Gents and ladies,

What ear muffs do y'all use for waterfowl hunting? I still want to be able to hear the ducks calling in the distance and the flapping wings and hard banks into my spread, but my ears have taken a beating over the last ten years and I think (a little late) I should probably consider protecting them.

I mean aint walkers game ear like the only answer? lol

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/1020636447?pid=656462

This is what I would go with if you don’t mind spending some cash. Not a big fan of muffs.

ETA- I’m cheap so I have a couple sets of these, they do ok.

https://www.amazon.com/SureFire-Def...qid=1570066738&s=gateway&sr=8-13

Those are a lot of bang for the buck. Digitals from EAR inc are the best. Cost about 2k but heard they can be found for less than 1000. Custom molded. Avoiding hearing loss well worth it. All it takes is one shot and it’s irreversible.

What he said. Hearing loss is irreversible. My first set of EARs lasted 17 years. Replaced them last year with the digital model. Well worth the money.

Yep, happened to me 30 years ago. I never wore ear protection back then, my ears got rung every now and then, but it went away. Well one day shooting clay, standing behind someone else shooting, one shot rung my ears good, and the ringing never went away. And it has got worse over the years.

I have always used the foam ear plugs, I’m just so used to them now. But I been wanting to get some nice electronic ones.

Do you have sense of direction with those?

I've worn Walker game ears before, and they are pretty cool, but you have no idea what direction the sound is coming from.

A buddy of mine has sport ears, they are about $500 a pair. He likes them.

I've been using walker game ear for some time, the one drawback with muffs is they begin to hurt my ears after a short time. I've been looking into the custom molded digital ear plugs but really haven't seen any options out there that aren't at least $1,000. If anyone knows of more affordable options for these that'd be great too.

Best $50 pair around.
https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Honeywell-Amplification-Electronic/dp/B001T7QJ9O/

Been wearing them a long time. Low profile so they don't get in the way. Batteries last forever. Only negative is that a windy day sounds like a hurricane, but still great bang for the buck.

I have been using these for several years now. I have about worn them out.

MSA ear muffs are the best I've owned...I bought a cheaper (just under a 1k) pair from Ear Inc and the wind noise liked to drove me insane, I sent them back during the no questions period and got my money back.

Oh, that would mess me up cuz I like to hunt and boom scout at the same time.

I think the Walkers have improved. My first pair, I struggled with where sound was coming from, but the ones I have now give a good sense of direction. They have multiple mics now, so there is direction.

Absolutely. Same senses just amplified volume.

Thanks. I just ordered a pair of the camo ones off that link for only $44.21.

Custom molded electronic ones for me. Worth it because I was terrible about not wearing normal plugs. These I don’t mind, because I can still hear. Sense of direction is fine, not awful, not quite like normal.

They’re great for quail or pheasant hunting. What’s really incredible is when you’re calling ducks, you can hear them whistling back when they wearing oxygen masks. Really do enhance experience. I did verify today you can find digitals under 1000 bucks now crazy how all the stuff drops in price.

I have been a member of the local gun club and everyone’s pretty good about wearing hearing protection—-except for the guys who are already semi deaf from shooting. The lady who is a doctor that made my first pair of digitals was actually lazy to put hers back on and she wanted to take one more shot at the range with a small caliber rifle - she lost 65% of her hearing with ONE ROUND.

Guys this is not a joking matter - I hate when friends come out and don’t even have protection for their kids hunting out of a blind. I always have a few extra pairs of the cheap foam plugs for them. Better than nothing If balled up and inserted quickly

I’m sure the custom molded buds are better, but these work great for $50. I’ve been very happy with them for three years.

I have these also and love them.