Thread: Are these the best kept secret for bush stalking?...

Not long ago i went to the local NZDA meeting where a very successful bushstalker from marlbough was giving a talk on his success in the bush and tips etc.
One of the things that came out which he reckens was"" öne of the light bulb moments"""in his bush stalking success was the use of these things that he swears was getting him alot more deer.
Electronic Hunting Earmuffs


He reckens you can hear so much better with them on, hear more animals moving around that you wouldnt normally hear and at the same time you have hearing protection at the same time.
The amount of deer he shoots you couldnt argue that it was bullocks so i was keen to find out if this is the best kept secret out there or not.


He said the cheap ones are rubbish, and if you want one that works for hunting in the bush buy a good pair and you wont regret it.

So, i got hold of a pair and decided i go for a look for a deer in a good spot at this time of year where i normally get one.

Was time to take the trusty 243 out, as my 308 has accounted for the last couple of stags so armed with 100gr Fed powershoks, the stoneycreek bushline pack, a pair of good electronic earmuffs i was off at 430am hunting for spot X.

Arrived on time and headed of to a valley where at this time of year i always see a deer in the DOC land. Earmuffs turned on and it soon became clear that the quiet bush wasnt that quiet Smiley


You could hear birds from afar and other sounds that without them on you have no chance to hear so it was a interesting walk in trying to listen out for a sound of a animal while looking for sign.
Sure enough, saw some fresh marks and the deer have been moving around recently so had high hopes.

About a hour had gone by and came to the only wallow i know down this route and it had been used quite recent.

Followed some mud trails from it for 10 minutes then suddenly heard a sound, a thump though the Muffs.
Sure sounded strange,and first thought was it was prob a deer so i went on high alert as it didnt sound like a branch etc hitting the deck.

I took 15 mintues to travel a very short distance, i was sure there was something up ahead then suddenly out to my left a young spiker breaks cover and runs into the undergrowth.
Bugger, too slow in seeing it but all is not lost. its thick bush, and often a young animal will only run so far if didnt smell you and stop so i creep in looking ahead for any sign of the spiker.

Couple of minutes(seems like 30 lol) i get lucky and spot him on the opposite face heading up and out of there but he stops and looks back.

Hes broadside on, the crosshairs are on him but im exposed and theres no rest for any shot. Hes at that distance thats marginal for a freestanding shot but i sense my trusty sidekick, the mighty 243 urging me on, take the shot, i ll got this covered .
Boom goes the 243(well think it did, the Earmuffs killed the sound } and down goes the spiker.










Was pretty happy with the shot, straight into one shoulder and blew a hole out the other. The 243 just reminded me the power of these 100gr Fed powershoks, esp on smaller deer.
They do some damage, and on big stags they do the business. i dont mind, in the bush i want them on the ground fast, and these fellows are awesome, check out this exit hole




















By 8am had the prime venison, the question is thou are these Muffs the answer for more success?

One thing was clear, you can clearly hear better, were darn comfty to wear and i certainly heard this spiker before i saw him and even thou he still busted me first being on high alert because of the sound prob helped me get him in the end.
Still, the verdict is still out but i think they could well be a keytool in finding more animals in the bush.

i heard a weka moving though the bush and sounded more like a decent animal and was quite surprised how noisy it was so yes, i think these maybe quite good but i try them out on a few more hunts and see what the verdict is on these at a later date

Good writeup , geez they sound bloody interesting my hearing is pretty bad from all the gun fire / noise at work , whats a decent set worth ?

@deer243

Thanks for a great read!

I did come across an old popular mechanics or similar from 1950s, where two guys were standing within shouting distance of each other, using new transistorised shirt pocket hearing aids (you know, the ones with a twisted white wire up to a crystal in-ear earphone) in order to hear and triangulate the position of their hunting dogs. With that background, it is not difficult to believe that you hear better with the electronic ear muffs.

Here is a tongue in cheek but interesting web page on acoustic detection technology:

Acoustic Radar.

What ear protectors are you using btw?

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

Good writeup , geez they sound bloody interesting my hearing is pretty bad from all the gun fire / noise at work , whats a decent set worth ?

HnF sell the pair i got, 299 but get them for 250 from safety shop on trademe.(same pair marl guy uses) Obes under 150 are ok for range but need to go to better for hunting purposes

Im going to get some , had no idea they where that good especially when using muzzle breaks.

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

Im going to get some , had no idea they where that good especially when using muzzle breaks.

Its like wearing hearing aids, can turn Volume up , down etc. theres better ones out there for cutting out noise but these ones work well but are better picking up sounds and no distortion or feedback when vol is up. better for hunting purpose, fold up to nothing but still cut out the 243 going of well. Comes in green but comes with a extra orange casing thats better to change to as hard to see if left on ground when in green lol. Two batteries last 600 hours , shower proof

Im not surprised they work well I do a fare amount of gold prospecting had a detector for a while & on breezy / windy days unless you had headphones/plugs on you simply can not hear signals .

Testimonial.....I use them,they work.........

I found the same thing when I went bush hunting for the first time with my new hearing aids As you mention, the pick up on the electronic muffs is doing the same job as my hearing aids but offer the protection as well. It's amazing how we don't notice the loss of small sounds in the bush as the years go by, until we hear them again.

For those who do get a pair....google the USA websites,buy the ones you want,have them shipped to me,I’ll mail them from the USA....MUCH MUCH CHEAPER!,......PM me

Interesting - you heard the thump of him walking
Some models are probably better than others for the sound range

I use a pair on flights - cuts out so much background noise (Boise)
Different as it’s more to hear nothing - you certainly hear when the battery goes flat

I think I know the guy who was the speaker. If it was him, he was telling me that when he first got them, he was wearing them in side and he had them turned up. He could hear running water gurgling and was puzzled. There was no water running in the house. No sinks had water in them and no taps were on. He was about to get up out of his chair and go find it when his son came running in to the room and asked a question. He told his son "inside voice please" then realised it was the volume turned way up rather than any shouting. The gurgling noise......was the fridge two rooms away!!!! He was very impressed.

I use my peltor for duck shooting only. The definitely amplify some frequencies more than others, but I do find that you tend to lose a little in directionality of the sound (ie where is the sound coming from). Slipping one ear cup off slightly giving you a combination of the amplification plus normal hearing which improves direction has been a solution for me.

I use those howard leight ones. Personally, while I agree they do amplify the noises for you I find it all a bit psychedelic...

It seems that there is quite a difference between different models. like the speaker said, he tried a number of them. They did what was intended, ie you can hear but will cut the loud noise out but only the top ones will work for hunting purposes. Turning up the volume they dont give feed back, sound is much better clarity , and you just cant compare the better ones to the cheaper ones. A number of reviews online. Peltor do a number of them, they good but theres a difference between the 200 dollar pair and the 300 dollar pair. Sounds like if you want the best out of them you got to go the 300 ones for full effect