The damage is done whether you're hunting or not, the gun is just as loud. I've used a pair of Peltor 6s for the last 20 years and wish I'd started sooner. You can adjust the level to louder than normal if you like, but I've found that makes it difficult to judge distances. When adjusted to ambient level I sometimes forget I have them on. They do a terrific job of changing a short barreled shotgun's BOOM to a faraway boom.