Before I started to work with nutcases I did a stint in a general hospital. A huge percentage of the hearing problems we saw were from shooting without ear protection at some point in people's life.

Noise induced hearing loss is a truly ghastly affliction. Loud noises become unbearably painfull yet you cannot hear any of the s'ss or sounds that make speech understandable, you will also probably have a varying degree of ringing ie tinnitus.

There is no cure. You might be given a hearing aid but that will do little.

If you hunt don't think that a couple of shots a season won't hurt. The ear is an instrument so fantastic that if you compared it to a set of scales it could weigh a postage stamp. Give it a rifle shot and you are asking it to weigh something the weight of the Titanic. You damage it - period.

Electronic ear defenders do work very well and are quickly bearable. In quite a few situations they actualy help hunting. Every one of the people we saw when it was too late would have jumped at the chance to turn the clock back and use them regardless of how much they cost.

Principally you are indeed quite right, but the hunting praxis have some good arguments against ear protectors - also active ones, which just close dangerous noises out.
1. Ear protectors are rather uncomfortable.
2. You cannot hear and localize the game with your ears. Hunting in forests and thickets you often hear the game before seeing it.
3. Certainly ear protectors would be rather uncomfortable in the cold winters of Northern Europe and Canada.

A disiderate would be small earplugs, which could permit ordinary, interesting noises to reach the inner ear, but which would cut prevent the destroying ones.

I have no intention to get deaf, but the mere though of carrying a big teacup over each of my ears drives me mad. Perhaps I am a nutcase?

Best regards,

Fritz K.

Fritz,

I understand your dislike of "ears." However, I believe that the Peltor 6 electronic-shut-off ear protectors answer most or perhaps all of your objections. They amplify slightly but can be adjusted individually for volume, are stereophonic, and do not interfere with any of the rifles I've tried so far. They are more comfortable in cold weather than in hot weather, but more or less tolerable in either.

[This message has been edited by Recono (edited 06-12-2001).]

I use my peltor 6s all the time they fill the bill for hearing and protection. As a instructor they are great you can hear your students and they can hear your range commands and still have good protection. I also wear them hunting in stands they increase your hearing and protection. The best place I found for them is in the duck blind with a bunch of hunter useing mag shot guns you still can talk but when the sudden duck comes over you don't get your ears blown out

I always preach the virtues of ear protection.

However, I have only worn any afield for bird hunting, where I knew my partners or I could be firing at any moment, and don't need hearing as much as when hunting big game.

I love the Peltor 6s but find them uncomfortable for all-day wear. I know, I've done it for days on end before!

This fall I might experiment with some earplugs that cut the sound a little, without making my ears sweat.

I don''t know if this will work, but I think it will and it's worth a try:

A lot of aviation headsets offer cloth covers as an option. Try to get a set that will fit your muffs. They are the best thing for cold weather! They keep your ears nice and toasty, plus they also keep them from sweating so much in hot weather. I'd call a local airport and see if there was a pilot shop on field, then bring your muffs in and see if they have a pair of covers that fit or can be made to fit. If the comfort of a muff bothers you, I'd strongly suggest you try this.

I bought a set of Peltor Tactical 6S, and I am very happy with it. When I hunt, I usually sit in the brush out of view waiting for moose to appear, so these muffs are perfect for this type of hunting.

They amplify sounds at least 6 times of normal hearing, and are compact enough. They can be folded and carried in a pocket, have individual microphones/volume controls, and also keep my ears warm.

The only problem I can see is that they also pick-up wind noises in windy days.

[This message has been edited by Ray, Alaska (edited 06-13-2001).]

Discomfort is not only the heat--the electronics inside press on the cartilage in my ears and it actually gets painful after a while.

I would rather hear the natural sounds in the woods than hear them electronically filtered and amplified.

I know, the tradeoff is not hearing them at all eventually. So this season I will experiment with some modest earplugs.

I generaly wear the peltors unless it's hot or for more than 2 hours at which point my ears shout enough as John Frazer points out they get painfull.

In the heat or if I'm walking a lot or for extended periods I use a set of electonic plugs which are moulded to my ear. They are very expensive but I think they're worth every penny. If they filter 150 shots a year and last 5 years then it'll be the equivalent of using premium bullets.