Hearing Protection poll

The recent thread on brakes got me thinking. When hunting without a brake, just end of a rifle barrel terminating with no attachment, I never wear hearing protection...especially if I am in a blind with the barrel sticking out a window. It seems that the muzzle blast is mitigated enough that it does not bother me. When I am in a tree stand, just one or two shots does not seem to bother me either. So I ask, when hunting without a brake, and without a suppressor, do you use hearing protection?

I dont wear ear pro most of the time when I am hunting.

I have started wearing ear pro while dove hunting, and I try to put plugs in whenever i am running a chain saw, weed eater, lawn mower, tractor, or any other type of loud noise.

I use hearing protection, but I lost most of my hearing over 50 years ago. Now I am trying to save what I have left.

huh?

no hearing protection here unless required by the range ...

I don't wear hearing protection when hunting (with brake, without break, with suppressor, without suppressor, using a rifle, using a pistol, using a shotgun). The only one where I feel I need it is shotgun given the number of rounds fired

I use hearing protection most of the time, whether on the range or in the blind. Lost most of the hearing in my left year about 10 years ago due to an idiot used-to-be-friend in the duck blind firing a 12 gauge next to my ear. I’d like to keep what hearing I have left.

Self deception is what leads a lot of people to deafness.

I usually don't wear ear protection most of the time when I am hunting out in the wide open spaces, I want to be able to hear animals and what is going on around me. I should, but don't. If I am in a blind I use my ear plugs on the plastic neck holder. When shooting on a range, under a roof, or with partitions with my pistols or people on either side of me, I do. Even without a brake, my 300 RUM is LOUD!!

I voted no but wouldn't go so far as to say it's not necessary. However, I always use hearing protection when practicing with anything more than a 22. My style of hunting requires being able to listen closely and be ready to take a shot without fumbling with ear protection.

Went to an audiologist years ago and had a $99 special where they checked my hearing and then made a custom mold of my earholes.

Two weeks later I had custom earplugs with a filter that you can change out to be between 15-35dB of protection.

Money very well spent. Every time I shoot a rifle, unless it is a small caliber and suppressed, I use them.

I toured around for many years with my bands and played lots of LOUD shows. I need to protect all the hearing I can!

Would you speak up .

Hunting I use sound cancelling ear muffs that amplify sounds then cancel the rifle shot....

Shooting (and around equipment, chainsaws, etc) I use ear plugs under ear muff....double protecting what I have left

Those of you that ever shoot a center fire rifle, without suppressor, and without hearing protection, do you fail to wear safety glasses when cutting, grinding, sanding?

routinely.

Doctor's gotta make a living too.

People doing dumb stuff is what Firefighter/Paramedics call "job security". I would ber eye and ear docs say the same thing.

Unfortunately, unclebubba, most people don’t notice a problem until we’ll after the damage is done. When my ears started ringing, 35+ years ago, I hadn’t fired a gun in over 6 months....one night they just started and haven’t stopped...ever.

I've treated thousands of elderly folks (not calling you elderly Chris). Guess which ones are by far the most often very hard of hearing or near deaf?

The men...

^^^^^^This. I just spent 2K on hearing aids. Doesn't matter if you're hunting or at the range. Damage is done anytime you shoot.

Ditto. Longer jobs I wear good PPE, same with longer shooting duration. Short sanding, cutting, etc. I forego it 99% of the time

Most of the time when hunting, I use the noise canceling headsets. I like turning the volume up a bit and being able to her distant sounds clearly but reducing the sound of the shot. I rarely use eye pro when hunting but prolly should. When at the range, I use both 100% of the time.

Wear a pair of those neckband ear plugs around my neck all the time. Leaves my ears open to hear what's going on around me and 99% of the time I have plenty of time to stick them in my ears before shooting.

^^These when using my 7 Rem Mag and brake.

Every other rifle wears the suppressor.

Why don't you suppress the 7 mag? Barrel too long?

I shot for years and was just fine, until I wasn't one day. I fired a .38 S&W out the back of a Jeep, being lazy and sitting down. I had the barrel out of the cab, but it caught me just right to set off a loud ringing for about three days. My left ear felt 'thick' like I was listening underwater. It cleared up after a week or two and I ignored the warning. Years later at a Van Halen concert I sat with my left ear towards the stage. At some point the drums were so loud that something gave. Next morning I had the same symptoms except after the thickness cleared up, the tinnitus and damage was undeniable. I've had several audio tests in the last 15 years and I don't remember the particulars but I lost quite a bit of range in that ear. It mildly rings constantly and doing anything now without earpro results in 1-3 days of loud ringing. And by anything I mean something as simple as using a hammer or somebody nearby yelling loudly. Hell, I can set it off myself if I yell loud enough.

The amount of money I would pay to be able to go back and wear earpro every time I shot would be immense. It may be my biggest regret.

So I do wear ear pro while shooting at the range. I also wear ear pro when bird hunting due to the multitude of shots. However, I have never when hunting. Maybe I'll start.

When it was built, it was given an appropriate 26" barrel. Back then my suppressor was 10 1/2" and 26 ounces. The load was worked up with 26" and brake. The barrel is fluted, so I just leave it be.

In 2005 my stepdaughter was 4. Deaf in one ear, aided in the other. The aid slowly stopped working. She got a Cochlear implant in 2009. I picked her up from school weeks later in April. In the driveway at home she said "daddy, what's that beep, beep, beep outside?" I said those are the birds singing. She had never heard them.

Three weeks ago her Cochlear was removed because it was hurting her scalp, since she is 19 now, and she's grown. She's deaf again until recovery and a new surgery.

She would call everyone with natural hearing, that doesn't protect it a bunch of damn fools.

Sorry to hear that. I know 3 children that were born to close friends that were born with hearing problems. I hope her hearing is able to be corrected again.

For me Hearing protections is an absolute must. I double up most of the time with foam skull screws and muff when recreational shooting. MSA the rest of the time so I can hear my surroundings. While it may be optional for some until you have lost one of your senses you don't know what you are missing. All 5 senses work cohesively, lose one and your brain will focus more on the remaining but you will be nothing but a shadow of your former self.

When hunting I wear electronic ear buds. SoundGear. They slightly amplify normal sounds and reduce gunfire by 27 decibels. At the range I wear the best foam plugs I can get. Hearing loss is a pain in the [censored].

after being on battle station on a 5" gun mount, then using table saws, mitre saws ect, and not using protection in my early days of hunting, HUH

I've gotten better at wearing it the last few years. I worked/volunteered at a range for a number of years. Even wearing hearing protection there, I now have tinnitus (ringing) most of the time. I don't notice it when I'm busy, but if I relax, I cannot stop hearing it.

I wear it when I'm shooting at the range, not in the deer stand. I might look into the electronic earbuds. I got a complimentary case of tinnitus from the military, so I'd like to keep what I have left.

Keep the earplugs in the binoculars case. One doesn’t come out without the other. The older you get, the more you understand the importance.

I wear hearing protection (usually sound-canceling muffs) while hunting with a firearm, even one with a suppressor. I wear ear plugs when using other loud equipment, mowing the lawn, etc.

I'm turning 65 in March. I am convinced all my gun sports and hunting is a big reason I'm all but deaf in my left ear. That along with working in Oil Ref. and Chem plants.

I was into muzzle brakes before they were cool. I'm down to one rifle with a break and I never shoot it anymore, Weatherby ultra lite that will bounce a scope off your nose just about as bad as my 416 Rigby.

The KDF brake style I had on my 300 RUM late 90's early 2000 would rattle the tin at gun range with the best of them.

If you shoot a gun with a brake, foam ear plugs and muffs is the way to go if you want to keep your ears working.

Wear mine every time i go archery hunten...
Dang 🦌 deer keep sneaken up on me...

That's your best post in a while Colt!

No reason to risk your ears. Just get electronic hearing protection. If you pick the right ones, not only will you be able to hear animals and what's going on around you, but you will be able to hear it even better.

If you are shooting unprotected, then you are hearing less and less of what is going on around you. You don't realize it, but it is happening.

My ears are shot from years of shooting a shotgun no protection.

^ this

After years of running all kinds of power equipment, including owning a landscape business & tree business & working residential construction, plus shooting guns for 25+ years, plus sirens for over 16 years, w/no hearing pro ever, I'm starting to lose my hearing. I started wearing hearing pro about 10 years ago when shooting & try to remember to use it doing all the other items mentioned. Young, dumb & full of @@@ made me too cool for geeky hearing pro.
I feel differently now.

Well, and a lot of us were raised being told that we just needed to just "toughen our ears." The implication was that you were a wuss if you bothered with wearing hearing protection. This usually came from elders who already had a good bit of hearing loss.

How many of you have custom hearing protection/enhancement? The in ear devices that require an impression of your inner ear and then insert in your ear are what I’m interested in. I’m looking at the Soundgear Phantom rechargeable and the more expensive unit made by Tactical Hearing. These actually offer protection and supposedly enhance your hearing.
But they’re not cheap. I’d be curious if any of you wear these and if so what do you think.

Like many of you, I wear protection at the range, but not hunting. Of course we all know that hearing damage is inevitable without protection. I’ve lost high frequency hearing because of my profession and shooting. Plus I have tinnitus 24/7. Advice to younger guys: wear protection all the time.

About 10 yrs ago we were shooting for a few hours. That night my ears started ringing and didn’t stop for a couple of weeks. It finally stopped now I wear electronic muffs or ear plugs anytime I shoot.

I am a firearms instructor for work and started using the electronic muffs years ago. I can actually hear things better with them on versus without until they register a loud noise. I now wear them around the house while mowing, using grinders, saws and other loud tools.

I had a set of sport ears made...I couldn't get past the wind noise and returned them during the trial period. That's been over 10 years ago so it might be better now. I do have a set of plugs with a filter in them that were made from the same impressions. Now 99% of the time if I am hunting I use a suppressor and don't use hearing protection. If for some reason that isn't the case, I wear MSA muffs.

I wear ear plugs every shot

I voted no, but only shoot suppressed now. If I'm at the range, I do wear hearing protection.

i use these, https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/radians-snug-plugs%E2%84%A2-ear-plugs#repChildCatid=33452
i've shot my shotgun once or twice without them while bird hunting. If i'm target shooting, im wearing protection.

I use them bird hunting dove and duck and when I’m not shooting with a suppressor.

use my suppressors when possible now,have always carried set of ear plugs with me,doesn't take 2 seconds to put them in,your hearing or lack there of is for life.

Damaged my hearing in my early 20s in the army because I didn't wear my issued earplugs. I have had tinnitus ever since and don't hear sounds above a certain frequency.

Not wanting to go deaf I started wearing standard earmuffs while wingshooting. However, I didn't like the fact that I couldn't hear what was going on around me so I got a pair of Peltor electronic earmuffs . I used these for a number of seasons but was never entirely happy because after walking for a few hours the earmuffs would get sweaty and uncomfortable. I eventually had custom electronic earplugs made - the ones where they take an impression of your ears. The company I used was CENS Digital. It was the best decision I have made regarding ear protection for wingshooting. They cut out sound above a certain decibel point and they amplify sound below that point. You can adjust the volume. They are small and fit snug so there is no bulk as with earmuffs, nor any sweatiness. The only drawback, and I think it was a problem with the Peltors as well if I recall, is that they can be noisy in very windy conditions. They were not cheap but I love them and have been using the same pair for 14 years.

When hunting furred game, it varies. If I am hunting in thick bush where I will find animals in close proximity then I wear my electronic earplugs while I am hunting. If I am hunting in open or mountainous terrain where I will normally spot the animals some way off and I will have time to stalk them then I carry the earplugs in my pocket and only pop them in prior to taking the shot. Sometimes, I don't even bother with the electronic earplugs and I use a protective wax which I push to the bottom of my ear (it takes the shape of the ear and sits snug) and I only push the wax up to block the ear canal prior to shooting. I have silenced my .243 so there is no longer an issue with that rifle but my 30-06 is not silenced. I'll admit that, for all my efforts at protecting my hearing, I have still taken the odd shot with no hearing protection whatsoever when circumstances require a quick shot and there isn't time to fiddle with plugs. Then I feel bad and admonish myself for not being more disciplined.

If I were shooting from a blind/hide, where the sound would probably not dissipate as well as in an open space, I would be very diligent in wearing ear protection.

I use them any time shooting, love my electronic walkers