Another stupid question from new hunter: Why no earmuffs when hunting?

The left one about half way in...
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Assuming you're hunting with a rifle and are right-handed, your left ear tends to be the one that will have the most hearing damage. Your right ear is nearly in a line behind the bore and the noise from the muzzle tends to cancel a little bit in that area. In addition, your head "shadows" the right ear slightly.

If you're going to take the approach of putting in one plug, the one in the left ear is probably going to be more use to you than the one in your right ear.
 
The problem with plugging one ear is that you lose stereo hearing. That is, you can't tell which direction a noise is coming from.

Honestly, in the modern world this conversation makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Decent electronic muffs can be had for $30 or less. If you don't like muffs, a decent pair of electronic plugs (look like hearing aides) can be had for $40, better ones for $70 or so. The cheap ones usually have uncomfortable inserts but that can be solved by buying replacement inserts from the better brands as they're (mostly) all the same attachment.

Discharging any firearm louder than a .22LR rifle without wearing hearing protection is foolish, unless your life depends on it. I'm sorry if that offends some folks. There's just no valid excuses anymore. I don't think there's been a good excuse in the last 20 years but there sure isn't now.
 
I have a pair of wrap around ear plugs. http://www.uline.com/BL_1096/Quiet-Bands . I never notice them around my neck and unlike the ones on a string they stay in one place. So it is easy to reach up with one hand and quickly place them in your ears. I have only taken a few animals in my short time getting into hunting but the few seconds to put them in never seemed to make a difference in success. I have ruptured both of my ear drums in the past so to me its well worth it.

I concur... 22 pistols could easily damage your hearing with prolonged shooting
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The first time hunting was small game and I used my S&W 18-7. It was my first time hunting and I didn't bring muffs and I have to say I was surprised how loud the CCI velociter's were from the 4" barrel.
 
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Brian, when you say decent, are you talking the likes of Walker's electronic muffs? Are there others that are just as good or better at the same price range?
I am looking to get some very soon, just would like some opinions.
 
NHSHOOTER said:
Brian, when you say decent, are you talking the likes of Walker's electronic muffs? Are there others that are just as good or better at the same price range?
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Decent muffs are easy to find. In fact, the cheapest pair I've ever had are among the best in many ways. They're the Caldwell's they sell at all the sporting goods stores.

They are comfortable, the batteries last a long time, I get no static, only occasional feed-back from my phone (they're not digital) and they don't have an annoying "auto-off" (auto-off sucks for hunting). The down side is that the NRR is low (22 I think). When I target practice I always wear plugs under them anyway. 22 is good enough for a shot or two when hunting, except for my Encore. I still wear plugs with that one.

Howard Leight muffs are usually well-reviewed. They have the same low NRR problem and the same solution and probably the same static/feed-back issues.

For considerably more money, it still starts at $150 or so, small price to pay for your hearing and a drop in the bucket compared to guns, licenses, ammo, travel costs, etc, you can get digital (no feed-back from phones), independent volume adjustments and quad microphones for "better" stereo hearing. "Better" stereo hearing is unnecessary from my perspective. I don't need front/back so much. If it's in front of me I can SEE it. I only need left/right, for which dual microphones work fine. I've found that I can usually tell front/back pretty well too with the duals but, as I said, I don't see why it matters.
 
First of all… If there is a single person who tries to impose their will on you and tell you that you should not wear hearing protection… Well I would stop taking advice from that person.that being said, there is a slight bit of handicap walking around the woods with electronic muff style hearing protection on… I'll admit that - but I still do it.

Try touching off a .44 mag of ANY kind in the woods with no hearing protection. Not cool.

Nowadays, I ONLY handgun hunt so there is no way id go without some sort of protection. Once your hearing is gone - it's gone.
 
Hearing loss sure is a good reason for silencers.
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They certainly help, but sadly are not legal for hunting in many states. Plus, while they help with the report of the rifle, there is still the sonic crack that can be awfully loud from typical supersonic rounds.
 
Great thread!
I never used to wear hearing protection hunting (or running a table saw for "just a sec", etc.), but started after I started to having a hard time filtering out background noise. For instance, I usually listen to the TV on "10" and still do, but now if I even just turn the fan on I have to turn it up to like "25" to hear.

So, a couple years ago I started wearing a set of muffs.
I like the Howard Lights. They're not perfect, but they're quite good and don't cost a lot.

I'd like to get something in-ear at some point because I think it would be a bit more comfortable, but it's not a priority.
Does anyone have any experience with any/many of the options around the $2-400/pair range?
The ones that have caught my eye are made by "sound gear", but there don't seem to be many reviews out there.

Brian P- you just need to convince your buddies to go hunting far enough out in the boonies that there's no cell service.
 
I don't know about the rest of the guys, but when i'm out shooting, sometimes i'll forget that I took an earplug out and grab a rifle and shoot it. IT HURTS!!!! especially an ar15, all I hear is a high pitched scream from the bullet and i'm in instant pain. I would never do that intentionally. a single shot from a PCC maybe, but not a full-power hunting rifle.
 
Ok you guys have pretty much convinced me! I am 29 and want my hearing to last a long while! Thanks for the good advice!:D
 
I have been shopping around and checking here about which muffs are good. I got a email alert from amazon and from what i have heard these muffs are pretty good for the money, and the sale price. awesome..
3M Peltor Tactical 6S Active Volume Hearing Protector
by 3M

List Price: $100.42
Price: $53.88
You Save: $46.54 (46%)
Save what hearing I have left and get to hear the deer sneaking up on me..I hope..
 
I was fairly good about wearing ear protection growing up. Except when hunting. That was a mistake. I also never wore ear protection when we were in the big sandbox. Big mistake that for the most part couldn't be helped.

Haven't done a lot of deer hunting as of late, so haven't given it much thought, but I rock foamies when I'm in the duck blind. And make my little sister do it, too.
 
Back about 1983 I was hunting down by Kerrville Texas on my boss's deer lease.
I had brought my brand new shiny Smith and Wesson model 629 with a 8 3/8"
barrel with a 2 power scope.
Well the boss puts me in one of those little closed blinds that look like an outhouse with four slits to shoot out of.
After about an hour of sitting there polishing the 629 I hear a noise out side the right window, and sure enough, a sweet little doe standing there broadside to me.
Well I put the barrel out the window and put the crosshairs on her and touched one off.....
And that's when it felt like the world ended.
It sounded like a bomb went of in there with me, I dropped the pistol and fell out the door backwards onto the ground holding my ears.

And when I go outside at night to listen to the silence one hears living in the country....
I can't because my ears are STILL RINGING!! Wear ear protection PLEASE.
 
You want use of all your senses. De p ending on where you hunt ypu may hear the deer well before you see it. Just depends on where you are hunting, but still you want to hear everything going on around you.
 
I got a pair of cheap electronic ear muffs a year ago. They seemed to work well on a rabbit hunt, I could hear plenty going on around me. But it was a dud hunt and no shots were fired.

Then last week I dug them out and brought them to an indoor range for some practice with a S&W Model 10 and my Winchester 94. I could hear people talking around me clearly, the sounds of the target going back and forth, and the shooting. My ears are still ringing off and on. If I'm lucky it will stop eventually, if not I did permanent damage to my ears.

I learned that investing in ear protection is as important as investing in guns and optics- don't scrimp. It isn't worth it.
 
I could hear people talking around me clearly, the sounds of the target going back and forth, and the shooting. My ears are still ringing off and on.
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Indoor ranges are brutal. Next time wear plugs AND muffs. Turn the volume up a bit on the muffs to compensate for the plugs.
 
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