Spoke to one of our esteemed members early the other day and it was 102deg where he was. Told me it would eventually "warm-up" before the day was over though. (Perhaps it should be "esteamed".)

He was telling me about a new rifle he was having built in a Large Caliber. During the discourse, Hearing Protection came up because of all the noise my 20" Barrel 350RemMag makes. You simply can't Hunt with it and not use Hearing Protection, or it will hurt your hearing - a lot.

I mentioned having a set of Sonic Ear Valves chained to the Trigger Guard. They go in my ears before the rifle gets loaded. But after a day of Hunting, the inside of my ears are a bit tender. The second day is sore enough that it can be a bit distracting, so I generally take a second rifle along anyhow.

Our buddy was telling me about some Fancy Electronic Sound Suppressors that he has. Some of his hang on the outside of the ear and have a piece which extends into the ear and some are electronic muffs. He listed good points for each style.

I got to thinking about them last night and could see how nice some styles would be while Hunting, and perhaps a different style might be better at the Range. Then it crossed my mind that I "might not want" to hear other folks at the Range while I'm shooting. But, I guess that could be a Safety issue if someone walks down-range while I'm shooting.

Question:
Do you want to "hear" other folks around you at the Range.

Choices:
1. Yes
2. No
3. I want to hear some, but not all of what is happening.
4. Other

Question:
What kind of Hearing Protection do you use at the Range?

Choices:
5. None - Speak-up boy!
6. Standard in the ear plugs.
7. Standard muffs.
8. Both 5.&6.
9. Electronic in the ear plugs.
10. Electronic muffs.
11. Other

Question:
Do you wear Hearing Protection while Hunting?

Choices:
12. Occasionally
13. Always
14. Never

Question:
While Hunting, I prefer:

Choices:
15. Nothing to impare my Hearing.
16. Standard ear plugs.
17. Standard muffs.
18. Both 16. &17.
19. Electronic plugs.
20. Electronic muffs
21. My Hearing Protection varies from Hunt to Hunt.

 

Most ranges seem or should require hearing protection to be worn. When I used to compete I used earplugs and earmuffs together and never had a problem hearing range commands.
When hunting I have never used hearing protection but those Walker Game Ears are looking more attractive all the time. (Mrs Blacktailer keeps asking me to turn the TV down.) I have a couple of firearms that require hearing protection. A 357 Ultra Mag that I no longer will hunt with and a 300RUM that had a muzzlebrake until I shot it once without ear protection and it went right back to the gunsmith to have the brake removed-recoil is temporary discomfort, hearing loss is permanent.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Blacktailer:
When hunting I have never used hearing protection but those Walker Game Ears are looking more attractive all the time. (Mrs Blacktailer keeps asking me to turn the TV down.) QUOTE]

Give the Walker Quad 4 Game Ear muffs a try; you'll like them. They are thin enough so as not to interfere w/shouldering rifle and the 4 mikes give you a sense of direction not experienced w/regular muffs.

I never hunt (or shoot) without them.

Regards,
hm

The only hunting I have done w/ ear protection is varmint hunting or birdshooting, where I am firing multiple shots in a day. For big game hunting, I have never fired more than two shots at an animla & unless you are inside a cave, I can't see much hearing damage being done. Yes, my hearing is still pretty good because I never go to the range w/o hearing protection.

HotCore
Most all my shooting is range work. Either competition, practice, or plinking. And lately more youth instruction than any personal shooting. I do like to hear what is going on, on the range. It is a must with youngsters. But find that my hearing is not too impeded with my favorite plugs. I have had two sets of custom molded plugs made. They use a silicone putty to mold them.
I too have had trouble with tender ears. I solved this with a little baby oil on the plugs before use.

muck

Only a dummy would do much shooting without protection. Back when I started virtually no one did, muffs and plugs were still novelties. We did it largely in ignorance, didn't have a clue the damage would accumulate.

That's no longer true, EVERYONE knows it! I have worn protection for the last thirty or so years. Today my hearing is poor BUT I can't say if shooting is what caused it, could have been other things I have done but I wish I had started with muffs sooner.

That said, the nanny mindset has no appeal to me. I don't think anyone should be required to wear protection at a range or anywhere else. I'm just not ready to ask permission to do anything that only affects me, and I extend that freedom to others as well.

At the range I use ear plugs and muffs for centerfire rifle and big bore pistol. For rimfire and shotgun at clay targets I use ear plugs.

For turkey and deer hunting I have tried electronic muffs as much for the sound amplification as for the noise reduction. I haven't quite come to terms with the muffs yet.

At the range
I use standard plugs AND Electronic muffs
That way I can here what I need to
And when a gun goes off it is pretty much silent

As for hunting
I used to just wear standard plugs while varmit hunting
But have gone to Electronic plugs for all hunting to save my hearing

And last fall it payed off
I had the gain turned up
And I was able to hear another fool hunter trying to put a sneak on my calling
He was in full camo and in heavy cover
As he aproached he bumped a deer

I can only wonder how I would have felt even if I would have just came close to hitting that fool

John

Without fail, at the range, it's plugs and muffs. My 350RMag barks hard and my new .375 H&H 20" bbl rifle was loud enough to get the rangemaster to comment on it.

For hunting birds the first year I hunted I didn't use anything - didn't take but 6-10 shots with a 28" 12guage. Second year I used a 20guage in a 26" bbl and it was loud enough that I purchased a set of "baffle plugs". Those were OK, but some noise got through.

For blind hunting in Texas I used whatever foamies I've got in my pocket - normally Howard Leight greenies (30db). I can put them in without making any odd motions that would disturb a deer. Takes me about 30 seconds to put them in, so I normally wait until about either 30 minutes before dusk (and just leave them in) or when I have a cull to take I just put them in.

This year I'm going to cave and get some e-Muffs for bird hunting. I'm not sure how they will work with a ballcap or the like, but I really don't like the idea of hunting at all without adequate hearing protection.

When shooting indoors or under a cover on an outdoor range I try to always use plugs and muffs.

However years of stun grenades and combat gunfire have effected my hearing.

However take a look at Surefire ear plugs. They work great in the field.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
Spoke to one of our esteemed members early the other day and it was 102deg where he was. Told me it would eventually "warm-up" before the day was over though. (Perhaps it should be "esteamed".)

The last 7 days have all been over 100* and 2 days were 104* which set an all time record for June here. It had been 48 days since I had seen any rain at my house and tonight it sprinkled!

These are the muffs I was talking about. They have individual volume controls and help me hear things I normally wouldn't. Comfortable enough to wear in the field over or under your hat and keep your ears warm.

They don't amplify sounds as much as I would like but do an excellent job of blocking sudden noises. I'm sure you could cobble some together with tin cups, cotton swabs and duct tape if you tried!

Several years ago, I purchased a Walkers Game Ear II. It sat on my bench for a good long while. I played around with it but never used it seriously. I started to notice a little discomfort while bird hunting with a 12 gauge. Not wanting to start flinching, I decided to give this gadget a try. It is an amazing device. So much so that I bought another for the other ear. I had them molded at a local audiologist. They are worth every penny. They do take a little getting used to but well worth the trouble. Just my $.02........

quote:

Originally posted by woods:
...I'm sure you could cobble some together with tin cups, cotton swabs and duct tape if you tried!

Hey Woods, You really do need to get into Design Engineering. Do you remember when people used the pre-used Filter off of cigarettes? I suppose the Tar in the Filters helped muffle the sounds.
-----

My old Hunting buddy Don has had a couple of the Electronic Styles of Hearing Protectors. When he first began using them, he heard so many things going on "behind him" that he nearly wore a swivel chair out in a Stand. Needless to say with all the movement he didn't see any Deer up close.

For those of you who do use the Electronic Plugs/Muffs while Deer Hunting, what do you all do about all the "extra" things you can hear with them? Do you s-l-o-w-l-y turn to see what is happening as "Johnch" mentioned, or remain still and let the curiosity drive you mad?

Great subject.... thanks for bringing this up HotCore

I dont wear protection while hunting (yet), hearing all the little woodland creatures is very important to me.

But from this thread maybe we can get a selection of devices that work very well at protection from gun blast while enhancing the ambiant wildlife sounds. I would really like to see a good list of what really works well.

Keep shooting without any hearing protection while hunting and eventually you won't hear those sounds any more! Permanent hearing loss occurs from 85-90Db and up, even the miniscule 22Lr generates 134Db.

http://www.keepandbeararms.com...ViewItem.asp?id=2052

My best friend and I were up in the mountains shooting last week, he forgot his hearing protection, I had an extra set of Peltors to let him use, he was amazed of all the sounds he could hear with them on, birds singing and such, so much so that when we weren't shooting, he kept them on!!

I wear plugs and electronic muffs at the range, SportEars while hunting.

Hey Hot Core,

This is a great topic.

I voted. I use E.S.P. in the ear electronic hearing protection. For competition they are indispensable for hearing traps that are hidden go off. For hunting they are indispensable for hearing game flush, call, fly or walk. At the range they are indispensable for hearing range commands and for other safety concerns.

They can be turned up to actually enhance hearing while in the field or turned off to just cut everything out like foamys............

Hey Muck, It would be impossible for me to tell you how much I appreciate the "Tip" about the Baby Oil. I look forward to trying it - Thanks.

Hey Ray and Rcamuglia, Woods is correct about me being a bit "dated" with some of my stuff. So, it seemed appropriate to see what you all are using.

I see a lot of guys in the Poll mentioning using Electronic Muffs and Electronic Plugs while afield. Other than my buddy Don, I really do not remember anyone using any kind of Electronic Hearing device that I've Hunted with. Perhaps they had them in their pockets and wore them after we had them positioned.

At the range I wear plugs and muffs. Generally at the range I'm by myself or with a friend or two. So hearing others isn't very important. At a crowded range I understand the need to hear though. One time I was shooting my 6mm with a 36x scope and I was working on my natural point of aim and just focusing through the scope for several minutes. I was just about to fire when I saw a weird shadow across my target. I looked up and a guy was changing his target next to mine! He hadn't said a word about going down to the target because it was just he and I. If it wasn't for the sun's position he might have gotten shot, because I had just mounted the scope.

While hunting, protection only with a brake.

quote:

I don't think anyone should be required to wear protection at a range or anywhere else. I'm just not ready to ask permission to do anything that only affects me, and I extend that freedom to others as well.

Jim, that would be fine if being deaf only affected me or you. But it doesn't. If you drive a car, truck, or anything else on the public roads, it can be potentially fatal for others. It can also be harmful to others even if you don't drive. Frequent playing of music, TV, etc., at high volume can eventually harm the hearing of others in your household.

Too bad it is so, but there are few places left to live in the world that are so remote and unpopulated that you can do whatever you want without affecting others.

At any rate, you would not be allowed to shoot at our range. We require all shooters to wear BOTH ear protection, AND eye protection. Those who won't are required to leave the shooting areas immediately.

HC - I picked up a set of electronic muffs by Howard Leight a year or so ago that I sure like. Think they were developed for trap shooting as they are quite light and thin - you can get right down on a rifle without interference. Also, think they were only about 60 bucks or so.

While I haven't used them hunting, I might. Ears were well-abused early on, and I am suprised at all I can hear at the range...

Luck

The family bought me some of the Howard Leights for Christmas. So far, I am pleased with them.

I had gotten away from muffs and really like the soft silicone plugs. They seem to work well. The silicone plugs combined with the muffs are the answer when somebody sits near you with one of the big boomers.

I haven't tried the Leights while hunting yet but at the range, they work great.