notice, but might end up breaking the seal on them when you push your cheek onto the cheek rest.

With expensive custom ones, I have read a lot of complaints about their seal breaking with the right side when the cheek is pushed on the cheek rest too. Although I have not experienced this, or maybe just didn't notice.

I found axil brand in ear electronic protection to be very uncomfortable and the sound quality was mediocre to poor on 3 different models I tried. All of them felt very uncomfortable to me.

Walkers silencer (fairly small and take hearing aid battery), were very good comfort wise, best I have tried. Decent on audio quality. But the tiny battery that dies quickly and continuously even when the item is off, gets annoying.

Walkers silencer 2.0 BT, with an internal lithium battery are decent comfort wise, internal battery is convenient, and the sound quality is pretty good. So this is where I have settled for now. But it's not perfect. I would still be open to switching to something better if I found it. But of many hearing protection items it's the best compromise I've found so far.

I keep meaning to order the 3M electronic in ear ones to give them a shot because I have heard good things about them.

Another big struggle with them all, is getting them in at the right moment. Again, most aren't comfortable enough to wear for 8-15 hours a day and can make the inside of your ear sore. And it can be difficult in the heat of the moment to get them out and put them in. Sometimes you also can't move around that much like with whitetail or some other animal you might be close in on.

 

[Rubberhead]

I have some Axil but they are disappointing. I've gone back to using the orange roll-up, in-ear things.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Use the search function as several threads on this subject. This one has a lot of info and opinions

D

Thread 'Hearing Protection for Hunting'

Oct 15, 2020

This might seem like a dumb question, but do any of y’all use hearing protection while hunting?

I’ve made the mistake of not using earplugs while duck and dove hunting with my 12gauge, and I couldn’t hear right for three days. Couple that with my permanent tinnitus, and I had a miserable time. Since I’m planning on a few trips in the next couple of years, at least one of which will be to Africa, I want to get some ear pro that will still let me hear my PH. Is there anything out there that’s not 800 bucks that works well enough to suppress gunshot sounds but will let me hear my PH when...

• DriveByGuy
• Replies: 75
• Forum: Hunting equipment, gear & optics

• 

 

[Frostbite]

My surgeon told me that so much sound is absorbed around the ear to wear muffs - not in ear protection. For DG I'd want microphones in whatever I wore and muffs are a lot cheaper with them.

I carried them in a pouch on my belt and, in the final approach put them on, never had any issues

I second this.

I use Howard Leight Impact Pros.

 

[Nyati]

I have severe hearing loss and use hearing aids.

For hunting, Electronic muffs (Howard Leigh).

For shooting plugs and muffs.

 

[Newboomer]

I second this.

I use Howard Leight Impact Pros.

I wear hearing aids all the time and just before a shot when hunting I turn them all the way down. Very little sound gets through. For recreational shooting I remove them or use them turned down and use electronic muffs.

 

[GOLK09]

I use Howard Lieght electronic muffs. I do not have to much of an issue knowing were sound is coming from.

 

[steve white]

While shooting, always, inside and outside the ear. Sometime I want to carry a 2"x6" foot piece of plywood to place between myself and the next shooter, especially if they are hitting me with auto brass.
For hunting, sadly I have not really used it.
I SHOULD pay as much attention to pressure washer, lawnmower, saws and such....says my wife.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Howard leight here as well, I’m already fairly deaf in one ear (due to an incompetent dr) so try to protect what hearing I have left. Have always worn hearing protection whilst working so not that much of an effort to do it while shooting
Gumpy

 

[NDWoods]

I use Sound Gear fitted by my Audiologist when I am hunting. I absolutely love them. I can wear them hours at a time and never get irritated or uncomfortable.