Hearing protection while hunting

[S&Wfan]

Soooooo many older hunters, always active in shooting sports and hunting all their lives, are "dang near deaf."

Most of you hunters out there know several I'm sure. The difference between those older deaf ones and yourself . . . is just a matter of years.

Older hunters are so excited when they finally try the really nice hearing enhancer/protectors like the Walker products. They say, "I can HEAR THE DEER WALKING AGAIN LIKE I COULD WHEN I WAS A KID!"

We used to have a hunter on our club who talked louder than h__. He was in his late 50's and he'd lost so much of his hearing.

For you younger hunters, you have the opportunity now to save your keen hearing throughout your entire hunting years . . . by wearing good electronic hearing enhancers/protection while hunting.

For those of you in your mid-50s like myself, who realize that we don't hear 'em slipping past us nearly as well anymore, the devices are a godsend.

For those of you too macho to wear 'em . . . enjoy your hunting while you can, for one day you won't hear those squirrels in the trees . . . or that big buck slipping quietly past you 100 yards away . . . and you'll wonder why you aren't very successful anymore.

FOLKS . . . WEAR PROTECTION!

Again . . . my "muffs." They aren't overly expensive . . . ARE in stereo (and give really good pinpoint placement of all sounds) . . . and allow me to hear MUCH BETTER after the shot, should a deer not go down instantly. It's nice again to hear 'em fall and kick 100 yards away again too!

 

[Psssniper]

I cant believe some of the posts that I have read here. Save a copy of this thread and when you cant hear a damn thing in your old age re-read it and weep. ONE incident WILL permanently damage your hearing and it only gets worse with each incident. We spend tons of money on guns scopes trips tags etc but are too damn cheap to protect one of the most important things we have that we can never get back once it's gone, our hearing. :banghead:
As noted there are many options that will protect your ears and amplify the sounds around you. We all make choices and we live with the results of those choices, choose wisely my friends.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I share this info with whomever will listen:

Facts on noise levels:

Decibels measure sound pressure and are logarithmic, a 3db increase almost doubles sound pressure, a 6db increase quadruples sound pressure.

Gradual hearing loss may occur after prolonged exposure to 90 decibels or above.

Exposure to 100 decibels for more than 15 minutes can cause hearing loss.

Exposure to 110 decibels for more than a minute can cause permanent hearing loss.

Here are some examples of noise levels:

Video arcades - (110 dB).

Firecrackers - (125-155 dB at a distance of 10 feet).

Live music concerts - (120 dB and above).

Movie theatres - (118 dB).

Health clubs and aerobic studios (120 dB).

Sporting events (127 dB).

Motorboats - (85-115 dB).

Motorcycles - (95-120 dB).

Snowmobiles - (99 dB).

"Boom cars" - (140 dB and above).

Here are noise levels of firearms:

.223, 55GR. Commercial load 18" barrel 155.5dB

.243 in 22" barrel 155.9dB

.30-30 in 20" barrel 156.0dB.

7mm Magnum in 20" barrel 157.5dB.

.308 in 24" barrel 156.2dB.

.30-06 in 24" barrel 158.5dB. In 18" barrel 163.2dB.

.375 18" barrel with muzzle brake 170 dB.

.410 Bore 28" barrel 150dB. 26" barrel 150.25dB. 18" barrel 156.30dB.

20 Gauge 28" barrel 152.50dB. 22" barrel 154.75dB.

12 Gauge 28" barrel 151.50dB. 26" barrel 156.10dB. 18" barrel 161.50dB.

.25 ACP 155.0 dB.

.32 LONG 152.4 dB.

.32 ACP 153.5 dB.

.380 157.7 dB.

9mm 159.8 dB.

.38 S&W 153.5 dB.

.38 Spl 156.3 dB.

.357 Magnum 164.3 dB.

.41 Magnum 163.2 dB.

.44 Spl 155.9 dB.

.45 ACP 157.0 dB.

.45 COLT 154.7 dB.

Properly fitted earplugs or muffs reduce noise 15 to 30 dB. The better earplugs and muffs are approximately equal in sound reductions, although earplugs are better for low frequency noise and earmuffs for high frequency noise.

All of us should be trying to get the greatest Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) that can be put together. NRR 30 plugs with NRR 20 muffs will give you an effective NRR 45 (add plugs and muffs, then subtract 5). If noise levels are 160 dB this gives you an exposure with plugs and muffs of 115 dB. The acceptable exposure time for this is 15 minutes total for the day. If the noise levels are 150 dB the resultant acceptable exposure time with the given plugs and muffs is 1 hour and 4 hours if the noise level is 140 dB. You're not going to find unsuppressed noise levels below 140dB with gunfire.

If you are shooting by yourself, roughly 100 rounds of 140 dB instantaneous noise in a day should not produce hearing damage. Put your plugs and muffs on and you get to shoot up to a thousand rounds without damage (louder ammo/gun and the allowable drops by a factor of 5). Shoot with other people and you have to add all the rounds shot cumulatively (10 people shoot 100 rounds and everybody's done for the day; toss a handcannon or 30 cal rifle in and you're back down to 200 rounds cumulative). If you shoot on an indoor range then all the rounds fired while you are on the range go into your total. So you can see that it doesn't take very long on a range to have a thousand rounds popped off around you.

If you want to know what the noise level you are exposed to is you can rent noise dosimeters that you can wear. They will record the total noise exposure and present the information to you as dB. You can then subtract the adjusted combined NRR of your hearing protection to determine if you're getting too much exposure.

 

[JohnKSa]

PinnedAndRecessed,

Great information. I guess I had never seen the part explaining cumulative exposure numbers for a day as it relates to gunfire.

 

[Mossberg535]

I definitely agree with wearing protection during hunting.
I shot a 357 6 times 20 years ago without hearing protection and my hearing has never been the same. My right eardrum has been damaged ever since. I have some hearing loss in both ears, more in the right, and certain tones sound like bad speaker distortion in my right ear....all from a few handgun shots 2 decades ago.

You younger shooters/hunters who come by this forum, take these guys who are telling you to use protection ALL the time very seriously.
Im just turning 43 this year and the sole reason for my hearing being the way it is was because a few gunshots where I was just too big a man to wear those sissy looking earmuffs.
And I dont hunt a lot at all, so dont be fooled by someone telling you that only a few shots here and there wont hurt.
I hunted and shot a bit when I was in my teens and early 20s, skipped a whole decade without doing much of either and just got back into it in 05, so I dont have a whole lot of gunplay over the course of my life, but I DO have damaged hearing from just a few shots and not wearing protection.

 

[carnaby]

Zoinks! I don't even like to shoot the .357 with hearing protection. I can only imagine how bad it would be without ears on.

 

[BIGR]

Man you dug this post out of the ground, its older than the hills. While I am talking about it though I will comment. I don't wear hearing protection while hunting but I will while target practicing. I guess I should but I like to hear bambi coming through the woods. I know there are those plugs like walkers game ear but I have never tried them.

 

[Tom609]

I'm sitting here reading this thread while wearing my new and very expensive hearing aids. Don't be an ass; protect it while you have it.

 

[BIGR]

Thats right use it or loose it and don't be a real jack ass.

 

[MCgunner]

Older'n the hills thread.

No, I don't, except when hunting in box blinds with my 12" compensated .30-30 Contender. I found that one out the hard way. It ain't bad in the open, but in a box blind I keep the muffs on my head and pull 'em down before the shot. I haven't hunted with a revolver in a box blind, but I would do the same for that, too.

 

[Mossberg535]

Older'n the hills thread.

eh..that was my fault for not looking at the date first
I was google searching hearing protection and this thread came up.
I joined and posted without looking to see how oldd the thread was.

 

[BIGR]

Welcome Mossberg535, no big deal. Using the search feature will turn up tons of info. Wearing hearing protection is a good topic. I agree a 357 will make your ears ring and I learned years ago to respect it. My hearing is probably not what it should be due to some of the work and shooting I have done over the years. Take care

 

[mswestfall]

Eye protection here but no hearing protection.

 

[Deer Hunter]

While hunting duck and dove I use hearing protection.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Funnily enough most of my hearing loss is from other things than gunfire (formula racing team and I played in a band in high school). I always wear foam plugs when hunting and they seem to work. No ringing ears or pain.

 

[buck460XVR]

For those that think an occasional shot without having ear protection while hunting will do no harm have never shot a compensated X-Frame revolver. Not only will they make an unprotected ear ring, they can make it bleed.

Altho I agree that an occasional shot while hunting with a medium size long gun may not substantially damage ones hearing, this is not always the case. A friend of mine took his young son to Texas for his first deer hunt. Using a youth size gun he proceeded to shoot his first deer with the muzzle inside the walls of the metal box stand. They both now have permanent hearing loss. I myself hunted for years without hearing protection and still go without when using a long gun, but I will not go without whenever I use my handguns....whether the .460 or the .357. I have had good luck with the bellows type I got from work and have used plain foam ones also.....someday I'll break down and get an expensive pair of the electronic ones. I too walk and stalk for deer, but have found that earplugs only handicap me because they quiet the noise I make so I tend to go too fast. I've found most of the time, when I'm successful, I still sight the game first. Those that I hear are already going the wrong way and the most one can hope for is the infamous "Texas Heart Shot".

 

[langenc]

Dont let anyone tell you "it is just a 22"

Then I suppose a 44 is only 2x as much bang!! Ran into a couple geniuses at the range with a 44 mag. When we quired them about their lack of earmuffs we got "we do it all the time without." What??