The military pays a huge amount of money out for hearing loss disabilities due to soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen suffering partial hearing loss. They also spend money on trying to protect the hearing of service personnel and dedicate resources to research on how to prevent hearing loss.
What I have been told is that when hunting, you adrenaline is running, and the blood flow or somesuch changes in your ears that help protect it from damage
I have always wondered what kind of hearing protection is used on carriers by the flight crew.... you're talking some serious noise. Not being in the Navy, I noticed that it is louder than anything I could imagine and hands over your ears is not enough if you are close to those engines.
I always stock up on those little individually-wrapped foam ear plugs for 25 cents each or whatever they are and carry a bunch to the range with me. Then if I see someone covering their ears, I just walk up and hand them a set.(It always ticks me off when I see children at the range with no hearing protection. The adults are wearing headphones, and the kids have to hold their hands over their ears. You know how long that'll last.)
Thats funny, almost the same exact thing happened to me. Luckily I just left the porta-john as the rocket shrapnel kinda turned it into swiss cheese. That was my favorite porta-john too!!talk of earplugs or electronic muffs ( by the way, those are neat) on patrol is one thing. but when the 107 rocket decides to land when your in the porta-john, well, youre gonna lose hearing one way or the other.
Leadcounsel, do you have some that fit around our helmets? I would buy some.
driving for years with windows open etc., has done to their hearing until it is too late.