Hearing protection while hunting

[Gateholio]

I use electronic noise cancelling earmuffs at the range regularly, but after suffering a major concussion and head injury, and the lasting effects of tinnitus this spring I am looking at getting some noise cancelling ear buds. Walker's Silencer In the Ear look to be a good choice that I am considering. Does anyone have any experience with these?

Just got some I will give first impressions after this weekend of shooting!

[Kootenay338]

Myself and two other guys i work with just got Axil Xcore electronic ear buds. They seem to be very decent for the price point. They are 29DB noise reduction and have 3 levels of sound enhancement, and seem to do decent in light wind. All three of us are tradesmen and have been in the trades for decades and are noticing hearing loss. I now suffer from tinnitus and like the idea of being protected while hunting without sacrificing the safety of hearing your surroundings. There are some really good options that are way more expensive, they are covered under most health benifits under hearing aids

[Redthies]

Waterfowl hunting or at the range, I wear ear plugs, as I do every day in my work environment. Big game hunting? Nope. One shot is not going to deafen me. I also don’t shoot a canon so it’s not as big a deal.

[Drillbit]

I tried the Axil ones in my shop.
Figured It would be easier to talk to people and then have the noise canceling benefit
Seemed like a great idea

It was good for a few minutes, till The Chop saw fired up….

back to 3m foam ones and reading lips in the shop

Target shooting I always wear foam ones, hunting there is never time to put them in.

[Astepanuk]

Shooting waterfowl I typically use Walker Razor ear muffs, when big game hunting I have started wearing ear plugs on a string throw them over my shoulders and put them in before I shoot.

[Redthies]

The only sounds that seem to be effected by my rare single shots while big game hunting are on the exact same frequency as my wife’s voice. What a strange phenomenon!?

[marcus44]

Just got some I will give first impressions after this weekend of shooting!

Thanks Gate, I did end up ordering some myself. Still have to wait a bit until I can shoot again but look forward to hearing your initial thoughts on them.

[superdrupal]

I use the Sellstrom S23430 Banded Earplug that you can get inexpensively from Amazon. I'm fairly young but have some hearing loss in one ear. I thought a bang here or there wouldn't "hurt" but if you ask a professional, that's all it takes to do damage.

With the banded ear plugs you can put them in your ears easily and quickly and don't have to worry amount dropping or losing them like single plugs. The one or two seconds to put them in hasn't cost me a harvest to date.

[Sharpish]

I’m right handed and it’s always the left ear that takes the hit from a shot. Sometimes I will hunt with a foam plug halfway into the left ear. It’s enough to prevent the momentary deafness/ringing. To be fair the only time I really got a good hit to the left ear was shooting a deer with a short barrelled shotgun. A rifle I have never even noticed it when shooting at an animal.

[ElectricDyck]

Even unbraked rifles make my ears ring for hours after the shot, braked guns cause tinnitis and noise sensitivity for weeks. I use the orange band ones around my kneck and pop them on before the shot, if its too slow and the animal gets away, it wasnt meant to be. I tried the electronic and it sounded like I was listening to a recording of birds and creeks...that being said they weren't high end.