# Hearing Loss and Hunting



## toasty (May 15, 2008)

This time of year as the duck hunting starts to get good, I often wonder what kind of damage I am doing to my hearing from shooting guns while hunting. I have been shooting guns for 30 years now, but shoot much more often the lats 15 years or so. I always wear hearing protection when at the range for all guns including skeet or clays. In the field, however, it is a different story. I wear hearing protection when shooting high volume on rifles like prairie dog, rabbit or pot gut hunting. I never wear hearing protection when big game hunting unless I have a ton of time to get ready which usually never. I also do not shoot muzzle brakes and refuse to hunt with them. Shotgunning for birds is a different story. I just don't wear any hearing protection while hunting birds if I am by myself. When hunting from a boat or right next to others, I do wear earplugs. So, I would like to ask the more seasoned forum members what they do and if they have hearing loss and what their experience has been.


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## archerben (Sep 14, 2007)

For big game hunting, I hunt with a suppressor. You get sound reduction, recoil reduction, and reduction of response from game animals all in one little package.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

I wear ear plugs. 



I will always have one at least in my left ear at all times when hunting as a right handed person.


Duck hunting I usually have them in both in hunting over decoys and at least one in jump shooting. Jump shooting, I will put the second one in when sneaking around. 



It's not worth it to lose my hearing.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Huh? Did somebody say something?


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

NHS said:


> Huh? Did somebody say something?


WHAT?

Usually only at the range or some other situation when I expect a lot of shooting.

I think maybe I have been lucky. In the military I almost always had protection. I have a good friend who was not so lucky.

My son has hearing loss he blames on shooting without protection but I was pretty good about providing it when he was growing up.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

My Yellow Lab Hagen is deaf. I know I contributed to his hearing loss by shooting by him for 10 years.

I am tone deaf in my right ear and I blame muzzle blasts from rifles and shotguns for that. I really need to get some noise cancelling ear buds.....


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## SCS_Bg_Hunter (Oct 27, 2019)

I've been shooting for 45 years, I definitely have hearing loss. Back when I started though nobody I was around ever thought anything of it. With my kids though I won't let them go without ear plugs or muffs, they've been shooting with them all their life so its natural for them and I don't have to remind them anymore. They all have ear plugs in their gun cases and muffs in their shooting bags for when they go to shoot trap or just target shoot.

As for the hearing loss i've been using it to my advantage for years now, my family all knows I have trouble hearing so sometimes when the wife tells me to take the garbage out or mow the lawn I make like I can't hear her. I get away with it as often as not  However they've started to use it against me too, telling me "oh yeah Dad, we told you all about" such and such So it goes both ways but if I had it to do over again I would use hearing protection, and I'm glad my kids do.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

There are a lot of reasons for hearing loss. My guess is shooting for most people is way down the list.
Anybody listen to loud music without ear protection?
It is not wrong to use protection. Strongly encouraged! But in the long run there are so many other situations that people are exposed to that create the problem too.
My wife drives me crazy sometimes because she does not use her hearing aids. Her problem was created by loud rock and roll music. :-|O|-:


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

I have almost total hearing loss in one ear and as a result it is almost impossible for me to determine sound direction. I'm the one who still has his head up desperately scanning the skies while a flock of geese are flaring behind me. I'm the one who stalks off after a bugling bull elk in the wrong direction. I'm the one who has to rely on my GPS collars to guide me into a lion or bear tree.

The only advantage I found to being deaf in one ear is traveling in the truck when the wife is in one of those moods....8)


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Some loss on the right side. Makes sense, I shoot left handed.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

middlefork said:


> There are a lot of reasons for hearing loss. My guess is shooting for most people is way down the list.
> Anybody listen to loud music without ear protection?
> It is not wrong to use protection. Strongly encouraged! But in the long run there are so many other situations that people are exposed to that create the problem too.
> My wife drives me crazy sometimes because she does not use her hearing aids. Her problem was created by loud rock and roll music. :-|O|-:


I currently do not have any hearing loss and would like to keep it that way. I agree and think the majority of hearing loss occurs from many factors and firearms are probably just a small contributor to most people that wear hearing protection most of the time. I have decided I am going to keep enjoying the sounds of hunting while I can still hear them.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I have as much hearing loss from Skillsaws, angle grinders and industrial tools as I do from Shooting.

Tinitus sucks.


-DallanC


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I listed mine as only wearing protection at the range on the poll. But, that is not my only factor. 
I used headphones in my youth to listen to music. I listened to it wayyyy too loud I'm sure. 
That didn't help. 
My right ear got badly damaged when the son of a friend of mine shot his SKS right next to me without any warning hunting rabbits one day. 
(even a little behind me). The muzzle was right next to my head. It felt like I had been stabbed in the ear. Hurt like a *@&$++. 
I was VERY pissed, and never hunted with them again. 
I don't have to wear an earplug in that ear when my wife starts snoring.


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## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

Guns and Heavy Metal. God I miss the 80s


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Hearing loss sucks. 60% gone in left 40% gone in right for higher tones and constant ringing from tinnitus. Doc states mine is likely due to loud noise damage. Hearing loss is believed to be a contribution to early onset dementia, so it's no joke. Long term effects can turn bad, so don't blow it off if you have issues. Get checked out by audiologist. I'm wearing hearing aids now. It sucks, but the alternative is worse.


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## BigT (Mar 11, 2011)

archerben said:


> For big game hunting, I hunt with a suppressor. You get sound reduction, recoil reduction, and reduction of response from game animals all in one little package.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


I just made my first purchase of a suppressor a little over a month ago and am awaiting my stamp to come back. Can't wait to use this hunting! Hopefully it'll come back before next hunting season... If I draw anything!!!


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

After realizing how damaging noises can be I wear hearing protection for many more activities beyond hunting including vacuuming, mowing the lawn etc. In addition to that I don't wear ear buds for music.


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## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

DallanC said:


> I have as much hearing loss from Skillsaws, angle grinders and industrial tools as I do from Shooting.
> 
> Tinitus sucks.
> 
> -DallanC


I'll second that Tinitus sucks.

When I was young, dumb and... ehh... well, in my 20's I did a fair bit of heavy construction and equipment operation in the military. Combine that with always having the truck window down, and it all makes for a bad case of tinitus. Primary in my left ear, and sometimes in my right ear.

Sharp loud noises set's it off like nothing else. I always ear EarPro at the range, but don't when I'm hunting, but probably should. I figure one or two shots won't hurt much, but anymore then that and I'll be looking for something to stuff in my ears.

The constant ringing effects me most in the woods. I don't think I have hearing loss per say, (my second trip to MEPS was at age 40, and I passed the hearing test) but it is sometimes difficult to pick up faint noises over the constant ringing.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

Steve G u are very smart. I need to do the same. 
I have been trying to save what I have left. 
I have tinitus in my right ear bad. I don't want it in the left one. 
I know hearing aids are in my not very distant future. Don't look forward to it. Have watched my dad fight them.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I usually wear hearing protection. I fired two shots at a mule deer on a very cold morning about 15 years ago and have had tinnitus ever since. Now I wear hearing protection all the time. A chukar or a duck or even a nice bull isn't worth your hearing.


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## sketch21 (Jul 11, 2013)

Walkers game ears are great and fairly affordable on camofire. Mostly use them for duck hunting. It’s nice that they allow you to hear but will still block loud noises (nothing like a buddy blowing your ears out with a 12ga😂)


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

i wear ear plugs but still seem to shoot the most birds before i put them in and after i take them out. im starting to think theyre jinxed


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

I am gonna blame the Harley!!*-band-**-band-*and the music.


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## Andrew2211 (May 26, 2020)

Well, I have never shoot without protection. I love hunting a lot, but self care is always on the first position. But my friend told me that he noticed that his hearing reduced every time after hunting. I bought him good ear protection as a gift. He loves hunting way more than I do. To be honest I bought him not only ear protection, but also a good gun and also a trial camera. He always wanted a good trial camera so I decided to buy him a good one. I found a good article about trial cameras on WLC reviews. i have chosen TEC.BEAN Trail Camera. As I understood it is most convenient camera. What do you think?


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## elkunited (Aug 16, 2019)

Andrew2211 said:


> Well, I have never shoot without protection. I love hunting a lot, but self care is always on the first position. But my friend told me that he noticed that his hearing reduced every time after hunting. I bought him good ear protection as a gift. He loves hunting way more than I do. To be honest I bought him not only ear protection, but also a good gun and also a trial camera. He always wanted a good trial camera so I decided to buy him a good one. I found a good article about trial cameras on WLC reviews. i have chosen TEC.BEAN Trail Camera. As I understood it is most convenient camera. What do you think?


Andrew.... What's a trial cam? Isn't that what Judge Judy is for?


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## Andrew2211 (May 26, 2020)

elkunited said:


> Andrew.... What's a trial cam? Isn't that what Judge Judy is for?


Hey so, it's used to capture remote images of wildlife. Trail cameras can multiply your wildlife watching enjoyment by showing you what animals are up to when you are not around. They are primarily used by hunters, but wildlife watchers and wildlife researchers find them valuable too. So you can put it on a tree or whatever and whenever an animal appears this camera makes a shot


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## Scott99 (Sep 8, 2019)

elkunited said:


> Andrew2211 said:
> 
> 
> > Well, I have never shoot without protection. I love hunting a lot, but self care is always on the first position. But my friend told me that he noticed that his hearing reduced every time after hunting. I bought him good ear protection as a gift. He loves hunting way more than I do. To be honest I bought him not only ear protection, but also a good gun and also a trial camera. He always wanted a good trial camera so I decided to buy him a good one. I found a good article about trial cameras on WLC reviews. i have chosen TEC.BEAN Trail Camera. As I understood it is most convenient camera. What do you think?
> ...





Andrew2211 said:


> elkunited said:
> 
> 
> > Andrew.... What's a trial cam? Isn't that what Judge Judy is for?
> ...


I believe you said trial..not trail. Hence the joke haha


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