Admittedly I've spent far too much time without hearing pro throughout my life, but have always been hesitant in the field. What hearing protection are you guys wearing to actually catch your peeps, dogs, and flushes?
Upland Hunters - What Hearing Protection Are You Wearing These Days?
- Thread starter gwhysow
- Start date
I tried a device called a huntsman's ear one time, despite being adjustable it just piled in so much high frequency noise, mostly rustling in the trees and from my feet and torso pushing through foliage, that it was worse than useless. A regular hearing aid is much better and I own one that goes behind the ear so I get it out ever year and use it, plugging the outer ear with a wad chewed up kleenex (an old naval gunner's trick I understand). Works fine. I'd do it for both ears, but one of them, the one I call my shooting ear, is functionally dead beyond any hearing aid help so I just plug it- what that does is to cut down on some bad tinnitus that shooting will increase.
huntingfish
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Quebec City
When hunting, I do not wear hearing protection. Not like I shoot 200 rounds during a day
I have never worn hearing protection for any kind of hunting. I’m looking for success and I don’t want to handicap myself by restricting one of my most valuable tools. Probably if I was on some kind of barrage shoot like a dove shoot in Argentina where you might shoot hundreds or even a thousand shots in a day in rapid succession but for the couple or dozen shots I might ( or might not on a poor day) take outdoors in a day of hunting in Canada I see no need. On the other hand I don’t go to wild nightclubs or pin my car stereo either.
Hi Sumonda: I would urge you to wear hearing protection. A .410 and all shotguns are loud enough to cause permanent and cumulative hearing damage on every shot. (Another reason we need suppressors legalized for hearing health reasons, but that's another topic!)
I use electronic ear muffs for grouse hunting. When walking looking for birds I wear the muffs on the side of my head, off my ears to hear everything with natural hearing. When I see a bird I fumble to place the ear muffs over my ears and press the "on" button, or the switch may be on already.
It takes a while to develop the muscle memory to move the muffs from the side of the head to on the ears. It is not an elegant solution, and in that second or two it takes me to do that I might miss the opportunity for a shot. But grouse are plentiful and there is always the next one.
Most of the birds where I hunt do not instantly flush. They walk or run along the forest floor, often never flushing. So despite my fumbling there usually is time to slide the muffs over the ears. If the bird flushes instantly, the bush is so thick here that usually there is no shot to take anyway. I don't have a dog, but the dog hunters I talk to say they get good wing shooting when using a dog, and with a good bird dog you have more time to set up by watching the dog's behaviour.
My hunting electro muffs are an old Sordin model. They are supposedly waterproof, which is critical for hunting since I am for sure out in the rain. So far they have not gotten thoroughly soaked, so I have not tested their waterproof claim.
The sound quality is reasonable, but the frequencies seem smushed together and hard to resolve. Volume is difficult to optimize. It seems either the rustling of my feet and brushing branches and wind is too loud and overpowers all other natural sounds, or else if I turn the volume down its just not fine enough to pick up the buzzy cluck of the grouse, or the grouse rustling the forest floor as it walks. My human ears and brain with its amazing sound filter can resolve those different frequencies and keep them separate.
The squeeze of ear muffs sideways on my head all day gets to be irritating. The Sordins are heavy as well. Ear muff headache. I sometimes take them off my head for relief and place around my arm. NR -18db is also low. There are better more protective electro muffs on the market now. My range pair elctro muffs are Peltor Sport Tac 500 with better NR and better sound, but they are not waterproof so they don't go hunting. So I am still looking for a lighter, better waterproof electro muff option.
For decades I thought I was impervious to the gunshots. Now my ears ring constantly.
I tried Peltor Tac headmuffs - like them a lot, but a bit too bulky for hunting (even though I wore them for several years in the bush).
Went to Peltor electronic ear plugs that amplifies as well as cut out when the shot occurs. They are wonderful. They recharge in their little case from AA batteries and cut the shot noise while bird hunting.
I feel naked if I forget then when I go hunting.
The amplifier actually helps hear people talking or even that pheasant chuckling a ways off.
One benefit is when your buddy shoots next to you when you don't expect it, it doesn't hammer you like without protection.
Pricy but worth it.
I tried Peltor Tac headmuffs - like them a lot, but a bit too bulky for hunting (even though I wore them for several years in the bush).
Went to Peltor electronic ear plugs that amplifies as well as cut out when the shot occurs. They are wonderful. They recharge in their little case from AA batteries and cut the shot noise while bird hunting.
I feel naked if I forget then when I go hunting.
The amplifier actually helps hear people talking or even that pheasant chuckling a ways off.
One benefit is when your buddy shoots next to you when you don't expect it, it doesn't hammer you like without protection.
Pricy but worth it.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Howard Leights electronic muffs, I have tinnitus so if I’m doing any shooting I’m wearing ear pro. If I’m walking I just turn the volume up to the level I’d be at without them on as it keeps the foot noise at reg levels. If I’m sitting and waiting I’ll turn the volume up so I can hear things moving in the bush.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Peltor's for target, nothing hunting.
I've been using Surefire Sonic Defenders the past few years.
With the outer shape that i can lock in to my ear i will pull them half out so i can still hear pretty good, but they give some protection if i need to take a quick snap shot.
If i have time and see something, or if i am getting close to a spot i suspect there to be something it's easy when they're half in to just reach up and nudge them in the rest of the way.
I use the same ones for deer, half out to listen and nudge them in when getting ready for a shot.
With the outer shape that i can lock in to my ear i will pull them half out so i can still hear pretty good, but they give some protection if i need to take a quick snap shot.
If i have time and see something, or if i am getting close to a spot i suspect there to be something it's easy when they're half in to just reach up and nudge them in the rest of the way.
I use the same ones for deer, half out to listen and nudge them in when getting ready for a shot.
badgreenbird
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek, BC
none for me, either..
I've run sonic defenders outside of the field, but never with the plug out. Does that help with the smaller sounds at all?
I wear Norths ( Lee Sonics)when I am upload hunting, they have been around for many years .
They are plugs with a shut off system in them .
The original ones available to civics were built using an aluminum body, but the newer ones are made with a plastic body .
They work great , and you can hear very we with them
I eas wearing Walkers fir a while when big game hunting but normally do not wear them.
Cat
They are plugs with a shut off system in them .
The original ones available to civics were built using an aluminum body, but the newer ones are made with a plastic body .
They work great , and you can hear very we with them
I eas wearing Walkers fir a while when big game hunting but normally do not wear them.
Cat
I keep the plug in, i just pull the whole thing out like halfway so it's a quick nudge to put them in when i need it and even half way in it's better than nothing if something happens quick.
I tried without the small inner plug once at the range and didn't find it really did much and haven't tried again since
