First time deer hunting Saturday, Question

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hyrulejedi86

Member
Joined
May 13, 2012
Messages
136
Location
Columbus, Ohio
I have a concern and I want to see what opinions are out there. I'm going to go deer hunting for the first time Saturday with my father in law (FIL). This is my first outting I'm a bit concerned about going without hearing protection. Now my FIL, is stuck in his ways, if you will, and doesn't feel hearing protection is necessary for that one shot you take when hunting. And yes, he is hard of hearing but he claims it's just because he was stupid when younger and used to shoot trap without ears and not his hunting habits. However, I know better, both contributed to the hearing loss. I'm well aware that even a single shot can cause permanent damage. In Ohio you have to use either a pistol caliber carbine or a shotgun to hunt deer. I will have to use a 12 gauge Remington 870, at least until I can find a Marlin 1894C and thread it for use with my suppressor.

Now, I have lots of shooting experience. I've been target shooting for awhile now I even have a couple suppressors. But since getting those suppressors I've become more aware of how loud guns are without some kind of mitigation, either hearing protection or the suppressor. I've always worn ears when shooting unless shooting suppressed 22lr or 9mm. Heck I tried shooting an AR suppressed to see what it's like and although it doesn't hurt my ears it does cause ringing so after trying it to see I still wear ears when shooting 223 suppressed. If a suppressed 223 is enough to cause ringing what's an unsuppressed 12 gauge going to do!?

What are some opinions from others and thanks!
 
If you want to wear hearing protection...just put it on right before you shoot. I do it all the time. I keep my ear muffs on my head, covering just the very top of my ears...then when I need to shoot I slide them down. It takes two seconds and it's never cost me a shot.

At the same time...if it was just one shot with a 12 gauge it wouldn't concern me too much. My normal rifle has a muzzle brake on it so I make darn sure to protect my hearing any time I use it.

When I was younger my ears never rang after shooting an animal...I chalked it up to the excitement i was feeling at the time. However...over the years all the shooting added up.

I have enough ringing in my ears nowadays that I wear ear muffs for lots of stuff...even running the shop vac, the leaf blower, or mower. There's no "pure" silence in my life any more...there's always a ringing in the background.
 
I use ear protection target shooting. I usually don't hunting because you need to hear to hunt. However they do make ear plugs that only cancel loud noises, I have used them with mixed results. Also there are electronic hearing aids for hunting that block loud noises but allow you to hear very well. For deer with few if any shots being fired I would not worry about it, but since you are and have valid concerns check a Cabellas catalogue or Sporting goods store. In a pinch you can use cigarette filters or cotton.
 
Last edited:
I generally keep a pair of sonic valve type ear plugs in the truck all the time. They allow fairly good hearing while providing some protection from loud sharp sounds (not good for concerts or other continuous loud environments). Works really well in the field.
 
I've never used ear protection in my 25 yr plus hunting career, and don't have any apparent or at least noticeable hearing damage.
 
It is STUPID not to wear hearing protection every time you shoot if at all possible. Hearing loss from loud noise is at least in part, probably large part, genetically determined. The sad part is that there is no way to tell if you are predisposed to it. So, if you're a gambler, take your chances.

As for needing to hear and not being able to hear with electronic muffs; nonsense. Few and far between will be the times when not being able to hear as opposed to not being able to see will cause you to lose out on an animal. In addition, after you lose your hearing from loud noise you won't be able to hear anyway so what have you gained?

As for the options, the best and most expensive are custom molded electronic hearing protectors like those I got from E.A.R., Inc. They work well even for shooting a braked 460 S&W Magnum handgun. Next for hunting would be electronic ear muffs which are fairly cheap. The main objection to them seems to be you can't tell where a sound is coming from to which I also say nonsense; you're all big boys and could learn to use them. For added protection you can wear foam ear plugs under them. Next in line would be ear muffs or foam ear plugs. If you anticipate having time to prepar for a shot is pretty easy to put on ear muffs before shooting.
 
Electronic muffs. My current favorite is Sordin Supreme Pro but there are a number of great muffs out there. Setting the volume just right amplifies ambient sounds nicely and with some practise your directional awareness is still very good. I don't like walking with muffs, but whenever I'm stationary I wear muffs without a fail. I learned my lesson hunting without any hearing protection for several years and I don't need any more hearing degradation than I already have.

Highly recommended.
 
Electronic muffs have been on my radar for awhile but I was concerned about loss of direction when using them. That's seems to be true but manageable with practice. Thanks for the comments so far, I'm feeling a bit better about it. I might just use a pair of the soft plastic earplugs with the opening to allow some noise in but block some also.
 
I hunt with a shotgun or muzzle loader most of the time and don't wear hearing protection, and while I am sure it isn't good for me it has never been painful or left my ears ringing. I do try to avoid shooting pistols without ears on at all costs.
I would like to get a pair of good electronic ear muffs as I think they would be really nice teaching new shooters when you are trying to talk a lot at the range, and if they work well I'd probably give them a try hunting as it would help keep my ears warm too :D

If you are hunting from a stand I don't see anything wrong with wearing standard earmuffs or ear plugs as you don't really need to communicate and the most you're going to miss out on is hearing a deer come from behind you. If you are on a drive, or were bird or rabbit hunting where you're moving in a line with other hunters then I think being able to hear would be more important so you can keep tabs on and communicate with others in the group.
 
My father hunted 45 years without hearing protection and could hear just fine all the way up to his death. I have hunted 25 years and have not used hearing protection and I hear very well. I have only had my ears ring on a few occasions when hunting and that was when I was standing beside someone that shot unexpectedly. My advice is that you use hearing protection if you are pistol hunting. When using a rifle(calibers that are legal for Ohio) or shotgun and you are behind the gun it isn't going to damage your hearing. You can't use high powered centerfire rifle cartridges in Ohio and those are the only ones I might would be worried about damaging your hearing in a rifle platform. For me, I have to be able to hear when I am hunting and I don't want even so much as one layer of cloth over my ears. If you wear hearing protection in the stand you absolutely will have deer go behind you that you will not ever know were there. I use a 30.06 in NC all the time without hearing protection and have no issues and I guarantee it is louder than anything you will be using in Ohio.
 
I would not worry about a shot from a shotgun relative to a rifle. I wear electronic hearing protection when I hunt and can hear game from hundreds of yards away, it is better than normal hearing (illegal in at least one mid western state so check your regs)

Howard leight Impact pro muffs
 
BudgetBucks1 said:
I use a 30.06 in NC all the time without hearing protection and have no issues and I guarantee it is louder than anything you will be using in Ohio.
Click to expand...

Louder than anything you'll be using in Ohio? LOL. Are you aware that you can use a 444 Marlin, a 460 S&W Magnum, etc. in the handgun version in Ohio? You can even use those in the rifle version. Those are louder than the 30/06 you're using in North Carolina.
 
Your concern is definitely legitimate. There's nothing natural about hearing loss; it is almost always caused by the cumulative effect of exposure to loud noises.

I sometimes wear both plugs and muffs when shooting rifles at the range, but usually only wear plugs when shooting pistols. Last year I started wearing ear plugs while bird hunting, but I've never used hearing protection while hunting big game. I'm planning to get some sort of electronic hearing protection before I end up with chronic tinnitus.
 
If you want to wear hearing protection...just put it on right before you shoot.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I do when deer hunting with my rather LOUD .30-30 Contender. But, I don't and never have bothered with it with my rifles and my hearing is just fine. I've shot a LOT of birds in my life and shotguns are pretty loud, too, but never wore hearing protection. I have noticed disposable ear plugs on the ground at some of our club blinds where folks have taken 'em out and tossed 'em. It's not a bad idea, don't misunderstand, but I started duck hunting well before there were disposable ear plugs, or at least I didn't know they existed, didn't sell 'em at stores, Walmart didn't exist, heck, discount stores didn't exists and 5 and dimes didn't carry sporting goods for the most part. Like your FIL, I'm a bit long in the tooth and set in my ways. :D

I've always wanted one of those "game ear" things for the range so I could shoot the bull with fellow gun club members/friends when I'm shooting and hear 'em well. But, never did, just shouted with the hearing protection on. LOL I never shoot on my range without hearing protection except with CCI Quiet ammo. I even wear the muffs with my .22 rifles. I reckon it wouldn't hurt me to wear plugs when duck hunting, but sometimes those whistling wings alert me to 'em coming from behind me or buzzing in from low altitude.
 
My dad fired a shotgun two times in his life on the same hunting trip without hearing protection. He was in his lower 20's at the time and lost about 50% of his hearing from those two shots. In the 35ish years since then, his hearing has continued to go downhill to the point that he really can't have much of a conversation without his hearing aids.

I have never shot without hearing protection and don't plan to if I can help it. Self-defense is the only reason I can think of that would justify it for me.
 
MidwestMatthew said:
My dad fired a shotgun two times in his life on the same hunting trip without hearing protection. He was in his lower 20's at the time and lost about 50% of his hearing from those two shots. In the 35ish years since then, his hearing has continued to go downhill to the point that he really can't have much of a conversation without his hearing aids.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine those two shots were the cause of his hearing loss. Unless those two shots were by someone else with the barrel very close to his ear.

I've fired literally thousands of 12 gauge shotshell rounds with no hearing protection at all...I've had shotguns go off in a duck blind so close to my head that the concussion felt like I'd been physically hit with something...I've shot a fair amount of rifle and pistol with no hearing protection...I have some ringing in my ears...but my hearing is still excellent.

Some people simply lose their hearing over time, perhaps that's what happened with your father. I know several people who've had that problem...and they don't shoot and are never around loud equipment or noises...it just happens to some people.
 
What your FIL does or does not, doesn't matter. If you're not comfortable without hearing protection, wear 'em.
However, most of your day will be spend sitting quietly trying to hear a deer approaching your stand and they tend to stomp occasionally. Hearing protection really isn't necessary.
"...Hearing loss from loud noise is at least in part, probably large part, genetically determined...." Genetics has nothing to do with it. Any gun shot, primarily indoors, causes permanent hearing loss in everybody. Highly unlikely to be 50% or even close to that though, but there is loss.
 
If you want to wear hearing protection...just put it on right before you shoot. I do it all the time. I keep my ear muffs on my head, covering just the very top of my ears...then when I need to shoot I slide them down. It takes two seconds and it's never cost me a shot.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing, won't fire a shot without ear protection.
 
OP, do what you think is best. I don't shoot anymore for all practical purposes, but when I did target shooting I always wore muffs. Not when hunting because I wanted to be fully aware of my surroundings. In the Army, in the weeds, I didn't for obvious reasons and I spent a good bit of time behind an M16, an M60, and an M2. No hearing loss so far and that was almost 50 years ago. Maybe that was because I was a kid and resilient. Who knows.
 
You could walk around with a band hearing protector. Not as bulky as muffs and faster to put on than plugs.
 
Try being woke up by nearby 155 Howitzers. Yup it hurt and rung my bell. Still does.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

mcb
  • Locked
Hearing protection when hunting?
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
4K
Striker
Striker
d2wing
Ear protection for hunting.
2
Replies
39
Views
1K
buck460XVR
buck460XVR
J
  • Locked
In-Ear Hunting Hearing Protection
Replies
1
Views
517
Grumulkin
Grumulkin
D
  • Locked
Ear protection
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
dougwx12
D
S
  • Locked
Going deer hunting for the first time.
Replies
9
Views
1K
d2wing
d2wing
Back
Top