Hearing amplifiers/protectors for hunting

straightshooter

straightshooter

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I'm contemplating trying out an accessory that I've, so far, stayed away from. The particular variety that I'm looking at are the 'in ear' style that both amplifies the quiet sounds and clips the loud noises (such as a retort).

I'm curious to hear from those of you who have used these devices. I'd like to hear your opinion as to whether they did anything worthwhile in terms of amplification of sound or protecting your hearing from a shotgun or rifle blast.

Also, I would appreciate it if you could comment on how you enjoyed (or hated) hunting with those in your ear(s).

NOTE: I've heard suggestions that a person should use only one. That seems to defeat the whole purpose, in my mind. But, lets hear what you tried and what you thought about them. Please indicate whether you were using the custom fitted $1000 a pair brands or the off-the-shelf $50 kind.

Thanks.
 
I tried out the $200 each variety bought one, then the other. Had ciustom silicone ear molds done at $50 an ear.

While they work quite well for me for outdoor range work, they drove me nuts with the fan noise in an indoor range or hunting if if there was any wind at all - plus, when walking, you always hear yourself sneaking up on yourself as you hear your boots brush against grass, etc. I found one was better than two for hunting purposes as you could use the amplified ear to trun and listen & analyze a strange sound. Good for training yourself to walk quietly. they do gobble up batteries out hunting all day too...

apparently the digital ones work much better but so far I'm not willing to spend a grand or two to find out...

The basic problem is that they amplify everything to the same level, whereas your natural hearing (brain?) filters out unrequired stuff. Some of the digital ones I hear (groan!) can be set to remove unwanted frequencies. same thing happens with normal hearing aids i'm told -the $10K+ ones work much better than the $2-4$K variety, which several people of my acquaintance gave up on.

Anyway, my .02s worth
 
Those are mandatory for Zombie hunting. :D

In seriousness I have been wondering about these devices also.
Are the cheaper ones really that bad?
 
I have a friend who is a little hard of hearing (40 years on the railroad) this is serious for a houndsman. He has tried everything up to and including the $5k models. They all seem to have the same problem--he can hear the hounds fine with even the cheap ones but he can't course them--never has a clue as to which direction the sound is coming from. He advises guys to get the ones that are most comfortable to wear--never mind the price.
 
I've used the out-of-ear headsets - i think overall they're probably a better choice. My dad has hearing aids, and iv'e seen some of the challenges that all in-ear designs will face.

Is there a reason you really want in-ear units?
 
My well kept secret

I have hunted and continue to hunt with a cheap pair ($20) I got two years ago from Bass pro. They are green and work like a charm.

In my opinion these cheap-o hearing devices are my best kept hunting secret. I am the type of sportsman that has had hearing loss from years in the military blowing things up. So I am alittle more over protective of my hearing. I bought my first pair after discussing things with my doctor. He is a hunter and well aware of the products. He gave me the thumbs up and I gave them a try.

The PROs to using this product is that I can hear "EVERYTHING". In the past I was wearing ear plugs when hunting and just loosening one to hear approaching game, or deer 'blow' as I was tracking. Now with this product the sounds are so amplified I can hear approaching game or game dashing in the woods around me. It is simply awesome. I feel like I'm almost cheating. When I fire my rifle the units simply cancel out the large noise. When I have had one of them burn out their batteries they work like a normal ear plug. I suggest that you keep a ready package of duracell batteries on hand when hunting especially in colder weather.

The CONs to using this product has been high wind, you can get a fair bit of squelch or static from high wind. I have noticed that once I move my head out of the cross wind I can cancel it out. Squelch may require readjusting the plug in your ear. When I have been hunting in a stand it was not tactically sound to move my head out of the oncoming cross wind, so I placed my toque over my ears and I was good to go.

good hunting!

J
:canadaFlag:
 
I big game hunt and do not hunt birds so hearing protection is not an issue as I shoot two or three big rifle rounds a year in a hunting situation.
For practice I either use both external or internal hearing protectors. As far as using sound amplifiers it is one more thing to pack around in the bush and it would stay in my truck.
 
Foxer said:
Is there a reason you really want in-ear units?
Click to expand...

I'm not fixated on the in-ear variety, but I find the earmuff style hearing protectors that I wear at the range interfere with my mount sometimes.

I've never used any hearing protection in the field because I need to hear those critical first 2 or 3 wing beats that give me my first clues as to where the bird will be busting cover. I know from experience that staying focussed and being ready at all times gives me a huge advantage over novice hunters who tend to daydream. But, decades of rock have had an effect and I figure I might benefit both from the better hearing and from the suppression of the odd muzzle blast.

kkahmann, your friend's experience with triangulation is a serious concern, indeed. What's the point, if the only difference is you hear them sooner, but don't get a shot away. This may be the reason using only one ear has an attraction to some - keeps one ear free to better estimate direction.

On the other hand, cdn_guide71, your experience is first hand. On the balance of the replies so far, it looks like they may be useful on still days, but that they chew up batteries and can be useless or worse on windy days. I think I'll put the cheap ones on my birthday wish list and limit my expectations, so I'm not disappointed if they see only occasional use and don't become standard equipment.
 
cdn_guide71 said:
The PROs to using this product is that I can hear "EVERYTHING". In the past I was wearing ear plugs when hunting and just loosening one to hear approaching game, or deer 'blow' as I was tracking. Now with this product the sounds are so amplified I can hear approaching game or game dashing in the woods around me. It is simply awesome. I feel like I'm almost cheating. When I fire my rifle the units simply cancel out the large noise.
Click to expand...

Yah this is exactly what I'm looking for.
 
straightshooter said:
On the other hand, cdn_guide71, your experience is first hand. On the balance of the replies so far, it looks like they may be useful on still days, but that they chew up batteries and can be useless or worse on windy days. I think I'll put the cheap ones on my birthday wish list and limit my expectations, so I'm not disappointed if they see only occasional use and don't become standard equipment.
Click to expand...

BINGO


I also bought the green ones from basspro. Lucktly (or not) mydaughter has a hearing aid and uses the same batteries as me. The govverment pays for her batteries.

I find one to two days of use and you have to swap the batteries. They work great in a blind where wind is not a big issue.
 
I got a pair of Peltor SportTac muffs last Christmas. They're amazing. If you get a chance you should check out the Peltor line. The static and wind effect isn't nearly as bad with them. Not to mention, I find that you can turn the volume up much higher with them than you can with the cheaper electronic muffs, so you can hear those "critical first 2 or 3 wing beats" no problem. Triangulation isn't perfect, but I've honestly never found it to be an issue with these muffs, it's still much better than the cheaper models as well, because there are microphones on both ear muffs, rather than on just the one side (like on my cheapo princess auto pair). The sport model also comes with both black and blaze orange plastic shells.
 
I was thinking of purchasing the PELTOR® - Tactical™ 6 Stereo. They are pretty inexpensive.
Has anyone used this kind with successful results?
 
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