Hearing Loss

[h2ofowlr]

How many wear ear plugs when duck hunting or some sort of hearing protection.  I wanted to see what most guys have purchased?  I am thinking about going the expensive route with hearing aids for hunting or www.SilencEar.com.  I have permanent ringing in my left ear from all the shooting I have done.  The doctor said I have to do something now or I will be def at an early age.  The reason I don't wear hearing protection is that I listen to the pitches in the call when I am calling.  I try to avoid sounding like the public hunt areas.

[Curly]

What?  I can't hear you.........

[EastWaViking]

I wear ear plugs when target shooting, but nothing when I hunt.  I think one of those hearing aids/protection would be a great idea.

[h2ofowlr]

I am going to try to be a little smarter with my boys.  They can't sit in the blind with me unless they are wearing hearing protection.  My dad has to read lips at 65 due to all his years of waterfowling.  It's a family tradition to loose your hearing from duck hunting.  Grandfather was the same way.

[Elliott]

same here, foam ear plugs when i trap shoot and nothing when i hunt, opening weekend my head was on the close to the business end of a shot gun and my whole head was ringing  

[carpsniperg2]

elec muffs for me when upland or fowl hunting or target shootin

[h2ofowlr]

We have a youth hunter that hunts with us.  He sports a youth 20 gauge with a short barrel.  That is a real party in the blind.  His dad and myself wear an earplug in the ear thats facing him.  He's a great shot, I just hope he gets taller than me and he talks his dad out of his 12 gauge with the longer barrel.   

[turkey buster]

This is actually a great post I have been wanting to post this too, I too suffer from constant ringing. That is one reason my wife and make a great team in the woods she cant see and I cant hear. lol I just tried the Howard leight ear muff's to see if I liked them but they pick up to much ambient noise, i.e. wind, I saw a pair of digital in the ear pieces that have four setting for different background noise but they are $600 I do believe they are a walker game ear product so I am curious to see what others use.
Chuck

[BLKBEARKLR]

spending 23 years in the Army I can't hear anything now, I bought the walker game ears II. They are great they let you hear what you are doing as far as calling, although if you hit too high of a note on an elk bugle it will muffle it, and then when you shoot it cuts the noise out almost completely. I highly recommend them to anyone that wants to save their hearing...

[ICEMAN]

Great thread, and it has crossed my mind many times. There are alot of cool products available, and I feel I need to check them out, for myself and for my kids, especially for duck hunting.

I have four sets of the muffs below, and have actually considered wearing them with my kids, they work amazingly well, you do lose the stereo effect and will undoubtedly lose the ability to hear which direction the ducks come whizzing in at...

Plus, they up the dork factor alot....

[CP]

I use my ears as much as my eyes when duck/goose hunting.  Ear protection would cut out calls and the sound of wings in the wind.  To me that’s a big part of waterfowl hunting, just wouldn’t be the same without it. 

I don’t even notice the sound or pressure wave of my own shotgun, it’s your hunting partner’s report that you need to worry about.  A little common sense and muzzle control will keep everyone’s hearing safe.   

[Black Plague]

    I hate getting muzzle-blasted, so if at all possible i try to have us spread out a bit and have well defined shooting lanes...as far as protection goes, I usually just pull my hoodie or stocking cap over my ears   

[Seaslave]

I too am suffering from hearing loss in my left ear. Mild now but getting worse by the year. We do annual hearing tests for work and the doc noted the loss this year and last as significant. I also do not like to wear hearing protection because it affects the sound of the calls. I also can hear wing beats or distant calls. I've tried foam plugs, Radien's Ear Muffs (the electronic ones) and last year I got custom molded plugs. The molded plugs have been the best. They have very small vent holes that allow low volume sound in but block out the big stuff. They're perfect for sitting in the blind talking, minimal distortion on the calls and being custom made, they're very comfy. Now if I could just remember to use the dang things.


-Mathue