Dove hunting, yes. Elk hunting, no.
Ear protection and hunting
- Thread starter MrWesson
- Start date
- Status
baylorattorney
Member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2011
- Messages
- 489
In england, you can only hunt with a suppressor on many estates. The estate owner insists, so as not to disturb neighbors. The hunting benefits a suppressor allow are immense. For instance, should you miss your first shot, the prey won't know where it came from, they look to where it hit. You can hear you bullet travel downrange and hear whether it actually hit too. The benefits to accuracy and ballistics (I was surprised) are also a marked improvement with a suppressor. Yep. It's true. Check it out.
ridgerunner1965
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2010
- Messages
- 768
im curious about the auditory exclusion phenomonem.i too have noticed it when hunting deer. i have a model 7 243 with a 18 in barrel that i often hunt with. if yu fire this gun at a target or small game, without protection, yu will regret it.your ears will ring and the hearing damage is evident. however, ive killed many deer with it and never had ringing or any symptom of hearing a loud noise.my question is, if there is no symptom, was there any damage?id really like to hear from some handgun hunters.if you touch off a full house 44 mag load at a deer does auditory exclusion also take over?
Karl Hungus
Member
I have electronic muffs, but I really find them to be a distraction. I'd rather hear nothing than walk around the woods with everything amplified. If I ever get through the process I'm going to use a suppressor for deer this fall.
ADKWOODSMAN
Member
Wish I had.
same as 35 Whelen-In situations when I may be doing a high volume of shooting such as dove or quail hunting, I wear ear plugs. But when hunting big game, no.
I also wear hearing protection while chain sawing, nailing, table saw, and law mowing.
same as 35 Whelen-In situations when I may be doing a high volume of shooting such as dove or quail hunting, I wear ear plugs. But when hunting big game, no.
I also wear hearing protection while chain sawing, nailing, table saw, and law mowing.
Last edited:
dirtykid
Member
I've spent too much time as a kid down in front of the stage at concerts,right next to the speakers (in the pit mostly) and now 20+ yrs later i regret it.
When i go hunting I actually use my electronic-muffs with built in amplified microphones,without them i know i would have spooked much game away.
I will be investing in a pair of those "game ears" soon as muffs are bulky and depend on batteries (not good in cold)
I read on here recently someone said "you can learn from my mistakes,or learn from your own",,, I suggest you protect them some-how.
And yes the adrenaline does mask the ringing for about 30-seconds after the shot,and then the rest of the day is shot for me, cant hear a damm thing unless you are speaking directly towards me with no back-ground noise.
When i go hunting I actually use my electronic-muffs with built in amplified microphones,without them i know i would have spooked much game away.
I will be investing in a pair of those "game ears" soon as muffs are bulky and depend on batteries (not good in cold)
I read on here recently someone said "you can learn from my mistakes,or learn from your own",,, I suggest you protect them some-how.
And yes the adrenaline does mask the ringing for about 30-seconds after the shot,and then the rest of the day is shot for me, cant hear a damm thing unless you are speaking directly towards me with no back-ground noise.
Cob
Member
Adrenaline helps to eliminate the stress of a sound from a gun shot or even catastrophic life threatining injury when levels are increased, but the damage is still done regardless of what you may choose to think.
In high-school, in 1991, I had the "bright" idea of making some home-made explosives... the whole story is here, and graphic skull x-rays with associated damage:
The most amazing thing about this was that i felt absolutely no pain, and do not remember hearing the explosion at point blank range when it happened.
I do remember waking up with a ringing in my ears, with damage to eardrum, eye socket broken in three sections, a nose that was laying sidways, a gaping hole into my head, and "metal shrapnel" mixed with openly exposed bone within my sinus cavity... Even though i did not hear it, nor even felt it at the time, i have lived with consequences of flirting with the Darwin Theory since, for the past 19 years...
In high-school, in 1991, I had the "bright" idea of making some home-made explosives... the whole story is here, and graphic skull x-rays with associated damage:
The most amazing thing about this was that i felt absolutely no pain, and do not remember hearing the explosion at point blank range when it happened.
I do remember waking up with a ringing in my ears, with damage to eardrum, eye socket broken in three sections, a nose that was laying sidways, a gaping hole into my head, and "metal shrapnel" mixed with openly exposed bone within my sinus cavity... Even though i did not hear it, nor even felt it at the time, i have lived with consequences of flirting with the Darwin Theory since, for the past 19 years...
Last edited:
Auditory exclusion means you are distracted enough you don't notice the noise. It does not magically protect your ears from being affected by the noise.
Which of Col. Grossman's books and which chapter? His career has been focused on the psychology of killing and combat and he's recognized as an authority in that field.
I work in this field and I've seen nothing in the technical literature supporting this contention. The US military doesn't have anything supporting it either. Auditory exclusion, where you don't hear the shot, is psychological, not physiological. The mind excludes the noise and not the ear. The production of adrenaline acts as a steroid. It doesn't prevent damage to the sensory hairs, it helps them recover quicker.
Loosedhorse
member
From what I've been told, damage to the hair cells is of two types: permanent and temporary. I am unaware of adrenaline speeding recovery of temporary loss; nothing reverses permanent loss, but research may eventually answer whether some medications (for example, corticosteroids) can decrease the amount of loss from a given exposure.
But I welcome your expertise.
Like any injury the application of a steroid can help reduce the severity of the injury through reducing inflammation aiding recovery. The amount of adrenaline the body produces is small and very transitory and the benefit would be very limited. It could help with recovery in the very short term, and only to a very minor extent. At a hearing protection workshop several years ago I heard a presentation on a US Army study using large doses of steroids, much greater than produced by the body's burst of adrenaline, that indicated a reduction the amount of permanent damage after high noise exposure was possible if almost immediately administered. Recovery from temporary loss was speeded, unsurprisingly. This was a very preliminary study, the presenter was very cautious in her conclusions, and pointed out that having large doses of steroids administered right after exposure wasn't a practical treatment for the more common hearing damage cases. She expected it to have the greatest value in acute exposure cases where significant permanent loss was likely. I'll see if I can dig up the notebook from the workshop, but here's a hopeful European study that indicates the same as I remember from the workshop. http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=k6549m5401q6918w&size=largest
Permanent damage hasn't been shown to be reversed using any, in spite of the snake oil being sold across the internet, means.
Any advice to not use hearing protection is grossly irresponsible.
Permanent damage hasn't been shown to be reversed using any, in spite of the snake oil being sold across the internet, means.
Any advice to not use hearing protection is grossly irresponsible.
Last edited:
I've had serious hearing loss over time. I won't hunt without ear plugs. So far, I haven't gone hungry, but I'm unwilling to make a shot without ear plags in. I carry them in my pocket every day, so always have them on me. When hunting I don't wear them unless I'm about to shoot. If I think it's likely, I'll put one in and have the other ready. If I think a shot is very likely, I put both in. No game animal is worth losing any more hearing to me. If I lose a shot one day, oh well. Hasn't happend so far tho.
I'm aparently not blessed with the auditory exclusion thing. When I made a shot on game, I instantly had intense pain and said a lot of bad words about how that wasn't very smart. I lost significant hearing from one shot at a deer once with a 338. Have shot other game with pistols and rifles and no protection, and it wont ever happen again at this point in my life. My pulse doesnt seem to get all jumpy and fast when I'm about to shoot game. May be why the sound doesnt magically disapear for me. First deer and elk were sort of exciting, not so much any more, tho the first deer sure made my ears ring. Guess its sort of old hat at this point, just making meat to me.
I'm aparently not blessed with the auditory exclusion thing. When I made a shot on game, I instantly had intense pain and said a lot of bad words about how that wasn't very smart. I lost significant hearing from one shot at a deer once with a 338. Have shot other game with pistols and rifles and no protection, and it wont ever happen again at this point in my life. My pulse doesnt seem to get all jumpy and fast when I'm about to shoot game. May be why the sound doesnt magically disapear for me. First deer and elk were sort of exciting, not so much any more, tho the first deer sure made my ears ring. Guess its sort of old hat at this point, just making meat to me.
atomchaser
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2005
- Messages
- 407
They are legal in most states and legal for hunting in many states. They do need to be removed from the list of Title II weapons so that you can buy them just like an other gun accessory. Even with the current restrictions, they are making their way into the mainstream of the shooting and hunting communities.
coloradokevin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,285
Inclinebench said:
Col Grossman is one heck of an interesting speaker, and I had the good fortune of attending one of his seminars on my department's dime. I've heard him talk of the hearing issue, and I'm aware of that auditory exclusion from events that I've been in myself.
With that said, I don't believe that your hearing is actually protected as a result of this psychological/adrenaline related phenomenon. Rather, it seems that your mind simply fails to process the sound. Regardless of whether or not you "hear" the shot, the sound waves are still acting on your ear.
brnmuenchow
Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2011
- Messages
- 612
There are several choices out there now for good ear protection that can be electronic or old fashion slip-on/ off ear plugs. Don't damage your hearing, it isn't worth it. The last thing you will want is to be out in the field on a deer hunt 15 years from now with a hearing aid that the battery just said "no more juice"! I actually use some ear plugs that are quick on/ off that rest on your neck when not in use. I got them at the NHRA drag races several years ago.
Then adjust them so the volume is at a normal level. You don't HAVE to listen to amplified sound.
Karl Hungus
Member
^^^^^^^^^
It's still a distraction. Looking forward to using a suppressor.
It's still a distraction. Looking forward to using a suppressor.
CoastieShep
Member
Bird hunting, no.
Deer, well, kinda. I have some plugs on a cord around my neck if I have a chance to put them in, I will. If I don't, I won't.
Deer, well, kinda. I have some plugs on a cord around my neck if I have a chance to put them in, I will. If I don't, I won't.
Tomcat47
Member
Hearing Halos
Im going to try these this coming hunting season + I also work in manufacturing.... What I have lost at work to machinery over the years and to Loud music in my youth and being tough and firing off a few rounds....geez!
Now....hind sight may be 20/20 but common sense would have helped our hearing! :banghead:
http://www.hearinghalos.com/sleepers_shooters.html
They are about $100 bucks!
If I knew then what I know now I would pay thousands!
Im going to try these this coming hunting season + I also work in manufacturing.... What I have lost at work to machinery over the years and to Loud music in my youth and being tough and firing off a few rounds....geez!
Now....hind sight may be 20/20 but common sense would have helped our hearing! :banghead:
http://www.hearinghalos.com/sleepers_shooters.html
They are about $100 bucks!
If I knew then what I know now I would pay thousands!
Fred in Wisc
Member
I like Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs for handgun hunting. Work great, let you turn up the volume a little if you want to without much hiss, and cost only about $70.
I shot a deer with a S&W 460 mag a few years back. No ear protection. I have hearing damage specifically from that incident. Doesn't take a lot of rounds either. Definitely wear hearing protection with big bore revolvers.
I shot a deer with a S&W 460 mag a few years back. No ear protection. I have hearing damage specifically from that incident. Doesn't take a lot of rounds either. Definitely wear hearing protection with big bore revolvers.
Cob
Member
where you shoot can make a difference as well...
I have shot in wide open fields, and the noise impact was not so loud or noticeable,( as expected without protection), and i have shot from enclosed places, specifically from a truck cab once, and again from a shooting house overlooking a field, and the sound can really bounce around in the tight places, and really rattled my eardrums, and even caused pain.
I have shot in wide open fields, and the noise impact was not so loud or noticeable,( as expected without protection), and i have shot from enclosed places, specifically from a truck cab once, and again from a shooting house overlooking a field, and the sound can really bounce around in the tight places, and really rattled my eardrums, and even caused pain.
Amen. Tinnitus is a miserable condition. Your ears ring all the time and it never stops.
I just wish someone had told me then what we're telling them now:
WEAR EAR PROTECTION WHEN YOU SHOOT!!!
All the time, every time.
All you guys who are making excuses why you shouldn't - when you start having hearing problems you'll wish you had. Be sure to remember that you were warned beforehand and you were too stubborn to listen.
Supertac45
Member
Never while hunting.
mljdeckard
Member
I don't, but at the same time, I wouldn't mock someone for slipping on the muffs before taking a shot.
- Status
