Question about hunting and harmful gun blast noise.

V

VaniB

New member
I am not a hunter, and only shoot my large bore guns at the public firing range wearing ear-plugs or muffs. I can't remember the last time I fired a centerfire gun (handgun or rifle) in the great outdoors.

Can you hunters tell me when you are firing a gun outdoors if you must wear ear protection to avoid causing hurt to your ears?

If I recall; it seems whenever I see an outdoor show on television, a 30-06, 45-70 or some other large bore rifle is harvesting a deer or a moose, and the shooter doesn't seem to be wearing muffs or plugs. Neither does he seem to be phased from the blast. Is there some sought of rule of thumb of what caliber and length rifle barrel is safe to shoot before ringing or some other damage to your ear occurs? Does the same hold true for say a 44 mag pistol with its short 6'-8" barrel?
 
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Rifles and shotguns - You live with it... in the "heat" of the moment it doesn't seem that bad. You don't remember the recoil either...

A 44 Mag handgun really hurts your ears and you remember it... as I still do from the first one I owned about 50 years ago.
 
I've never hunted with hearing protection. I always figured that one shot every now and then would never bother anything. In my teens and early 20's I also did a lot of skeet shooting and bench shooting and sometimes didn't wear hearing protection either, thinking those few times wouldn't bother anything. I'm 62 years old and for at least the past 30 years, I've had a 60db hearing loss above 5K hz (needless to say, I'm wasting money on good stereo equipment). Now that my 13 year old granddaughter is getting into shooting and her rifle has a removable muzzle break to reduce the recoil when bench shooting, I absolutely will not allow her to shoot without hearing protection, not even a 22.

I've bought 2 pair of these high dollar, slim style, electronic ear muffs, thinking she could wear them while hunting also. I have not taken her hunthing yet because she's still learning to get tight groups at 100yds, but I'm not too sure the ear muffs are going to work. Even though they are the slim's made to keep from interfearing with cheek weld, they still get in the way. We both have a very hard time getting the proper cheek weld and eye relief with them on. The last time I shot, I ended up taking them off and using foam plugs. They work ok from an upright position but not worth a darn when bending over and leaning forward on a bench.

So, while I will not let her shoot without hearing protection, I might have to reconcile to letting her hunt without them, just make darn sure she does not have the muzzle break on when she does.

As for the blast bothering you, Only on very short barreled, big bore rifles have I ever noticed the blast. When shooting long guns, most of the blast is going away from you so it's not realy that noticable, unless you have a muzzle break, then it jars your whole body.
 
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I started wearing some Peltor Tac6's when hunting a few years back. The amazing thing was the enhanced hearing. I kept hearing this noise down to my right. Couldn't hear anything with the muffs off. With them on "clip clop clip clop". WTH is it ??? I finally realized it was DA horseback riders out on the WMA trails when a big game hunt was on.

There is also a down side. There was a fast flowing creek that sounded like the ocean when you got close to it. Also your ears eventually get hot no matter how cold it is outside.
 
Ben. Try these.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=671923
They are great. I have the same problem with muffs on the stock.
And your granddaughter, can plug her IPOD into them.
The noise reduction is very good. And they shut off the higher sounds real quick.
I read some where guys are using these to hunt. Because of the 2 mikes, you can use them to hear which direction the sound is from. And farther away.
If I turn them up. I can hear people 20 benches away.
 
Shooting in the field with nothing around you to reflect sound back is not very uncomfortable. Shots fired by another hunter off to your side can be objectionable. Shots on a range, especially under cover, or in a building, is where ear protection is needed most.
 
Ben. The Howard Leight ear muffs have a smaller profile on the bottom of the ear muff. They are flatter.
The one's you indicated are rounder/bigger.
Try a zoom of the Leight's. You will see what I trying to say. They are flatter. ANd do not touch the stock.
 
You have been told some good info.

I will tell you some facts..

I have been shooting, and hunting for years and with hearing protectors when target shooting and rarely when hunting.

I have severe hearing damage that can not be repaired or restored.

Wear hearing protectors anytime you shoot period.

Nat Lambeth
 
When shooting from a bench and having to lean forward, on a stock with a raised cheek piece (which most all my stocks have) on a sporter stock, I think any earmuff is going to interfer. When the lower part of your ear lobe is touching the stock, there just ain't no room left. What makes things ever worse, I'm left handed, she is right handed and her stock is a custom Monte Carlo with a roll-over cheek piece and I'm trying to get a good enough cheek weld on that to build loads, talk about fun.
 
I have some loss myself but back in my IPSC days I learned to double plug. Put a pair of soft foam plugs in under your muffs. I still do it to this day.
 
Used to double plug in my US Navy days. Being around a Gas Turbine Generator. And the Engine rooms.
I still lost a freq. Not sure which....
But, I am not a bad as some of the old timers. Huh?????
Got my results last week from my yearly hearing test. Huh?? What???
Did ya ever forget which condition you were shooting???
Must be the ear plugs are too tight.....?????
Oh, yea the hearing test.
What was that????
Hearing test. Same as last year.
There was a truck outside the testing van. Couldn't hear SH**.
Like those Leight muffs. Turn them up and you can hear your neighbors.
I turn them down, to get the work done. And not listen to the arguments.
 
I shot my deer this year with a 30-378 weatherby mag an I dont remember weather it was loud or not.I have never heard the shot when firing at game.
 
I have never worn ear protection while hunting.

Almost all my game kills have been one-shot.

The idea that you are supposed to wear head-rigging while hunting for fear of the sound of a shot . . . . nutty.

I'm sorry. That's how I see it.
 
I am only 39 and worked construction since I got out of school and a life long hunter and competative shooter. I can not hear my little nieces and cousins playing next to me half the time. I see peoples mouths moving and no sound coming out of them. I never used hearing protection either until it was to late. For the last two posters you need to grow up and learn from others. You might not have heard that shot but you can bet there was hearing damage, it sneaks up on you and all of a sudden you cant hear your grandchildren talk to you. The quietness and the constant ringing is scary sometimes.
 
Thirty years of competitive pistol shooting coupled with twenty years of hunting. I used ear protection for competition (sometimes) but never for hunting. Never suffered from "loud noise flinch" (that 1911 Colt talks loud, so does the .44 Mag. Ruger) and never felt any pain from the loud noises. But my unrecoverable hearing loss, which sneaks up on you, prevents me from enjoying television and radio and when my family speaks to me they have to repeat everything a time or two before I get the message. I can't enjoy a conversation with my grandchildren. The only advantage is that I don't understand what politicians are talking about in their speeches.
Like some of the others, my family (including myself) uses these today:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=671923
I won't take my children (grown now) or grandchildren shooting or hunting without them. None of them has ever complained about the ear pieces interfering with their shooting ability and their targets testify that any interference that might occur isn't adversely affecting their accuracy.
 
Hearing Protection

IMHO hunting and hp don't go together and I agree I've never heard the gun go off or felt the recoil. Now the bench, sporting clays, trap and skeet are a different matter.
I hunt Canada Geese a lot. When you get a toll you've got 4 guys with 3 shots each firing at the same time 4 or 5 feet apart. And you don't notice the sound.
I'm not saying that damage isn't being done, but you can't hunt a bird without the use of a call.
 
Yeah, you might not.............

have heard the shot, but believe me, your EARS heard it, because THEY never stop listening..........

There is some hope though, there has been some preliminary success with the "Cold Laser" treatment, I'm trying to find out more about it, so when there is more to tell, I'll post it here. :)
 
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