Thread: Hunting without a suppressor.......... ear plugs or cop the lot?

Originally Posted by nicks_tricks

Its interesting reading the replies here. I'm pretty much completely deaf in my left ear(born that way) so I'm very conscious of my right ear. Myself and a friend had a big clay bird session during the week, I wore plugs as usual but he didn't use any protection the whole time, silly bugger!!

Ooof that makes me cringe

Originally Posted by K95

That's a strange way of looking at it timattalon

In what way? I agree my outlook can sometimes have a different perspective. I try to use examples that people will understand.

Originally Posted by R93

I have 2 sets of the Howard Leights and they are great at amplifying sounds but my ones are shit protection wise. I have to wear plugs under them.

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Same. That is why with the confines of the bunkers at our local range I revert to the Peltors when shooting the larger calibres like 7mmRemMag etc. But when I drop to my suppressed rifles in the range or the smaller calibres like 223, I can use the Howards. Each shooting position is separated by concrete walls so if I am using a 223 and the next shooter is using some sort of cannon, I still hear it but the impact and noise is significantly (but not completely) confined to that shooting position.

Same in the yard. The lawn mower is loud enough to require muffs and the Howards workk fine, but the Chain saw and the chipper are louder so for those I sue Peltors. using the right tool for the job.

On a different note, how many people use ear plugs under the helmet on a motor bike? Not that loud? Try the wind noise test. Put on a stereo with ear pieces. Start riding at the open road speed limit. Turn up the music until you can hear it then slow down and stop. How loud is that? The wind noise alone on my bike at 100km is loud enough that my MP3 cannot be heard, yet when I stop it is so loud I have to take the plugs out to turn it down. I discovered this using a discman in the early 90s when I first started riding.Up until then I had no idea that the wind alone was that loud. Worn good quality ear plugs under my helmets ever since.

I know its personal preference but there is no way I would wear ear plugs or an MP3 player while riding bikes on the road, it just seems very dangerous to me. I ride 2 stroke dirt bikes and to be honest I am going to start wearing plugs because after 4 hours of riding my right ear has had enough.

Originally Posted by nicks_tricks

I know its personal preference but there is no way I would wear ear plugs or an MP3 player while riding bikes on the road, it just seems very dangerous to me. I ride 2 stroke dirt bikes and to be honest I am going to start wearing plugs because after 4 hours of riding my right ear has had enough.

At slower speeds around town where I am not expecting to travel at 100km for any length of time, I do not wear ear plugs as at these speeds the wind noise is soft enough to hear stuff like cars etc. But at 100km, always, as the wind noise drowns everything out anyway. I don't use a discman. I tied it as a kid when I didn't know better and as I was riding all I could hear was wind. I turned it up, up and up some more and still couldn't hear it so I pulled over to see what was wrong. Nothing. It was so loud on full volume that I just about ripped it out and dropped it. It was clearly doing harm so I took it off and have used ear protection ever since. I think the brain "ignores" the wind noise so it does not seem so loud, but if it can drown out a discman on full volume then it is very loud indeed. I have been riding the bike for nearer to 25 years (same bike) and travelled over 100,000km on it. I hate to think of the damage to my ears listening to the wind over several thousand hours of riding. And to think I would do less damage by listening to ear phones at full volume scares me. (they are much quieter than the wind.) If I didn't wear ear plugs then I suspect my ears would now be worse than if I was wearing ear plugs all the time.

Wearing hearing protection is no doubt the smart thing to do but its not a sliver bullet, your hearing will fade with simple old age. The occasional shot hunting will in most cases make only a small difference in the long run if any. Higher volume, muzzel breaks, range work etc obviously a big step up. The references to old shooters being deaf should also note that most if not all would have had other industrial damage from chainsaws, machinery etc all adding to the cumulative affect. As an anecdotal example my Dad shot with a clean .303, thousands or rounds. His hearing loss at 70 was about the same as Mums and neither needed aids. I have shot a lot less but have some loss in my left ear, mostly from heavy machinery. Ill bush hunt with out protection but thats maybe 3-4 shots per year from a standard lenght .222 or .243. anything thing else Ill cover up well.

Originally Posted by sneeze

...I have shot a lot less but have some loss in my left ear, mostly from heavy machinery.....

By definition, industrial noise (eg heavy machinery/motors/grinding/..) will produce a symmetrical hearing loss. Left ears get damaged far more quickly in right-shouldered shooters..

You can't change genetics and time will ravage your hearing to an unknown extent but the one thing you have control over is noise exposure.

Originally Posted by 6x47

By definition, industrial noise (eg heavy machinery/motors/grinding/..) will produce a symmetrical hearing loss. Left ears get damaged far more quickly in right-shouldered shooters..

You can't change genetics and time will ravage your hearing to an unknown extent but the one thing you have control over is noise exposure.

Yes but in my case its 30+ years of driving diggers with the door open on the left. In the early days worn track gear, makes a horrible racket, along with other things.

I've worn ear plugs /ear muffs most of my work life ,30 plus years ( Refinery construction /maintenance ), but never when duck shooting or general hunting , mostly with a 243.
Now have Cicadas buzzing permanently ( Tinnitus) and its not pleasant .
I would strongly recommend fitting a suppressor and protecting your hearing at all costs.
Hearing loss as you get older makes it very hard to gain employment as well .

Originally Posted by bazz61

I've worn ear plugs /ear muffs most of my work life ,30 plus years ( Refinery construction /maintenance ), but never when duck shooting or general hunting , mostly with a 243.
Now have Cicadas buzzing permanently ( Tinnitus) and its not pleasant .
I would strongly recommend fitting a suppressor and protecting your hearing at all costs.
Hearing loss as you get older makes it very hard to gain employment as well .

Not to mention annoys your wife immensely, I know cause I have bad tinnitus

I have great hearing but never seem to hear my wife

Known in the trade as "domestic deafness"..

Bazz- tinnitus is present in ~95% of hearing losses, esp from noise damage. The only question usually is what it sounds like, how loud it is and how often you notice it. Tinnitus is not an entity in itself but rather a side effect of inner ear damage. Most people with it don't notice much during the day when they're occupied and there's a bit of noise around them. Generally more annoying at night when you're lying there with no sound around. The worst thing you can do is focus on it. If a hearing test rules out anything sinister, you've just got to accept it's something related to your hearing loss, even if just mild.

Treat yourself to a free hearing test- Triton Hearing don't charge for it and you won't get any hard-sell over hearing aids. If your hearing pattern suggests an occupational component, you'll get good advice on how to deal with ACC.

http://www.bushbuck.co.nz/collection...nder-ear-plugs
Has anybody used these if so are they any good



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I'm quite deaf. Constant ringing in my ears now. Chainsaws, loud music, years of shooting have been the main culprits.

You get used to it but it is very frustrating. In a social setting -- nightmare. Been caught out with the old nodding and yes trap a few times. I have to focus hard to listening in loud places like pubs. I'll often just tell people I'm deaf and to speak up

High pitched sounds are very difficult for me to hear, sometimes won't even hear my phone ringing until someone asks if I'm going to answer it! Our fridge beeps if you leave the door open, the missus can hear it from the other end of the room - 8-10 metres away, I can't hear it with my head in the fridge! She'll be yelling at me to close the f'n fridge door after its been beeping for a minute or so and I've done nothing about it. Haha.

Protect your hearing before its too late.

I hear this every day Josh. People joke about hearing loss but the reality is far from funny. It's damn frustrating, embarrassing and plain inconvenient, and the public have little tolerance for it.

I've fitted more shooters with hearing aids than I could ever remember.