Author Topic: Ear protection (Read 2264 times)

Sverre A. · « **on:** December 16, 2003, 09:20:42 AM »

What kind of ear-protection do you use when you go still-hunting?

Sixgun · « **Reply #1 on:** December 16, 2003, 09:41:13 AM »

None, I want to hear. Hearing is one of the sences that hunters use when hunting.

Sixgun

Savage · « **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2003, 10:03:04 AM »

I don't hunt anymore, but the amplified hearing protectors I use at the range should be a real asset.
Savage

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #3 on:** December 16, 2003, 11:39:23 AM »

I've never heard of anyone using ear protection while hunting.

In Wisconsin, I most frequently hear the game before seeing them. I would imagine that with earplugs in I would not get much in the way of game. Well, actually, you could probably get by while dove and duck hunting, those you do tend to see well before they are heard.

Grouse? Everything happens so dang fast with them critters. I don't think I'd want earplugs in for grouse hunting. I'm sure I hear them first most often. It's the sound of them flushing that scares the crud out of ya, then ya look to see where it is.

Savage · « **Reply #4 on:** December 16, 2003, 03:39:22 PM »

Keyword here is "amplified". The electronic hearing protectors amplify the lower level sounds and block out the loud ones, like gun shots. Who wouldn't like to hear better and protect your hearing at the same time? Having fired many a shot without hearing protection, all I can say is, huh, what?
Savage

crawfish · « **Reply #5 on:** December 16, 2003, 07:24:58 PM »

I have a set of Peltor TAC-6 and TAC-7 also a set of GameEar Power Muffs, any will work while I'm hunting with my handguns BUT when I'm after squirrel with a rimfire rifle I use the Power Muffs cause they have a "cutout" place on the muffs that make mounting the gun easy.

willis5 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2003, 02:02:32 AM »

I have used the game ear when hunting with my RB 454. Those ports are so loud. I too rely on hearing as my vision is no the best w/o glasses (which I do not have). My vision is secondary, but the game ear actually helped.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #7 on:** December 17, 2003, 09:53:41 AM »

Best of both worlds eh? I might have to look into this technology.

I don't know about wearing earmuffs. Do they come in something smaller like a plug?

freddogs · « **Reply #8 on:** December 17, 2003, 10:03:30 AM »

I tried the muffs one year while stand hunting for deer. I couldn't get them to fit right over my cap as my head was getting cold. I dropped them on the ground from the tree stand and the batteries fell out and I lost one in the leaves. They should work but my muzzle break blew off my contender barrel and it's a lot quieter now so I haven't used them lately. :-D

crawfish · « **Reply #9 on:** December 17, 2003, 04:20:35 PM »

For BJJ
There are many different brands of non amplifying plugs out there. My son has a pair of Sonic Ear plugs that he swears he can hear conversation level sounds but the plugs cutoff the muzzle blast.
http://store.yahoo.com/earplugstore/shootandhun.html
This site lists them from about $20.00 to nose bleed high.

Chuck Buster · « **Reply #10 on:** December 19, 2003, 06:35:01 PM »

:? I have Walker muffs that magnify the sound by eight times yet they deaden the shot noise: but like an idiot I didnt put them on this year when I touched off two shot at deer with my 44mag. My dumb right ear has been ringing for three weeks now and I could kick myself for not wearing the muffs!!!!

Major · « **Reply #11 on:** December 19, 2003, 07:19:38 PM »

I am glad I found this post. This year I will be shooting the big stuff again after being away from the sport for over 30 years. Except for shooting rabbits and squirrels with a .22 LR, that is. So I will be looking to buy some good amplified hearing protectors in the future.

But I want everyone to know how important ear protection is. About 35 years ago someone fired a .357 Magnum about a foot from my left ear and that ear has been ringing ever since not fun at all. :roll: So please, be safe and careful out there.

S.B. · « **Reply #12 on:** December 25, 2003, 04:26:29 PM »

Black Jacque, I did see more people hunting with ear protection, whether sound enanced or not in Illinois this year, both pheasant and deer hunting.

S.B. · « **Reply #13 on:** December 25, 2003, 04:28:58 PM »

willis5, surely you wear two of the game ear pieces( one in each ear) if you want hearing protection?

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #14 on:** December 26, 2003, 01:14:15 PM »

Santa brought me the Walker Power Muffs in the Quad model, It has 4 directional microphones that increase's hearing8+x while reducing noise 24db. I have no idea what all of that means, it is info that came with the product. As I have not hunted with it yet I can't give you my personal expreience, but I have researched this field, and based on other types as ourselves recommendation this was my choice. Check them out at www.walkersgameear.com
Jim

ed · « **Reply #15 on:** January 05, 2004, 02:57:47 PM »

I fired off two .357's at a deer a couple years ago... couldn't hear for a week. Santa brought me a set of Walker muffs last year, and I don't go in the woods without them. Just a little difficult getting used to all the stuff you do hear with the amplification... a bird sounds like an elephant stomping around in a quiet forest... but I can fire the .480 and hear the next day.

billmaly · « **Reply #16 on:** January 06, 2004, 05:51:54 AM »

I don't want to discourage anyone's use of hearing protection. The use of amplified hearing devices strikes me as a breach of ethical hunting and fair chase practices. Non amplified muffs that suppress gunfire noise are one thing, but when you electronically enhance your hearing, I'm not sure you're being fair in the pursuit of game.

I'll argue with myself here, the same argument can be applied to both a high power rifle vs. a knife/bare hands, or a 9X scope vs. iron sights. Personally, I wouldn't feel right about using amplified hearing, nor would I feel right using a radio to work with partners during a hunt to report on game movement (that's illegal here anyway). I have no problem with a scope on a gun. These are my opinions and my choices, choices that everyone needs to make for themselves.

S.B. · « **Reply #17 on:** January 06, 2004, 07:17:26 AM »

billmally, to each his own but, some of us have already lost our share of hearing trying it your way. The whole object of hunting is to be successful taking game. Taking them as cleanly and quickly as possible. I think I disagree with your ethics?

willis5 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 06, 2004, 07:41:15 AM »

S.B.

I plug the other ear.

HoCoMDHunter · « **Reply #19 on:** January 07, 2004, 02:02:35 PM »

I haven't been wearing when hunting with long guns. I'll be bringing these with me when I'm hunting w/ handgun. I can keep them around my neck until I see the game. I used these in my last job and they work well and go in place very quickly. I think that in most scenarios I'll be able to do so without spooking the game.
http://ecommerce.conney.com/conneyi/hsrun.hse/Conney/aplusweb/StateId/Skrv3SjEvz9irmZ0s-TOiHJ-Z0NDm-3_Ok/HAHTpage/CatalogItemInfo?ITNO=51398&RECTYPE=ASC

Savage · « **Reply #20 on:** January 08, 2004, 03:13:25 AM »

billmaly,
Hearing protection makes sense to me. Amplified hearing protection is a no brainer! I think the the ethitics of such a thing is a non question considering that the average hunt nowdays goes something like this:
1. Drive the $35k 4x4 back to the cabin, with ch/ca and color tv.
2. Unload your $6k ATV and ride out to your feed plot.
3. Climb up into your inclosed and heated deer stand wearing $500 bucks worth of thinsulate.
4. Uncase your $2k super ultra magnum with the $800 12X scope with the range finding reticle, lighted of course for the low light period.
5. With your combo GPS/Radio you call your buddies to begin the drive and release the dogs.
6. An 80# deer stops in the cleared fire lane when you use your electronic game call. You blow him away way out there at 40yds or so. Winch him onto your ATV trailer or rack, and back into the camp by 10am. Hang the critter up, and take 59 digital pictures, and send them to everone you know. Haul the critter to the processing place, back to the camp by noon. Spend the rest of the hunt playing cards and bragging about your prowess as a hunter.
But, at least you didn't wear amplified hearing protection! Huh----what'd you say?

Stay Safe,
Savage

S.B. · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2004, 03:27:25 AM »

Savage, where did you see hunting like you described? In several decades in Illinois and other states, I've never seen what you are talking about. Must be somewhere pretty exotic. You sure you were hunting, and not dreaming, after a weird video game session. Your discriptiong of our sports sounds more like a view of what PETA thinks about hunting. I assure you, it's not like you think.

Savage · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2004, 05:40:18 AM »

S.B.
Seems like a weird dream to me too. Just the same, that's the way deer hunting is done here. The paper company land is leased to hunting clubs in large blocks. Some build permanent tree stands, clear fire lanes and plant food plots. They often put our automatic feeders with timers on them. Just about all own a ATV to ride to within 50yds or so of the stand. By far the majority of them are equiped with a scoped rifle,(even the muzzle loaders) and carry two way radios to communicate with the drivers/dog handlers. Roughing it back in camp means at worst going back to the 30' RV with all the comforts. In the WMAs things are a little different. No permanent stands or ATVs off the roads and such. I don't have a problem with this style of hunting, it's just not for me. Time was, if you hiked back into the woods a couple of miles, you had it all to yourself. Very few of the hunters ventured more than a couple hundred yards from their vehicle. When the ATVs and GPSs came on the scene that all changed. Some of the heavily hunted areas needed traffic lights. That's the point in time I gave it up. I am dedicated to the preservation of hunting and am an active supporter of our rights to do so. I guess the times have passed me by. Everytihing constantlly changes, perhaps for the best!
Stay Safe,
Savage Edit: I live in the exotic state of Arkansas-----I have lived in your state for a short time, but never hunted there. I have hunted in five other states(mostly in the south, the exception being the states of Maine & Wisconsin) and in Europe.

billmaly · « **Reply #23 on:** January 08, 2004, 06:10:31 AM »

Savage, if that's the way it's done, sure, why not...amplfy your hearing and install bionic eyes and arms to make your shots 100% accurate at all times.

No question, everyone has to find their own personal mix of technology enhancements and fair chase practices. Some use all the toys and gadgets, some choose none. I'm not knocking using hearing amplification or any other technology here, it's just some items and practices are not my thing, nor is ATV based timed feeder hunting. Deer I shoot walk to me on my ground based stand, I've only my own ears and eyes to rely on when I shoot.

When I hunt, I am out in the open, so noise from a gunshot is not reflected back to me like it often times is at a range. When I am range firing, you can bet that I am wearing hearing protection. However, it's my opinion, and MY OPINION only, that the one or two shots fired at game in the field do not massively impact your hearing for life. If your opinion differs, then please do feel free to utilize your choice of hearing protection.

willis5 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 08, 2004, 08:47:04 AM »

It is difficult to tell a young person nowadays to compromise comfort when they have so many luxuries at hand. Common thought in some camps can be shocking: without an atv, how do you get the deer out of the woods?; if you didn't get caught, you did everything right; I went out opening day and didn't see anything in the entire 2 hours!... these are things one might hear in a deer camp, but not mine.

I admit to using scopes on some of my rifles and one revolver. I have used a 4 wheeler to carry a deer (once). I use the game ear because it provides protection without the loss of hearing while hunting. I use a climbing treestand, and a modern compound bow with carbon arrows. Inline muzzleloader with pellets and powerbelt bullets... but this doesn't mean that I don't hunt.

I don't sit around and get lucky every year. I put in time and effort. I put my soul into what I love. Does the equipment that I use carry my experience farther from the primal and ancient sense of hunting for survival?

I think it does, but I have never considered myself a traditionalist. I hunt for the joy that I receive in the hunt, the chase, and during the consumption. It is a selfish act that I indulge myslef with. I practice conservation to preserve my vice and my childrens'. I have my selfish reasons, but the ends at least encourage growth.

You can poach by stalking for 20 miles in the snow and make a kill with a selfmade bow+accessories or with a nightvision rifle in your truck, but it is still poaching. You can also hunt with modern amenities and still take part in a spiritual movement that still peaks your endorphine rush.

I think it comes down to preference and priority.

Does what you prefer take priority over the true essence of hunting? If so, does it retard the experience? I ask myself these questions before I buy another widget for hunting. If it is going to dull the experience too much for ME, I will not buy it.

The Game Ear was a tough choice, but in the end I made the right decision for myself. if I can't hear anymore, how can i enjoy the ENTIRE hunting experience THE WAY THAT I WANT TO? I want to be able to hear the outdoors. I would hate to have that taken away from me. Many deaf hunters are roaming the woods and having the experience of a lifetime. Some have lost their hearing by choice and others by accident or birth. They can enjoy the outdoors until the point of satiety as well as I can. I just prefer to have my hearing to indulge myself further. :-) [/b]

Savage · « **Reply #25 on:** January 08, 2004, 09:13:55 AM »

Guys,
I am in favor of using whatever is available to make your hunt an enjoyable and safe experience. I own and use the best and most modern firearms and sights that I can afford, along with a bit of the older stuff. I appreciate them all. I was just curious how anyone could refer to the use of amplified hearing protection as unethical and still use all the other things I mentioned.
Just wondering,
Savage

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2004, 01:16:54 PM »

I suffer from a hearing impairment that gets worse with age, its a service connected disablity. So the use of amplfied muffs sort of puts me on a leval that I feel I should be. The use of a hearing aide is probably in the future, that may not be the thing to be using when a gun goes off. However I got the Walker Quads for CHRISTmas and they are great.
Jim

Mawgie · « **Reply #27 on:** January 08, 2004, 02:26:41 PM »

I weigh in strongly in favor of wearing hearing protection when hunting. (I occasionally see people at my gun club range not wearing muffs or even foam plugs, if you can believe it. That, in my book, is reckless.) Any hearing loss is irreversible. I love hunting and the outdoors, but I love my wife and my family and even my hearing more, and plan to do my best to take care of all of them. For those that think amplified hearing is an unfair advantage, buy the plain muffs with the strap that loops behind the neck. You can slip these on quickly before shooting, and also wear a hat over them. You don't want tinnitus (the ringing) or conductive loss.

-Mawgie

willis5 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 09, 2004, 01:47:25 AM »

Jim in Iowa,

Do hearing aids block or reduce noise above a certian decible? seems like they should when many cost in the thousands.

billjoe · « **Reply #29 on:** January 09, 2004, 07:24:52 AM »

Hear better than without them and protect your ears at the same time. They also work in cold weather as ear warmers. Absolutely without a doubt, fantastic for still hunting.

bj