I missed a shot at a fat doe Tues because I couldnt hear her in time.
what do you recommend for great ear protection while being able to maintain directional hearing?

Love my Walkers Game Ears. Highly recommend.

My Number One choice would be the Howard Leight Impact Sport.
I have been using them for several years, and really like them.

I got my brother a set of Walker's for his birthday. Not sure of the model. Amplification is not bad, however you can not tell the direction the sound is coming from wearing them.

I have had other brands over the years. Some have limited amplification, while others eat batteries like candy.

I am sure we will hear about other good models over the next few days. I look forward to hearing about others that work well.

Bob R

I have a set that cost just $50.00 and wear them to shoot targets with. I like to be able to talk and hear those around me so it is very useful and works great. It helps with my hearing too. I intend to wear them when I go hunting. I have a Smith and Wesson 460 magnum with a 5 inch ported barrel. I also have a 500 Smith and Wesson magnum with a 6.5 inch half-lug barrel that looks like a Model 629 44 magnum Dirty Harry style but in stainless. It has a integral brake and is another reason for my choice in hearing protection. Things can happen fast so wearing them all the time is what I do.

Excellent advice.

X2 on the Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Shooting Earmuff. The biggest problem I have is that the pads are relatively small/thin so you really have to get them lined up right with the side of your head

IMHO The amplification works well and batteries last forever. I wore them shooting pdogs in an occupied pasture last summer. I swore the cows were going to walk up my back, but when I turned to look they were 400 yards away. IMHO they work so well, I kind of wonder if a CO would give me grief about using electronic enhancements while deer hunting.

If you look at my profile picture. My son and I both wear the Impact Sport. He can plug his phone in and play when he gets bored on all day sits. But we try to wear them all the time, because things can happen fast like Jeff460 said!

I went with the Walkers Quad Power Muffs. I keep them at the ready on top of my head, once I find my target, I pull them down over my ears turn them on and ready for the shot. I use these for all hunting applications where muzzle blast is a concern. I attached a light duty rope to the muffs with stainless steel clip that I affix to my hunting jacket collar loop, this way in the event they fall off my head they are secured and cannot drop far, especially when in a treestand.

I use the Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Pro. Very comfortable, batteries (2 AAA) last for approx 350 hours. I change mine once a year and call it good. I went with the pro instead of the sport because the NRR is 30 compared to 22 with the sport.

I like the way you think Buck_358.The clip and lanyard to hold your hearing protection on to you if it falls off without you knowing it.
I have a Bowen aftermarket stainless stud loop on the bottom grip of my 460 Smith and Wesson 5-inch muzzle brake revolver. The Hogue brand X-frame grip attachment allows it to attach easily and I also put one of Bowen's aftermarket parachute cords lanyards through the loop and loop it back through. So as to keep me from losing my revolver. Will get one for my 500 Smith and Wesson magnum too.

I have found the same thing with the Walker's. Also found that you do NOT want to get them wet hunting in the rain. I still have mine but don't use them.

Dan

This year I broke down and bought a set of MSA Sordin Pro-X muffs with the gel cups.

All I can say is that they are incredible.

The gel cups make their comfort unparalleled. I wore them for 12 straight hours two days in a row and was never uncomfortable. The headband is wide enough to distribute the weight very well and stays put.
The muffs themselves are waterproof and I tested that out to the extreme on PA's Monday opener where it poured cats and dogs all day long. Everything I had on was soaked though and through. Zero issue with the Sordins.

Sound reproduction is good and the amplification available helps with those of us who have a bit of hearing loss. You can turn it up enough that rubbing your thumb and finger together sounds like somebody going at a piece of hickory with 80 grit sandpaper.

There is an external 3.5mm jack for audio input however I haven't tried that as of yet.

They rate the battery life (2x AAA) as 600 hours from a fresh set of alkalines.

I had no problem in determining sound direction with this pair of muffs when hunting. Indoors it is more difficult to determine direction but outdoors they worked great.

They are not cheap at $260, however the fact I can wear them all day and not think about needing to take them off makes up for it.

WHAT???

I too went with Sordin with the gel cups. Very comfortable and work as advertised! I asked questions here and did plenty of researce. A friend mine has them and let me try them shooting Tanerite at the family picknic. They are great no matter what Jeff Foxworthy would say about shooting tanerite at the family picnic!!

Howard Leight Impact Sport. I wear them while in the stand and they not only improve my hearing and protection but keep my ears warm.

As James indicated, the most commonly uttered word by us older shooters is "What". Hearing protection matters, once you loose your hearing its gone for good. Noise damage generally affects the upper frequencies first then gradually down to the lower frequencies like those used in speech. This means that by the time you notice it, most has already been lost. In the US, hearing protection is measured by the NRR rating.

Apart from a heavy competition cycle, I also RO at ranges etc. I bought the highest rated set of electronic muffs I could find in order to protect what little hearing I have left. Mine is one of the Pro Ear range with around NRR 30. They give excellent clarity and directionality in the field as well but I'm not convinced they are 100% waterproof. They are also somewhat bulky if using a longarm.

After reading the earlier posts about the MSA product, I looked up their stats. NRR of 18. That a huge difference. Just my opinion but I'd regard them as insufficient for range work and probably insufficient for high end calibres such as .454 Casull, 460 S&W etc especially if using a ported gun/muzzle break. However definitely better no protection for hunting. Whatever you do - wear something.