Hearing protection

Anyone ever slide an earplug in your ear before shooting a bird? I don’t know if it’s previous damage to my ear, the fact that I’m getting older, or if TSS is finally wearing me down, but my right ear (I’m left handed) rings for a week with one shot of TSS unprotected. I’ve got to do something or I’ll be deaf in that ear pretty soon. I’ve always heard that the walkers game ear type hearing protectors don’t actually work very well because you can’t hear exactly which direction footsteps and gobbles are coming from. I was thinking of trying to slide an ear plug in my right ear once I know that I’m fixing to shoot, but I know that’ll cost me a bird at some point. Anyone have any other suggestions?

I'm going to give these a shot this year. https://www.walkersgameear.com/rope-hearing-enhancer/
I usually put on a pair of electronic muffs once a bird gets where I think he is committed. Doing it this way I don't have to worry too much about directional hearing.

Iv tried the walker game ears but didn’t like em much because of the trouble telling direction. Now I keep ear plugs tethered to the back of hat. I use the stiff ones. Not the soft foam ones so that I can insert them faster when I think I need to get ready for a shot.

I use the noise cancelling earmuff. I tried the Walker Game earbuds and they did not work for hunting.

I use these https://proears.com/product/pro-ears-predator-gold/

I sometimes get a few chuckles when I pull them out of my vest, but I really couldn't do without them after it greens up. yes, I have some directional issues at times, but what's worse - not hearing them or a little difficulty finding the direction? I'll take the latter all day long.

The protection function is first class. I wear them dove hunting also.

I started using ear plugs for turkeys years ago. Walkers game ear that I use for ducks don’t allow me to “course” gobblers as well as my natural ears. I keep several pair of ear plugs with the attached string in front pocket of my turkey shirt. It put a pair around my neck before putting on my face mask each morning. Loosely stick them in ears when I sit down and as turkey gets closer push left one in all the way, ( shoot right handed). I wait till turkey is in view or on top of me before pushing right one in all the way. I do take this little bit of movement into consideration with my set ups now and it is pretty easy once you get used to it.

Hevishot, I don’t pull the trigger on a bird or a deer without hearing protection. It hasn’t cost me a shot on anything yet and I’ve been doing it for years. I have hearing damage from equipment, playing drums and shooting unprotected when I was younger. Loud sounds hurt, and I mean that. They hurt me bad. I use ear plugs every shot.

Mbrock is right. I need to do it but haven't. I've already lost a lot of hearing in my left ear from lost of unprotected shooting and lots of concerts in my younger days. I wear em when shooting doves and stuff but not for turkey or deer hunting. Hell, it looks like I'm gonna have to go red dot and hearing aids by next season!

Dr. B

Thanks for the reassurance fellers. I know that my hearing isn’t very well being as young as I am. Working on outboard motors, using grinders and impacts, have severely damaged my hearing. I guess it’s to the point where I’ll have to start sliding earplugs in before shooting.

When you get to the point of pain when you shoot you will start using something. I'm like Mbrock and when you go 2-3 weeks of pain after shooting a load of TSS from a ported choke you have to change.

Howard Leight’s muffs. Amplifies up to certain decibel levels, then suppresses additional levels. Unless it’s windy, helps me hear a gobble I might not otherwise detect. Wish I’d used them before hearing loss.

I'm in the same condition as Matt. I won't shoot anything without hearing protection, and haven't for about 12-15 years.

I have been using the older Walker's game ears, but had custom ear molds made for my ears. (2 sets of these)

I ordered the newer bluetooth ones recently from Midway, but haven't had a chance to use them yet.. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019881191?pid=875143
Not sure they will course as well as the older ones I have.

I still have some issues with coursing birds at times, but often wouldn't have heard the bird without using them anyway.

Definitely helps me hear the drumming farther away as well.

Main thing is, I can shoot without having a 2-3 week ringing and pain in in my ears.

God Bless,
David B.

Well,

I've used the earbuds linked above and I'm not impressed for using them to turkey hunt. I can't course a gobble with them well, and they seem like there is a wind blowing the whole time.
Also the volume of the above wasn't good either. It would go higher, but it wasn't a clear/clean sound as the "wind noise just increases with volume.

The older Walker Game ears I have that go over the ear and look like Grandma's hearing aid work the best. They are clear in sound, and I can course a bird fairly well.

I'm not returning the blue-tooth ones in the above poet, and will more than likely use them when shooting with other people like target practice or a dove field.

Just wanted to follow up as I know many search the forum for answers.

God Bless,
David B.

Howard Leight noise cancelling headphones.

Well I just did what I was thinking out loud in my original post. I killed four birds with an ear plug in my right ear. I waiting until the birds were just out of sight, and once when he was within sight, then I slid the ear plug in my ear. Worked just fine. I did miss one time because I was too worried about the ear plug and didn’t see the hen beside me, which spooked and spooked the longbeard. I missed him on the run. Wound up killing my limit but still I don’t like missing. It’ll be a learning curve getting used to fooling with an ear plug but all in all it all worked out. And I can still hear out of my right ear 👍🏻

I guide a fella every year that puts regular old ear plugs in every time I get a turkey coming. DRives me absolutely nuts, I' called a turkey in for him once and instead of coming straight to us he looped around and came to me. He stood there gobblin and drumming inside 15 yards for what felt like an eternity all the while the fella had no idea he was there bc he couldnt hear him. Before I knew it the guy rolls over onto his knees and starts taking a leak with the gobbler standing 15 yards from him strutting. the turkey putts and took off running

Another vote for the pro ears predator gold. They were easy to strap around the top part of my vest until go time. I lost them last year and used the Howard Leights this season. They were a bit more of a pain in the but to use, ended up shooting a few times without them. Will buy another pair of the predator gold before next season. Worth the money.

I think I guided that fella when I took him I had a good gobbler coming down a fence line maybe 25 yards away and he turns his head and asks in a normal voice "is that a gobbler?" why yes, yes it was.

Do u shoot right handed? If so, u should put the plug in your LEFT ear. It’s less protected than your right side. At least that’s what an audiologist told me. Her experience with shooters was that most suffered more hearing loss on the opposite side from where they shot. I can attest to that. I haven’t had a hearing test in a while but I know my left ear isn’t anywhere close to as good as my right and I’m a right handed shooter.

Dr. B

No I’m left handed Doc

I have never used any ear plugs or muffs when turkey hunting, never saw the need. Some of y'all must shoot some cannons....

and I damn sure ain't doing all that movement with a bird within 100 yards, bastards can sense movement THRU a rock wall....

My ears are super sensitive to loud noises. One shotgun blast will ring my ears for a day or two. A rifle will ring them for several days. I also have tinitus that I know is only going to get worse if I don’t protect them now. I know people who shoot all the time without protection and tell me it doesn’t bother them at all. I don’t see how.

what did you say???

I'm in this camp as well. I'll wear muffs when sighting, or plinking, but never hunting.
I've also experienced significant hearing loss in my left ear, but it's not from shooting. It comes from years of running equipment, looking over my right shoulder, and also many years of driving trucks with my window rolled down. Road noise probably is responsible for most of our hearing loss, especially us older guys who grew up without air-conditioned trucks

I wonder how much of the hearing loss issues are just genetic and guys think it is just from shooting, equipment, or whatever. My wife can't hear and neither can her dad or grandfather. The grandfather blamed it on WWII but I think most of it is just in the genes.

In the past I have never worn ear protection shooting, running chainsaws, tractors, working construction, etc. and hear just fine (maybe I'm lucky). Last couple years I've started wearing it some when I run my old 68 homelite or when sighting in a gun mostly because I'm around all these guys that can't hear a turkey drum if its on top of us. It has me a little more protective of what I've got.

I do it because loud noises are annoying, especially in a closed shooting house. I know most of y'all hunt barefoot with a bow and loin cloth

Good deal!

Dr. B

I think you are right. My high pitched hearing has been bad since I was a kid, and so has it been for every man in my family, on both sides. If noise did the damage, it happened before I was 14. People want me to get a hearing aid, but I can still hear a turkey gobble or drum. I can't understand women talking; I can live with that.

That would be me. I seldom ever wear hearing protection unless I'm sighting a rifle or patterning a shotgun and that's not always. I've shot all my life this way, granted that's only 37 years, but it's 1 more than my Buddy Brock. I've tried earplugs on dove hunts, but they last about two minutes and they got to go. My wife thought I was going deaf about a year or so ago and I went and had a hearing test. The lady at the office said, "you're definitely not losing your hearing, it's near perfect" Not sure what that phenomenon was about? Based on the amount of noise my kids make in my house, I have no ability to tune things out either. I'm constantly saying "yall are too loud!"

I also worked in a glove manufacturing plant for 6 years also, learned how to talk over equipment and then go into an office and cut the volume down and talk normal. I think I'm thinking like Semo.

The occasional pop of a 410 is bearable.

Well if you ask my wife she would probably tell you I can't hear her talking too. Some things do hurt the ears. lol

Sounds like a blessing:)