Practical/effective ear protection while hunting

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

They might not be able to, you can always check with the manufacturer. To use the wolfman with .350 I need to also have a DeadAir microbrake that reduces the stress on the can. It is rated to full power 5.56 and .300Blackout, along with 350 in that config. I went with that can because it will live on a 9mm PCC the rest of the year. You might look at the Omega 36m, as it is rile rated, and if the diameter is too small still, the 46m or deadair primal.

Regardless of which can, it wont be available for this fall, but if you start the process now, you will have it by summer. Probably.

Thank you and I appreciate the direction.

 

[orhunter1]

Thanks for the recommendation, I might buy a pair.

 

[BRTreedogs]

From the sound of all the responses I am apparently way old school and the whole hearing protection game has passed me by. I've always wore ear protection when sighting in my rifle or target shooting, where many rounds are shot consecutively. But are we really that concerned about the 1 or 2 shots we might crack off at a whitetail or elk once a year? I guess if your sitting in a box waiting for a deer to show up, or glassing and shooting from a mile away, it isn't a big deal to keep ear protection in, but I can't really imagine sneaking through the northern Wisc. woods, or elk country trying to listen for every faint twig snap or grunts/bugles....etc with hearing protection in.

You have just had hearing loss for way to long to know what you have lost.

Archery hunting with my lady she will tap me on the arm that something is coming.
When elk come in it is like watching TV on mute.

Loosing my hearing is my single biggest regret in life so far and in one if not the biggest inhibitors to hunt effectively for me. And not to mention seriously detracts from my quality of life on a daily basis.

 

[WCB]

From the sound of all the responses I am apparently way old school and the whole hearing protection game has passed me by. I've always wore ear protection when sighting in my rifle or target shooting, where many rounds are shot consecutively. But are we really that concerned about the 1 or 2 shots we might crack off at a whitetail or elk once a year? I guess if your sitting in a box waiting for a deer to show up, or glassing and shooting from a mile away, it isn't a big deal to keep ear protection in, but I can't really imagine sneaking through the northern Wisc. woods, or elk country trying to listen for every faint twig snap or grunts/bugles....etc with hearing protection in.

I'm mostly with you in that in open or general hunting I don't use hearing pro...Waterfowl hunting I have the last few years no doubt. But, a braked rifle out of a box blind that you 100% know exactly what to expect. I'm wearing ear pro 100%. Not really going to sit with it in or on all day but if I have time I'll put it on.

I'm 36yrs old and know 100% I have hearing loss from shooting or in general not wearing hearing pro while mowing, running equipment, etc. It is beginning to get difficult in crowded areas with a lot of background noise. Again, I'm not running around backpack hunting with hearing pro and definitely not going to miss a shot opportunity...but more times than not you have time/ability to do it.

 

[FOS373]

For waterfowl hunting I started with some cheaper (~ $150 when i bought them https://www.walkersgameear.com/silencer-rechargeable/ ) Walker in ear noise cancelling ear protection. For the price and being able to charge, they worked really well. Only downside I would occasionally get some feedback and have to turn them down. Regardless, they helped with both the shotgun and the calls. You could still hear the birds and have conversations.

I upgraded to https://www.espamerica.com/ and they work great. You have to use little batteries, but i just keep some in the pouch. I have not lost them over 3 years so…. I’m pretty happy.

For rifle, as others have said, suppressor. Although there are some hoops to jump through, it makes it much easier. A 300WM with a suppressor and normal ear plugs and I am fine.

I try and wear ear protection as much as possible with any activity I’m doing at this point. Be it mowing or yardwork, using an Impact gun or driving the tractor, I’m trying to protect my hearing. I have some tinnitus in one ear and I don’t want to make it worse.

 

[Sled]

Just curious, why a shot taken with ear protection was the most unsatisfying shot you've taken on game?

i've always been able to tell the quality of the hit from the sound. even when i used to hunt in thicker terrain, as long as the shot was further than 50 yards i could tell vitals from gut or bone. aside from that i like all 5 (sometimes 6) of my senses to be on point when hunting. though it's not quite the equivalent of putting a blindfold on just before every shot, it's not too far off.

 

[Seeknelk]

i've always been able to tell the quality of the hit from the sound. even when i used to hunt in thicker terrain, as long as the shot was further than 50 yards i could tell vitals from gut or bone. aside from that i like all 5 (sometimes 6) of my senses to be on point when hunting. though it's not quite the equivalent of putting a blindfold on just before every shot, it's not too far off.

I follow ya! I've been using electronic muffs so I still hear the smack, but just got a suppressor to use this year. Has pluses and minuses.

 

[Antares]

i've always been able to tell the quality of the hit from the sound. even when i used to hunt in thicker terrain, as long as the shot was further than 50 yards i could tell vitals from gut or bone. aside from that i like all 5 (sometimes 6) of my senses to be on point when hunting. though it's not quite the equivalent of putting a blindfold on just before every shot, it's not too far off.

This is some tough logic to follow.

"I want my hearing to be 'on point' while I'm hunting...so I'm going to knowingly damage it by not wearing hearing protection..."

 

[Where's Bruce?]

As others have said, a suppressor instead of a brake would be very helpful.

I’ve also found 3M’s EEP-100 active earplugs to be reasonably comfortable and very effective.

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For me, the smaller foam tips are plenty for 12-gauge target shooting, and the larger ones give enough hearing protection for a braked .338 Lapua in my experience.

Ditto. I use em for ADC work and SD gun training. Pretty decent option for when I'm not wearing these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NP2PCF3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Tylsmith33]

We tried several different setups for my daughter she did the electronic muffs and they worked good for her she really liked how well she could hear certain sounds that were really amplified. However when it came time to shoot she still wasn’t in it to win it, the blast from the brake was still an issue and would cause her to flinch or just not want to shoot her .243 much. I used that as an excuse to by a banish 30 gold, now she will burn through a box of shells everytime we go to the range.

 

[Tylsmith33]

They make a banish 46 now that has a quick detachment like the 30 gold can be used on a huge variety of calibers from .17-45-70, I am considering purchasing one of those come Christmas time.