Ear plugs for hunting
- Thread starter vpsalin
- Start date
To the users of muffs while hunting, do you find the the muffs interfere with your cheek weld on the rifle?
And my question was buried earlier, so what do people think of these: http://www.surefire.com/ep4-sonic-defenders-plus.html
I use these when duck hunting and they are excellent. I think I have big ear canals because I can never get earbud headphones to stay in my ears, but these Surefire plugs stay locked in tight and provide excellent protection. Totally great product.
It's different though... You're listening via a microphone, which a lot of people don't like (myself included).
You lose the pin-point accuracy the human ear has, to "zero-in" on a sounds' location.
The electronics seem to only allow left/right-side judgement.
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I always go plugs closed to get maximum protection. To be honest though I don't notice a significant difference in my hearing ability with plugs open vs closed. I know these are advertised as having a baffle that muffles loud sounds while allowing you to hear sounds at low-moderate volumes, but in my experience they don't succeed in that department. They are just a great pair of earplugs that provide a solid seal and won't fall out of your ears until you want them to.
NolanOsborn
Regular
- Location
- British Columbia
I should have added that, the Gel cups make a world of difference.
Here is where I start to comment on somebody A) missing the point entirely and B) obviously writing just for effect...
Here is me realizing it would be time wasted because 1/3 of what I said would be lost in the static.....
OP- protect your ears, you only have one pair and they will never get better than what you were born with and you might want them later in life so you can talk about your hunting exploits with having to use *god forbid* electronic hearing devices.
Given that you need to hear to hunt, the best option by far is electronic muffs. I have Sordin Supreme III Pros and my wife has Howard Leights. Mine are better but if I had it all to do over we probably both would have the Howard Leights and we would have spent the difference on hunting. 10 cent foamies are better than nothing if money is truly tight.
id use earplugs if i could. but i have fairly bad TMJ. and my jaw joint protrudes into my ear canal. so if im chewing or talking or just moving my jaw the end of my jaw joint pushes anything in my ear out. i even tried the molded earplugs and they are just uncomfortable. didnt like them at all. il stick with my earmuffs.
Stick to the subject instead of getting personal. The OP asked "is it worth it?". I answered his question, which you did not highlite, with intent. I've also suffered broken clavicle's on 7 occasions and have two ACL's that are completely torn from playing sports..............was it worth it, you bet ya. Hearing loss was worth it, and will be in the next multiple autumns while hunting. People do sacrafice their bodies when it is something they love from their heart instead of their head. Also, shame on professional athletes for sacraficing their bodies for something they love.
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07blackwater
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Port Coquitlam, BC
Moose/deer hunting never use 'em because I usually only fire one shot.
Here's why ear muffs/plugs are a good idea: my Dad came out to Alberta on a moose hunt, back in about 1990.
We were calling, had a real good bull grunting, raking, as he came in (never did come out though). This bull was making a helluva racket, it was a great calling session, I looked at Dad expecting to see him all keyed up. I asked him what he thought about all the grunting and stuff this bull was doing.
He said, "What moose?" He couldn't hear any of it! I was shocked, that he could not hear that bull, and he never did, even though it came in to about 100 yards before it spooked and took off.
That particular experience really taught me the value of protecting what hearing I've got left.
I use plugs & muffs, at work, at the gun range, when running the chain saw; I wear plugs for any yard tools too; lawn mower (when I can't get the wife to cut the grass), snow blower, vacuum cleaner etc...
And when I ride the ATV, I wear foam ear plugs too. They're handy! When I get to my hunting spot and stop, I remove 'em and I can hear what the hell is happening around me.
If I were to jump a critter, while cruising along on the ATV, I've already got the plugs in, if I'm gonna shoot.
If I am sitting in the bush and I see an animal coming, that I might want to shoot, given time, the plugs go in.
P.S.: We shot that bull about 3 days later, that we were calling that day back in 1990.
We were calling, had a real good bull grunting, raking, as he came in (never did come out though). This bull was making a helluva racket, it was a great calling session, I looked at Dad expecting to see him all keyed up. I asked him what he thought about all the grunting and stuff this bull was doing.
He said, "What moose?" He couldn't hear any of it! I was shocked, that he could not hear that bull, and he never did, even though it came in to about 100 yards before it spooked and took off.
That particular experience really taught me the value of protecting what hearing I've got left.
I use plugs & muffs, at work, at the gun range, when running the chain saw; I wear plugs for any yard tools too; lawn mower (when I can't get the wife to cut the grass), snow blower, vacuum cleaner etc...
And when I ride the ATV, I wear foam ear plugs too. They're handy! When I get to my hunting spot and stop, I remove 'em and I can hear what the hell is happening around me.
If I were to jump a critter, while cruising along on the ATV, I've already got the plugs in, if I'm gonna shoot.
If I am sitting in the bush and I see an animal coming, that I might want to shoot, given time, the plugs go in.
P.S.: We shot that bull about 3 days later, that we were calling that day back in 1990.
Good story, my dad is getting really bad because of working as a mechanic his whole life. He refuses to wear ear protection when grinding or even using a shop vac and it is a huge pain in the neck to talk to him some days because it's always "whut, huh?" and he still doesn't put them in. He also refuses to learn how to properly put plugs in - instead of rolling and inserting he just rams them in haphazardly and complains they don't fit.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Pretty much backward of what you should be doing if only using one. Your left ear will be facing forward if you're right handed, given a field shooting position.
I wear them for varmint shooting but have never for big game. Would make a lot of sense for waterfowl as well though I've never noticed the noise of a shotgun while whanging away at geese and ducks. Electronic ear muffs would definitely be the way to go.
So I got my Howard Leight Impact Sports muffs today. Not very happy. I can't get the cups to seal around my ears. Both cups seem to sit in a strange angle, where all of the pressure from headband is transferred to the upper part of both cups, creating a gap at the bottom. Initially, the adjustment rods would not move freely, so I thought that is the problem. A little bit of vaseline solved that problem. But no luck with the fitting issue. I have owned 5-6 passive ear muffs. Never had this problem.
Oh, well...it would appear that my latest attempt to go cheap on electronics has failed,... again.
On a positive note, sound transmission seems to be is very nice and clear.
Oh, well...it would appear that my latest attempt to go cheap on electronics has failed,... again.
On a positive note, sound transmission seems to be is very nice and clear.
Home3- check that the muffs are slid down the wire retainers enough that they can swing freely and not bind at the top. Also note that the wires have that protective sheath that is rather inflexible. My wife had the same problem with hers (having a tiny head didn't help any) and it took some fussing to get a proper seal. Now things seem to have worked out.
Good luck.
Good luck.
