Hearing damage in defensive situations?

[hso]

There is no amount of damage your hearing has already taken that makes the remaining hearing not worth protecting while you're practicing.

Only someone totally ignorant of the facts or someone too foolish to heed them doesn't wear hearing protection when practicing.

 

[Eleven Mike]

What? We can't hear you.

 

[GEM]

Dr. Darwin - what where you saying? I can't hear you? Thanks to Hso!

Putting on your electronic muffs which will enable you to hear and give some protection, probably takes as much time as all the commandos racking their shotguns for sound effects.

Obviously if the guy is in front of you, then you react accordingly. If you are in the bedroom and hear a noise downstairs, bet you have enough time to grab the Peltors.

 

[perdurabo93]

How many of you bother to wear hearing protection while hunting?

Electronic muffs and plugs like the Walker Game Ear do improve your hearing and make you able o hear better than without them on, however Ive noticed that with these electronic gizmos, even the high end ones from Peltor or Pro Ears that your ability to determine the direction from which a sound comes is greatly impaired. I can hear more of whats going on around me but I cant tell where its coming from.

The vast majority of the time when I'm hunting I'll only be shooting once, and very rarely maybe 2-3 times. Since I hunt mostly deer in Texas, the vast majority of my hunting is from stands/blinds so theres plenty of opportunity to easily wear electronic hearing protection, but I personally don't think its worth it. I suppose I could put them on JUST before shooting, but the movement required might make me miss my shot or spook the target. If I were stalk hunting as is most common on big parcels of public land in the west, it would be even harder to put on hearing protection just before shooting and having them on all the time would be a major impairment.

Hunting doves/duck/geese with a shotgun involves shooting a lot more in one hunting trip though... however shotgun blasts tend to not be as loud as rifle report... and directional hearing isn't quite as critical unless maybe you're calling them in. I might consider electronic protection in that instance more readily.

What do you all think about hearing protection while hunting?

 

[.38 Special]

Legal paranoia time...

I know, I know, but I live in Southern California and have a right to some paranoia.

I can absolutely see some shyster going at you thusly: "If you had time to put on your hearing protection you had time to call the police/run away/hide/etc."

or

"If you were concerned for your hearing you obviously couldn't have been that concerned with your life...

or

"You kept your gun loaded and you ear muffs available. It looks to me as though you were planning on shooting someone. You know what we call it when you plan and prepare to kill someone? MURDER ONE!"

 

[GEM]

So read the legal literature on such, get a lawyer that knows the issues and protect your life and hearing.

It is clear that some things affect juries. It is clear that you should know such if you are a student of the art. It is clear that your lawyer should know the cases and literature about such.

Otherwise - all this - do this, don't do this based on internet conjecture is foolish.

 

[.38 Special]

Otherwise - all this - do this, don't do this based on internet conjecture is foolish.

Well, if you want to get snippy, I can merely point out that the idea of "clearing" your living room in the wee hours with a gun, a set of earmuffs, and your underpants is so silly that it could only be contemplated on the internet. And your wife would be laughing her **s off the whole time.

But I'm too polite to point out that sort of thing.

 

[.38 Special]

So read the legal literature on such, get a lawyer that knows the issues and protect your life and hearing.

BTW, what is the legal literature on putting on ear muffs prior to shooting someone?

Oh, there isn't any, because no one is really silly enough to keep ear muffs at the bedside in case of a housebreaker? Hmm...

 

[wdlsguy]

"If you had time to put on your hearing protection you had time to call the police/run away/hide/etc."

You wouldn't want to volunteer this information. Your conversation with the police should go something like this: "I was in fear for my life. I'm too upset to talk right now. I would like to consult with an attorney before saying anything more."

 

[GEM]

It is postulated that a weapons related issue will influence a jury. One worries about such. Thus, if one does - go study up on it. Worth more than 45 vs 9mm discussions.

Also clearing your house at night in your underpants? Who wears underpants to bed!!

Just a shoulder holster!

 

[Correia]

One of the dumbest things I ever did was touch off a 30 round magazine from a 16" AR in a tiny, cement basement with no ears.

Stupid, and I'm still paying for it over a dozen years later.

Protect your hearing whenever humanly possible.

And you can see my home defense rifle in action in this video. http://youtube.com/watch?v=kxLoahwIwqU Mine is the first AR. I'm the big dude in the ACU Goretex. I'm going to protect what hearing I've got left.

 

[Eleven Mike]

Just after OSUT at Benning, I went to a MOUT site with my new unit in Fort Hood, Texas. After a few days of running through the buildings, shooting each other, we still had copious amounts of blank rounds to dispose of. One of the buildings had an empty elevator shaft in the middle of it. We all stood at the entrance to it on the first floor, firing the blank rounds wildly up into the air inside the shaft. I must have been wearing hearing protection, with all those bursts of .223 going off inside the cinder block building. I don't really recall.

 

[ndh87]

If you have to shoot in self defense, hearing damage is going to be the least of your problems. If its a situation where you have lots of adrenaline pumping you may well not notice the ringing in your ears untill later anyway.

 

[GEM]

Problem is when the ringing never stops. I have a friend like that. A constant loud up and down ringing in his ear. He has to wear a gadget that tries to mask it.

The issue is whether in real time, you can get some hearing protection on. In the classic noise downstairs - you probably do.

However, if one wants to walk around with ear muffs, tac vest and 511s - that would something to see at the mall.

How many folks wear fake glasses for eye protection if you don't need them? I think I've seen that recommended in some tactics column or two.

 

[NickEllis]

What are the good "tactical" noise reduction/sound enhancement options out there? Either the plugs or the muffs?

I was once driving down a dirt road out in rural Nebraska when we passed a jackrabbit. My friend pulled his .45 and let one go out the window on an impulse. My window was up, and it was one of those moments where everything stopped, the world ceased to turn, and everything went white. Hard to believe that something can be so loud, and how your body responds to it. I can see why people get "shell shocked".

 

[Integrity]

New guy here. I read the entire thread with great interest. Of course in a self defense situation you just do what you have to do and hope for the best. One thing I did not see mentioned is that there is great inter-individual variability in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing damage. It is probably genetically determined (isn't everything?). So, those of you who have proudly proclaimed that you have shot extensively sans muffs without hearing loss should thank your lucky stars. The rest of you: don't assume their situation is applicable to you. Those at the other end of the spectrum, like me, can suffer greatly from exposure to a single shot. It sucks not to be able to hear your kids speaking to you.