I now wear hearing protection even while deer hunting. There are some excellent ear muffs avaliable today that will "augment" our tired old, gun-shot ears and render a 360 degree soundfield all around you that's quite lifelike and . . . even a little better than normal, volume-wise.
However, when you touch a round off the muffs instantly turn off the amplification for a second or so and protect your ears from your handgun's blast.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Warning . . . one morning I'd just gotten into the stand (late too) and had hardly turned around and got seated . . . when I heard a large deer running directly TO ME!
It sounded like the deer was right on top of me and so I quickly looked side-to-side, thinking I had nothing to lose in trying to quickly find him. WRONG!
I forgot my electronic "ears" were on . . . and that deer was about 90 yards out and closing fast. By the time my head started bobbing, it was about 60 yards away and it froze for a second, blew, and was gone!
DAMN! If I'd just stayed still, it would have come right to me but it sounded "louder" since I had the muffs on.
All I saw of that deer was a white flag and his butt!:banghead:
I'm sure I'm the only one around here who's ever done something stoooopid while deer hunting around here!
SPEAKIN' OF STOOOOPID . . .
About 15 years ago (and before getting hearing protection), I had a big doe come down a ridge behind me. She stopped at my 5 o'clock position (I'm left handed) about 40 yards behind me.
I took my 3-screw SuperBlackhawk .44mag. and reached across my body and pointed it over my right shoulder . . . while trying to NOT move my torso. Needless to say, the cocked hammer and the frame of that SB weren't far behind my ear. Finally, I got what I thought was a good sight picture via the SB's iron sights (although the sights were too close to my eyes, really).
KA-BOOOOOM! . . .
The blast nearly knocked me out of my ladder stand from the gun being so close to my right ear. Dang, that hurt!
HOWEVER . . . the deer didn't move! I'd somehow missed it. So . . . I shot again!
I spent most of that afternoon . . . in bed with a severe headache and ears that rang for days and daze. No what I'd planned as the rut was just beginning the chasing phase.
Been there, done that . . . and I hope I'm not that stoooopid again!