Practical/effective ear protection while hunting

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

My daughters will be shooting a braked .35 Whelen this fall for whitetails. We hit a buddy's range yesterday and shot out of his shooting house. The muzzle was roughly 3" out the window (couldn't get any closer due to bench clearance) and the muzzle blast was jarring. We all had ears on so no big deal with that, but I'm wondering what the most practical yet effective ear protection guys are using while hunting? I have one pair of Howard Leighty electronic muffs, but I've never considered wearing them while hunting. Thoughts?

 

[Northpark]

I just use the earplugs on the plastic band. Where them around my neck and pop them in before I shoot. I also have a suppressor now which is also practical hearing protection.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I just use the earplugs on the plastic band. Where them around my neck and pop them in before I shoot. I also have a suppressor now which is also practical hearing protection.

Thanks for the feedback. I always see Hickcock .45 using those ones around the neck. Where can a guy find those, and are they effective against braked rifles in your experience?

Reading through some of the older threads below it looks like these can be found at Home Depot, Sportsmans, etc... Thank you again for the response.

 

[VizslaHunt]

I had some Howard Leight ear plugs on a plastic band and they were useless. The foam was too hard and shaped oddly to make a good seal. Here’s a picture for reference.

 

[ThatredneckguyJamie]

I use walkers game ear, daughter uses the Howard Leight electric full muffs as they offer a bit more protection but still allow us to communicate quietly

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I had some Howard Leight ear plugs on a plastic band and they were useless. The foam was too hard and shaped oddly to make a good seal. Here’s a picture for reference.

I just ordered these from Amazon. Reviews were pretty positive- 4.5 out of 1,200 users. I'll give them a try and return if they dont work i guess.

 

[wyosteve]

Since you said for whitetails, I assume you'll be in a stand/sitting. I'd go with the Howard Leight's as suggested. I wear mine for most hunting scenarios. The only downside for me is if you're walking they like to
'sweat' around the ears.

 

[Fordguy]

I tried electronic muffs last year and hated them. Had a good buck at 40 yards, in a brushy area. I could hear him but couldn't tell what direction he was coming from with the muffs on.

 

[BBob]

Find some magnetic with cords. These have replaceable and commonly available foam plugs. Available in Delrin and Ti.

Psi Earplugs – darksucks.com

I created the Psi Earplugs because I couldn't find anything else good enough: Magnets + premium cord + Comply tips = best in class hearing protection that doesn't get lost. Each pair of earplugs comes with 3 cord colors, a translucent orange carrying case, and one set of comply s/m/l canal...

darksucks.com

 

[ThatredneckguyJamie]

Just in case you wanted a pic of them in use

 

[Antares]

I've spent a lot of hot, sweaty days deer hunting in Howard Leights. Hiking through brush, not just sitting. I don't mind it. You sort of forget they're there after awhile. Wearing a buff and pulling it up over your ears, then putting the headset over it really helps with the slippery, sweaty feeling. Sure it'd be more comfortable to not wear anything, but it's certainly more comfortable than shooting a braked rifle in heavy brush with no ear pro, IMO.

 

[seand]

Plugs on a cord work. I wouldn’t let my kid shoot a braked rifle. She killed her first animal this year and I had her set up with a suppressor. Kids are a great justification for a can, it’s all about safety

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Find some magnetic with cords. These have replaceable and commonly available foam plugs. Available in Delrin and Ti.

Psi Earplugs – darksucks.com

I created the Psi Earplugs because I couldn't find anything else good enough: Magnets + premium cord + Comply tips = best in class hearing protection that doesn't get lost. Each pair of earplugs comes with 3 cord colors, a translucent orange carrying case, and one set of comply s/m/l canal...

darksucks.com

I like the look of those. If the HL banded don't work, I'll take a closer look at these. 29 NRR rating is very nice too.

 

[WTFJohn]

Get a suppressor. It's worth it for everything from reduced muzzle blast, to reduced recoil, to reduced 'flinch' from new/infrequent shooters, to reduced animal reaction from shots, etc...

For over-ear hearing protection, whatever you go with get some NoiseFighter gel ear pads. Way more comfortable and they have a relief for your sunglasses/shooting glasses.

 

[Sled]

I've shot 1 big game animal with ear protection. It was with a braked rifle and it was the most unsatisfying shot I've ever taken at an animal.

Do what you have to for now but I like low recoiling rifles for young and new shooters. My preference is a suppressor instead of a brake.

To your original question, the ear horn with it outer ear pro is adequate for your situation. If the muzzle is in the shooting house I'd go foam inner ear with muffs over ear. It diminishes the experience but saves young kids hearing and that's more important, imo.

 

[WCB]

Take the brake off amd get the barrel out further....Id use noise cancling headphones so you can still communicate.

 

[Lawnboi]

Shooting in a house like that makes it even louder. I personally wouldn’t even shoot a braked rifle without both muffs and plugs in that situation.

 

[Ropin4gold]

I run peltor comtacs. Have been using them about 4 years and have been extremely happy with them.

 

[grfox92]

I have $7 hard plastic band around the neck with foam ear plugs that I wear at work if I'm nailing or running saws. I forget they are there and plan on using them this year for rifle season. The ones on a string get wrapped up and tangled in stuff.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[mflo]

I have a few pair of these by surefire - I like to wear these under my Peltors at the range, and I wore just the surefires when I shot my first antelope earlier this year. They come with three sizes of the foam plug part, as well as different sized ear 'wing' parts. I'd think you'd be able to get the right size to fit your daughter.

EP7 Sonic Defenders Ultra | Filtered Foam-Tipped Earplugs | SureFire

EP7 Sonic Defenders Ultra earplugs protect your hearing against Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) without interfering with your ability to hear routine sounds or conversations. Their foam-tipped stem design, featuring soft memory-foam Comply™ Canal Tips, fits most people and provides a Noise...

www.surefire.com

I've worn the orange band around the neck plugs before, but didn't like them - I could never get them to seal up properly in both ears. Can't imagine them working for a kid.

FWIW, I shoot a braked .300wsm