Whats a guy do to protect ears when big bore pistol hunting? Bought a set of Caldwell's but they don't work, going back to store. Remember the one and only shot last year,couldn't hear a thing my wife said for three days after. Any ideas will help.

I use Pro Ears and plugs on bench. Hunting I use one or the other.

I fail to see the problem here.



Sorry, had to say it.

Hahaha! But we're all thinking it!

When I hunt, I rarely use hearing protection. I want to hear what is happening around me even though some protection (like Game Ears) amplify sound, I can't figure out which direction it is coming from. I know I should protect my hearing, but I have trouble getting myself to use protection.

Same here. I always have them handy, and will put them in if I have time, but otherwise i don't wear them.

MN

My 30-06 lone Eagle. You will find time trust me.

As far as the wife thing. I was thinking it but Im not writing it

this is the wife typing. No i don't care if he can't hear me for three days but i wish it was the other way around

I lost 80% of my hearing in my right ear in '68. over the years age and noise has taken its toll on the left to the point I had to get a 'hearing aid' for the left one. My audiologist knows I hunt a lot so she had an aid built that allows for normal hearing but cuts off on loud noises. I wear Peltor electronic muffs over the aid. I can reccomend the Peltors. Mine are the tactical 65's.

Thats why I didnt put anything in writing. You sure this isnt my wife sounds like her.

I also wear the muffs that block out loud sound but you can still carry on a conversation with someone. They work great. I've lost alot of my high frequency hearing and my ears ring constantly from having been around farm machinery and working on the railroad for 35yrs. Get yourself some good quality hearing protection and take care of your hearing.

I don't know if they make any that will blot out the wife when she is talking to you...

Get a set of soft foam plugs that have the thin hard band. We wear them around the airport. Keep them on your head like a pair of sunglasses or around your neck. They take a second to put on and you can still here while hunting. I have lost to much of my hearing between jet engines and airboats and shooting.

Pro ears. just got the stalker golds. what a great set of muffs. ive been wearing them for archery season, and goose hunting. do not hit the stocks on long guns. I can tell directions just like they are not even on. work great at the range also. I will recommend them to anyone looking for sound amplification and high level reduction. great product

Tell her to speak louder.
Oops, I forgot she might be reading this, ASK her to speak louder.LOL J/K

For smaller callibers I use my Silencio electronic ear muff for target shooting and nothing for hunting except fo my 375JDJ. For it I use ear plugs and my muffs while target shooting and just normal ear muffs for hunting. They deffinately don't cut all the sound but they cut just enough that it doesn't hurt. That's not recomended but that's what I do.
I know the feeling about not hearing for three days. I had the similar episode once and couldn't hear for two.
Mike

The plugs with band i'll try, i'll get 2 or 3 pair, they don't cost much.I keep extra headlamps on hand, no fun coming of woods with no light. Have to try the pro ears when funds allow, thanks for the ideas.

I did some bargaining and got a pr of electronic muffs just because they were there. After I took them to the range for the first time Ill never shoot without them again. Not only do they block out the gun blast I can still hear whats going on around me with a sense of direction. I can even turn them up to the point I can hear bambi before she spots me. They were pricey but woth every penny.

She's got a sense of humor anyhow, didn't know she was reading over my shoulder earlier. She earned the nickname "the warden" 12 years ago when i married her. The only trouble i've had with the law since then was a seatbelt ticket a couple weeks ago, won't let that happen again. LOL Good hunting everyone.

I keep some of the soft foam ear plugs that are connected to each other by a plastic string. I keep them tied to a ball cap that I wear while hunting.

X 2

I put these around my neck as soon as I leave the truck:
Ear Plugs

They are easy to put into action.




Whatever you decide on, I would definitely recommend that you use some sort of ear protection while hunting!

Best of luck to you!

I use a set of Caldwell electronic muffs when hunting. They were cheap...wanted to try them just to see if I wanted to invest more money. Been using them for three years with great success.

At the range I use non-electronic muffs and foam plugs to block out as much as possible.

I also use the foam plugs on a band, pretty darned handy. I will acutally put them in my ears while hunting just not fully inserted, with the band over the brim of my hat, the band rubbing on clothing transfers the sound to your ears. But you will need to "Pop" them all the way in before shooting, especially when using the big thumpers with brakes.

I have a pair of Walker Power Quad Muffs that live in my hunting pack - when stand/still hunting, I prefer to wear them up on my head and slide them into position when I see something or hear game headed in my direction...but the sound amplification is directional if you would prefer to be ready for action.

Too much hearing loss to gamble with shots here and there without protection anymore...

During my rifle days I never bothered with ear pro while hunting and I figured a few shots here and there with the Casull sans protection wouldn't be a big deal...

Wow, was I wrong!

So now I've been trying to figure out what to do for the upcoming season. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the bucks for some nice electronic muffs, so I planned to wear my Howard Leight L3's on my head and slip them over my ears as needed. But now I think I might give those plugs-on-a-band a try to see how well they work.

They're cheap enough, so why not?

Thanks Fish!

I like the electronic's as they let me hear deer walking again,but wear standard muffs to. I wear the standard muffs pushed up off my ears but it is just a slight movement to put them on. No deer is worth loosing what hearing I have left,and the muffs have never cost me a shot at a deer. The ringing never goes away, it just gets worse.

I also have the Walker Quad's and they work very well although unless I'm shooting one of my single shots with a brake I don't normally use any ear protection.

WEAR HEARING PROTECTION!!!!! ALL THE TIME,EVERY TIME!!!!

You'll appreciate being able to hear and understand your grandchildren when that time comes! I worked in and around high noise levels for many years (30+) and have been shooting regularly for well over 50. I've worn plugs in those high noise level areas, plugs and muffs on ranges for years, and plugs SOMETIMES when hunting. "SOMETIMES" is a stupid word to use in this context. I have hearing loss.

I would recommend a person select from the many electronic options available today, but whatever you choose, WEAR GOOD HEARING PROTECTION ... ALL THE TIME WHEN SHOOTING IS ANTICIPATED!!!

Great advice, but not always possible depending on the way you hunt.

Keep thinking that way and if you are so lucky to live to old age, you'll think back to 500WE's advice.

I too, thought I was invincible until I had my 1st stroke in my early 50's. We never wore ear protection back in the 1950’s and 60’s, except to fill our ears with cotton or 38 Special cases. Since the 60’s I wore proper ear protection except when hunting until the mid-90’s and since then I always wear hearing protection around firearms.

I do have trouble understanding some words/sounds from my grandchildren and I can’t hear a motor fan belt whine either. My stupidity has cost me dearly and I know I’ll just keep paying a steeper price as time marches on. I just might have to go to hearing aids in the future, as did my father, who never wore proper hearing protection around firearms and we were a shooting family. He missed a lot of my children’s conversations when they were pint size with high pitched voices, due to his hearing loss via 10’s of thousands of revolver and rifle rounds going off without adequate hearing protection from the 1930’s until the early 70’s.

Get a decent pair of electronic muffs for hunting, as it will enhance your hearing a little and you’ll be fully aware of your environment, while at the same time your hearing will be fully protected. Some say they can’t tell sound direction with the electronic muffs – well, if you hear “interesting” sounds and you can’t see anything moving in front of you, then I suspect the sound is coming from behind you.

The electronic muffs aren’t worth a damn for indoor shooting, but that’s probably their only drawback.

If you currently don’t have the funds for the electronics, then good foam plugs will provide sufficient protection.

If you cut the cord in half, you can tie them to your glasses. Keeps 'em even more handy.

Now that is a good idea!

I wear Impact Sports all day when hunting.

I wear hearing protection every time I shoot, hunting, target, skeet, trap, everything....

I have found that even with spot and stalk type hunting, I still have time to get my plugs into place before making my shot. I don't relish the thought of tinitus and already have some high frequency loss from my time in the Navy.

I bought some of those custom formed ear plugs at the last show I was at (the kind that are molded by filling your ear with what looks like caulking). I have them on a lanyard around my neck and can insert them very quickly when needed. They only need one hand and go in with a sort of 1/4 turn.

The decibel rating of an enraged wife exceeds the rating of even the finest ear protection!

I have owned several brands of electronic muffs over the years. Some were junk, some better than others. I am now using the Howard Lehigh "Impact Sport" they work fine for hunting.
Reasonably comfortable to wear.
Great battery life. Note: They power down at 4 hrs. You will need to turn them off and back on again for the next 4 hours.
Sound amplification is a nice thing. Last year I was listening to Turkeys for an hour on the other side of the valley in the evening. I started to get out of my tree stand and it hit me why did the turkeys quit making any noise. I put the head set back on, and they were still making the same noise.
No indicator light to spook game.
The db rating is average, but seems to be plenty good enough when you are doing the shooting.

In my opinion any handgun with enough sudds to get the job done on large game is way to noisey to shoot without hearing protection.

Bob

Please, protect them ears.