Hunting ear protection with sound enhancement

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I’d like to see what you guys think the best electronic earmuffs for hunting is. I made the mistake of shooting with a muzzle break, with no muffs, and will never do that again. 1 shot made my ear ring for 24 hours and that ear still feels numb and water logged. I want muffs and not the small ear pieces because I’m afraid I’ll just lose those. Looking for comfort to wear hunting all day, with sound control, and something that has a high rating for decibels. Not looking to see what you personally have, but what do you think is the best on the market for what I’m looking for, or what would you buy if you were in the market right now. Is there a brand notoriously more comfortable than another? Thanks
 
Does anyone know if there are any that help with hearing the direction of the sound? Ive been researching and everything that I’ve read says “will not allow for directional sound”. Maybe that’s just an inherent problem with these
 
Sound direction is a bit of a difficulty with electronic ear pro. Stereo mics/speakers help a lot, but you do lose a little bit of direction when you go to electronic ear pro. It’s not bad for range use (I can tell where someone is when they’re speaking to me) but I know that’s not quite the same thing as knowing what direction a twig snap was from when hunting.

Currently I have a pair of Peltor Tac 100s and they do very well. If you add a padded headband and gel ear cups (which I would recommend getting regardless of what ear pro you end up going with) it is easy to wear them for 8+ hours a day during a class. I can’t recommend gel ear cups enough.

If you’re looking for the best, you’ll want to look at Peltor Comtacs and Sordin. They do a good job of keeping the size profile rather small so it doesn’t interfere with shouldering a gun while also having the best electronics. Most of these were made for military use and sometimes the cost difference between models is related to coms compatibility, not necessarily protection, so read the fine print.

Sordins also have a version with a head band that goes around the back of your head (as opposed to over it) which lets you wear hats without dealing with the band. They’re reportedly more comfortable than the standard over the head version as well.

Also note that while these don’t have the highest average NRR ratings, they do have very good protection ratings for the frequencies of gunshots. You should be able to find the detailed reports for these, so I’d recommend doing some more research on it beyond just the high level average.
 
Just bought this for me:

https://www.opticsplanet.com/walkers-razor-slim-electronic-quad-ear-muff.html


Just bought this for my son:

https://www.opticsplanet.com/walkers-razor-compact-womens-childrens-electronic-ear-muff.html

I’ve never wore hearing protection while hunting, but I’ve also never shot with a muzzle break.

My left ear is in turmoil right now because I didn’t think.

Regarding my purchase:

I hope that I’ll be able to hear directional ok with this, but if not, I’ll just have it next to my ears. I’ll then have to put it over my ears…hopefully without spooking. I also bought a thread protector, and I’m not going to use the break while hunting. Probably don’t even need the protection. But, I’ll use it. This was a big scare for me, and I hope if anyone reads this, you’ll protect your ears…

I’m going to make sure I do from breaks, and even without for myself and my kids…what a scare this has been. This has been a terrible 48 hours… I had a crazy ringing in my left ear for a day. It left, but I then had a numb feeling in my left ear for another 12 hours… and now I’m starting to feel normal out of my left ear… only saying please be careful with your shooting. Protect your ears. Never shoot a break without ear protection, even one shot while hunting.

From what I’ve researched, if money isn’t an issue, this is the best:

https://www.swatcom.com/active8/

I sure do hope this helps anyone!
 
Get your hearing checked if your ear is not back to normal in 48 hours. You may have damaged something.
The plugged feeling is a worse indicator than the ringing. That was the symptom that led me to hearing aids. My ears feel plugged without aids but the feeling goes away instantly with them.
 
To get directional sound you would have to put forward facing half cups over the microphones to mimic your own ears.
 
Get your hearing checked if your ear is not back to normal in 48 hours. You may have damaged something.
The plugged feeling is a worse indicator than the ringing. That was the symptom that led me to hearing aids. My ears feel plugged without aids but the feeling goes away instantly with them.
I’m certain I did damage my left ear. I hope it gets somewhat back to normal. It’s been about 36 hours now and it is getting much better, but I’m still numb for around an inch around that ear, and can definitely tell theres still a problem. The ringing was unbearable for about 12 hours. I sure do hope I wake up tomorrow and this was just a nightmare…
 
I have the Walker Razor Slim Patriot and I utterly hate them. The amplified sound is incredibly bad. Seriously, Walker’s should be ashamed to sell them. They’re that bad. Very ‘tinny’, absolutely no directional ability at all.
Im debating going back to standard earmuffs or going all out on Comtac’s.
 
I hunted

My son hunted with those compacts. I wore a bigger set with more NRR that I use for handgun (too wide to mount a rifle). Beware that the slim and compact ear muffs are suitable for hunting without ear plugs, but not the range unless you also wear earplugs underneath. What we do on the range is wear earplugs and then the muffs with the volume cranked up. The plugs provide most of the protection, but the muffs amplify speech enough to communicate better. We use a range to ourselves, but at a busy range or any indoor range, doubling-up would be absolutely essential.

If you're out hunting and shoot once or twice, the muffs alone are likely to be sufficient. A muzzle brake can definitely direct more sound toward the shooter's ears and so can the terrain by reflecting sound back at the shooter. Othertimes, the terrain and even wind can take most of the sound away.

Hearing loss is cumulative. Analogy: In the cochlea are little hairs that wave in a fluid like seaweed or reeds in the water. When a sound wave comes along (transmitted by the bones coupled to the eardrum), the hairs get pushed by the wave and if the wave is not too big, they settle back. If the wave is too forceful, the reed-like hairs get smashed down and they stay down. Additional sound waves of sufficient magnitude will smash down more and more. In many cases, the hearing loss will be temporary and the hairs will return to a functional position after some time. Repeatedly smashing them down is going to make the damage worse and worse and less likely to be recovered from. If the damage to the hairs in the organ of Corti is severe enough they can fail to regain function. These hair cells are where the actual auditory receptors are - where acoustic/mechanical motion is transduced into an electrical signal in the nervous system. They normally work to synapse with bipolar spiral ganglion neurons so that afferent nerve impulses are sent back to the brain via the cochlear nerve. It is typical that severe noise induces damage in areas sensitive to certain frequencies before others. 4000 Hertz is typically the first to incur damage. Cochlear damage is not the only noise-induced injuries that occur. There are also perforations of the tympanic membrane (the ear drum). Those will definitely cause temporary hearing loss.

So hunting with electronic muffs -- most of them only have a single mic and even ones with multiple or stereophonic microphones don't necessarily give us a good sense of directional sound. Hunt without the headset on your head until a shot becomes imminent, but give yourself plenty of time to focus on the rifle and safety in use of the firearm without having to mess with the headset under pressure. Of course it's also fine to carry the headset on your head if you're just walking back and forth from the truck and directional sound isn't important at that moment. Also be aware of where your mic is and where your hunting partner's mic is. You can stay quieter if you talk into one another's mic's instead of on the wrong side of their head. You can also flip the mic to the opposite ear by turning the headset around if there is any difficulty is moving to the other side.

If I am hunting alone, there is a good chance I will just use ear plugs. A good case for muffs though is they keep your ears warm much better than plugs. Without a doubt, hearing provides useful information in a hunt, but it can be done without the kind of sensitivity than unprotected ears provide. I'm not going to cease to function in a hunt because I'm wearing plugs, but a major life function will cease if I lose my hearing. For me, the electronic muffs primarily facilitate communication with a kid or someone inexperienced. If you have a lot of experience between your partner and you, you probably don't need to talk much.

I have been faked out with electronic muffs. One time I was staked-out with the boy in some bushes overlooking a canyon where I knew deer would pass over the ridge just after sunrise because they were doing it every day at the same time for many days. I heard a fawn bleat, but obviously couldn't tell where it had come from so I looked all around. I didn't see any deer. I settled down and continued to scan but began to check my 6 o'clock/180 less frequently. That's where they passed, at least a half dozen according to the guy that stayed in the truck and had a view. At least we didn't miss a buck. We do have 2m radios, but don't use them for hunting per se (to gain advantage on the game) so we don't have earphones. I suppose I could just plug them into the electronic muffs that have a jack, but I haven't done that.
 
I tried these once when they first came out as we had them in my unit at the time. Every time a squirrel or chipmunk was skittering behind me, I thought the skunk ape was sneaking up on me. I think I may just keep a set of regular non-electronic ones on top of my head ready for use when I hunt from a ground blind this year, since the concealment will mask my movement while I slide them down into position before the shot (if I have time). All I need to do is remember to do this. Which means I may as well leave them at home lol.
 
I've used Peltor 6s for many years and have hundreds of hours use with them. In my experience it's quite possible to have enhanced hearing OR sense of direction, but not both. If you adjust the volume level to ambient your sense of direction can be quite good. If you turn it up, you can no longer judge how far away a sound is, which makes it difficult to determine direction.

I've fired many shots while wearing them from a 12 ga shotgun with a 20" barrel. They turn the short barrel's BOOM into a faint, faraway boom.
 
Something to check on is if it is legal to hunt with enhanced hearing devices. I like the idea but last time I checked it wasn't legal in GA. I use electronic headphones at the range and double up when shooting the 50bmg
 
I tried these once when they first came out as we had them in my unit at the time. Every time a squirrel or chipmunk was skittering behind me, I thought the skunk ape was sneaking up on me. I think I may just keep a set of regular non-electronic ones on top of my head ready for use when I hunt from a ground blind this year, since the concealment will mask my movement while I slide them down into position before the shot (if I have time). All I need to do is remember to do this. Which means I may as well leave them at home lol.
This is exactly what I do. Unless it's a trophy of a lifetime, I'm not going to forget to pull them down over my ears. I wish I had begun doing this when I was younger- the ringing in my ears might not exist like it does now.
 
I've used a set of SoundGear plugs for years. Don't have any real trouble with the wind. Directional isn't as good as your bare ears, but not that bad.
 
If I miss out on a big buck because I have to protect my ears I’m willing to do that. It’s been nearly a week and my left ear is still murky. I learned my lesson, and now I’ve at least got the know how to protect my son’s ears so this never happens to him. I probably went over board, and bought multiple different plugs, hoping one would fit well, and then those enhancing muffs, but I’m okay with that. Lesson learned. Just hope my son or his never loses hearing because of my stupidity.
 
My dad and his dad both said this has happened to them, and believe my ear will repair itself…I sure do wish one of them would have thought to have warned me….I’ll do better…
 
It's likely you perforated your ear drum. It will take a few weeks to heal, but you may have some permanent hearing loss. The permanent hearing loss you're likely suffer (if any) as a result of this incident is only going to show up on an audiogram from a careful hearing test. You're right to take the issue seriously though and prevent any further damage and any damage to your son. You don't want to get to the point where you need hearing aides. Even before that, you'll be likely to suffer tinitus. No more peace and quiet, just a constant whine.
 
I shot a 460 revolver inside once, I didn't let my plug expand. Was pretty bad ringing, even balance issues for a couple days.

I've used many different electronic muffs. Never found one i like. You can't tell direction very well, and you can't tell if the noise is a mile away or 10 feet, since it's amplified and adjustable.
 
I wore a pair of Walker Silencer 2.0 this year while hunting. It's the first time I've ever worn hearing protection while hunting. They worked very well. Directionality was not as good as without them, but it got better as I got used to them. I noticed that turning my head a little as I listened to the sound helped me figure out the direction. The movement of my head didn't have to be a lot to help.

The downside to the in-ear devices is that they can become uncomfortable after a couple of hours, but then I also find muffs uncomfortable after a couple of hours. My solution is that I put them in just before legal shooting time and then planned to wear them until they became too uncomfortable; then I would put them back in for the last 2-3 hours in the afternoon. As it turns out, I shot my buck after 2.5 hours and I could have kept them in for a good deal longer than that.

I bought a pair of the banded plugs like bfh-auto posted. I've found that I just don't put them in. The woods are pretty thick where I hunt. Typically it is a matter of seconds between when we see the deer and it is in the shooting lane. Perhaps I'll bring them with me for the times I'm giving my ears a rest from the Walkers.
 
I have used both Peltor and Walkers. The secret to both is to stay away from their entry level muffs unless they are just for the range. Using my .460 without ear protection is a foolish proposition as is the .44 mag in a blind. With the better muffs I have no problem with direction and actually have been using them for hunting turkeys in the spring as they allow me to hear those Gobbles and subtle hen yelps that I would otherwise miss.
 
I've used many different electronic muffs. Never found one i like. You can't tell direction very well, and you can't tell if the noise is a mile away or 10 feet, since it's amplified and adjustable.

Try adjusting to volume until it matches the ambient level. See post #13.
 
The Walker Quad models (2 microphones on each side) do a good job with directional sound. They don't seem to go up quite as loud, if I use plugs underneath (undercover/indoor shooting). I have to run them at top volume - but without plugs I think they would be fine for hunting. In a hunting stand anyway...Oh and I suggest you always use Energizer Max lithium batteries in them - they last much longer, never leak and generally perform MUCH better especially in cold weather. Well worth the extra $ for any electronic hunting equipment I believe.
 
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