Ear protection

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CajunMan89

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I will be going deer hunting for the first time in a few days. My cousin that is taking me has been hunting for 50 plus years. He told me that it would be to my benefit to not wear ear plugs or muffs because I will not be able to hear the deer when they start to walk around in our hunting area. We won't be in a stand, we'll be sitting on buckets in the woods at the WMA. He has a .7mm rifle and I have a .243 WIN. Mine is loud to me so I know his will be REALLY loud. I will have a hunter orange skull cap on and pull it over my ears since it's large enough, but I don't think that will help much.


Any suggestions?
 
Cajun, I seriously doubt that 1-2 shots from the rifles you described will injure your hearing, like you friend said you want to be in tune to nature while your out there.
 
Cajun, I seriously doubt that 1-2 shots from the rifles you described will injure your hearing, like you friend said you want to be in tune to nature while your out there. You might look into those hearing aids that amplify your hearing then shut off at the shot, I believe Cabelas carries them but they are expensive.
 
As someone with high tone deafness, I strongly suggest that you wear hearing protection. Don't BS yourself, every blast to your ear drums matters.
 
Here is the story on hearing loss. There are two factors; genetic and noise exposure. If you're genetically predisposed, loud noises will cause hearing loss. There is no way to tell before hand if you're genetically predisposed.

While it's true that one or two shots probably won't cause permanent hearing loss, the damage can be cumulative. In addition there is NO reason not to wear hearing protection while hunting. The options are:

1. Foam ear plugs. I like the ones made by E.A.R., Inc. the best. If you're worried about hearing the deer, you can leave one out. For a right handed shooter, the one to wear would be in the left ear which would be the most susceptible to noise.

2. Ear muffs. You can put them on when ready to shoot.

3. Electronic ear muffs. If you turn the volume up you can actually hear better than without them. They automatically decrease the noise when a certain loudness threshold is reached.

4. The best for hunting would be custom made electronic hearing protectors that look like hearing aids. They're easy to wear all day and the E.A.R., Inc. ones I have provide good protection even for blast of braked handguns like the 460 S&W Magnum. They're also the most expensive.

5. Some states allow suppressors for hunting. There are hoops to jump through, a 7 to 10 month wait and a $200 tax to pay but noise reduction is very significant even if you're not shooting subsonic ammo.
 
Not a problem when hunting to be without hearing protection. As pointed out you will probably only fire a shot or two. When shooting at game no rifle seems to make any noise or have any recoil. If hunting something that requires a large quantity of shooting, such as waterfowl , hearing protection is a good idea. Also, if hunting with a muzzlebrake, you may want protection. My brother said it rang his ears good with the brake on his 30/06 when shooting at deer. Some of the BHM (big hairy magnums) are objectionable enough to require protection in the field.
 
I wear muffs around my neck and put them on before shooting. One unprotected round can damage your hearing. No animal is worth that.
 
I had this same dilemna. I remember trying the electronic ear muffs. They work ok but if there is even only a slight wind, it sounds like you're in a wind tunnel. Your hunting buddy is correct that your hearing is important when hunting cervids. I've found a moderator to be the best compromise.
There are enough borderline deaf hunters in my moose group to demonstrate what happens when you don't look after your hearing. I don't doubt that many of them slightly regret not taking better care of their hearing in their younger years.
Today we have the knowledge, awareness and the technology to prevent hearing damage. Even if it costs you money, remember that no amount of money will bring your hearing back, once it's lost.
 
I wear a pair of earplugs around my neck . Sometimes I remember to put them in and sometimes I don't . I haven't developed a good habit yet ( just started doing this last year ) . Seems all of my shots are without them in .

I can see first hand how hearing loss is effecting my dad . We have yearly hearing test at work and 3 years ago they noticed a hearing loss in my left ear .
 
if you fire anything greater than a 22 rifle without hearing protection, you will suffer a minor, but very real amount of permanent hearing damage. For some of us, this is a minor sacrifice as we shoot 1 to 2 shots a year in this fashion and that amount of exposure is probably not going to drop your hearing below average.

But just keep in mind that low exposure does not equate to harmless. There IS damage being done to your hear's tiny hairs when you exposure it to impulses greater than 140dB.
 
It's a risk and anyone who says it won't do damage is not being honest with you, that said, if I were in a blind or a shack of some kind I'd probably have ear pro available and use it but in spot and stalk type hunting it is mostly rare to have time to put them in.
My hearing is pretty dam bad due to both work and gunfire so yes I know the dangers and they are real but I still take my big game shots without.
 
As I tell the scouts when I take them shooting, hearing damage is instantaneous, cumulative, and irreversible. You may not notice it now, but you'll start to notice tinnitus or missing frequencies at some point. If there is more than one shooter, it increases the chance of hearing damage depending on your location relative to their muzzle when they shoot.

I wore the cheap foam plugs this year on the pheasant hunt. I could still hear the other guys around me. Thankfully (yeah, right) we never saw any pheasants so no hearing would have been damaged either way. :(

Matt
 
I have some hearing loss from exposure to aircraft engines while in the air force, as well as some from too much bird hunting without hearing protection. young and dumb in both cases.

Hearing loss is NOT a natural part of aging. It is the cumulative effect of the loud noises we are exposed to in our modern world. Don't believe me? research historic anecdotes about elderly native americans and austrialian aboriginies who were never around cars, trains, guns, explosives, amplified music, etc.

So yes, my understanding is that every time you are exposed to a loud gunshot without protection, your hearing is whittled away just a little bit. As others have said, when you are actually shooting at game, you often don't "hear" the shot. My understanding is that this phenomena is called "auditory occlusion" or something like that. That's your brain blocking out the sound signals from your ear. The damage to your ear still occurs.
 
Electronic ear muffs; protection....

The use of e-muffs or special hunting ear muffs that enhance sounds/audio signals but will shut off in nano-seconds of a loud noise or gun shot may work well. These units are not cheap. :uhoh:
If you enjoy the hunting experience or like being outdoors, you can buy a set for hunting.
See Cabelas, Natchezss.com Midwayusa.com Gander Mountain. Prices & styles vary.

Gun-writer, hunter & match shooter; Massad Ayoob wrote about Wolff Ears a system that enhanced hearing for outdoor & tactical uses but I think the firm went out of business.
 
I regularly wear a pair of Peltor Tac-7 e-muffs while hunting. In addition to protecting my hearing, they keep my ears warm. I won't wear them if it's raining, but then wear a pair of plugs on a line around my neck. I'm mid 50s with no measurable hearing loss to date and want to keep it that way.
 
Hearing protection will be required when you fire. I use Gold-ears electronic ear muffs. As far as I know these have the highest NDR 33 on the market. These particular ear muffs clamps all noise above 70db. Damage starts at 80.

Now in most cases you can sit without hearing protection while your waiting for the deer. Once you hear and spot one, you should have plenty of time to put muffs or ear plugs in before the shot.
 
Much appreciated!

Thanks to all who took the time to give input! I have decided to use my Winchester ear muffs that I got from Walmart last year. Since I already broke the bank for this rip, I think they'll do the job....they work great for my 12 gauge. I'll place them on the top of my head and slide them in place before I shoot. I just hope that won't spook the deer. I hear tell I have to be very still.

We'll each be sitting on a hunter's bucket seat almost back to back, so hopefully I'll be able to see clearly being in that position instead of being in a stand. This is exciting being my first hunting trip. I hope I don't leave empty handed. Glad I finally get to try it out. At 25 it's better late than never.
 
This comes up from time to time and I have to say in fifty years of hunting with countless other hunters I have never seen anybody wear hearing protection hunting. Matter of fact I never heard anybody even talk about it until I started reading these forums. Now, practicing, skeet, trap, targets, etc. you would have to be nuts not to wear something. Or, if you happen to be hunting with a magnum pistol, or a big magnum with some recoil compensation that throws it back at you.

I wear protection when I run a chainsaw, even when I mow the grass.

But, wearing ear protection hours or days to shoot a normal hunting rifle once or twice seems a tad much to me.
 
2. Ear muffs. You can put them on when ready to shoot.
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Between deer and elk both, I've made successful shots at running animals within only a second or two from the exact moment that I heard/saw the first movement. I never, ever would have been able to install hearing protection in any of those instances before those critters were lost in the trees.
As pointed out you will probably only fire a shot or two.
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Last year I took two elk out of the same herd with four shots over a stretch of a minute or two. I hated the auditory experience. My left ear was ringing badly afterward.

I've never been all that concerned with hearing protection while hunting, but I've now started to use it. Hearing the slightest of movements is a nonnegotiable. I must be able to hear them as well as I ably can. The electric muffs should do the trick.
 
Cajun, I seriously doubt that 1-2 shots from the rifles you described will injure your hearing,
Click to expand...

WRONG! 1-2 shots without hearing protection can result in permanent hearing loss

Electronic devices like muffs or in-the-ear models will allow you to hear better than your normal hearinf while still offering some protection from supersonic muzzle blast
 
Incidentally I lost most of my hearing during an ambush back when I was a police officer in an enclosed area, in fact my partner shot close enough to my left ear to damage the follicles inside my ear and yes I did suffer tininitus (spelling) ringing in my ear. However since that time I've been fitted with $4,000.00 hearing aids that shut out the loud sound of gunfire, etc. Recently I've been fitted with $9000.00 aids thanks to the VA and my status there. (Haven't got them yet)

Now getting back to the subject, up until that time I had very acute hearing, in fact I could hear a partridge rustle in the brush before taking off. Anyway now I have a hard time deciphering adults talking let alone my small grandchildren.

However I will stick to my guns as far as what is it worth to you to protect your hearing, I doubt seriously that you will remember to put your muffs on just before you take a shot at that deer, as I'm sure you're heart will be beating 90 miles an hour especially if this is your first deer hunt.

Anyway if your worried about it fork out about $2000.00 and get ya some good in the ear, ear protectors, I doubt they will whistle with the wind.:)
 
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