Hearing Protection for Hunting

[rjthehunter]

What is everyone using for hearing protection? Looking for advice on some in ear amplifiers/plugs like the Walker silencer earbuds. I've heard mixed reviews on them. Does anyone have experience with them? Or another brand I should look at?

 

[Stay Sharp]

I tried walkers game ears (2 versions) and didnt care for them. I didnt think they lived up to the hype and they were huge and uncomfortable.

Now I wear some pretty high tech hearing aids thanks to my hearing loss and tinnitus. Mine are set to cancel out the report of a fire arm but I rarely hunt with firearms any more so I haven't put that feature to the test.

 

[0uTkAsT]

I have no experience with the amplifiers other than over-the-ear muffs we use in non-hunting scenarios so I can't be any help there. The price combined with the mixed reviews they receive have kept me away from in-ear versions, plus none are offered that fit my daughter yet.

For passive hearing protection in the field, we wear these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNLRXTY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They're inexpensive, lightweight, fast and silent to put on, and never fall off or get tangled, etc.

I know that doesn't help answer your original question, but perhaps something to pick up for use in the meantime.

 

[BrentD]

I am using the Silencers. All of one day, yesterday, so far. I have been PMing with noharleyyet about them, so, in the interest of economy of one finger typing, I'll copy my notes here.

Well, I spent about 3.5 hrs with them. Me being me, I had them cranked to the max because I wanted to hear Gus's bells. They were a little more "hearable" but not a lot. I was surprised. My first impression was that vegetation I was walking through was ungodly loud. But after a while, i adjusted to that somehow. I was hunting in mostly big bluestem and Indiangrass cover. Very tall (7-8 ft), and heavy tallgrass prairie reconstructions. It was nearly dead calm but I think I could detect the wind noises even so. On a windy day, this might become a real issue.

While I could not hear Gus a well as I hoped, I could still figure out which direction he was at when I could hear him. I could also hear birds flush okay and turn to find them. So directionality wasn't too bad, but I want to play with them more before I get too confident with that.

I fired 6 shots (killed two birds, pulled feathers on a third, unfortunately). I thought the noise attenuation was not bad but I was focused on the birds, not the noise. I was shooting a 12 gauge with 30" barrels.

So, far, I think I like these okay. They are pretty slick the way they recharge in their holding box. They are reasonably comfortable too. My ear canals are not symmetrical. The right is much smaller than the left, so I used one medium and one small sized foam plugs and ear cups. Seemed pretty reasonable.

In short, I think they are worth what I paid so far, but I would be a little disappointed if I had paid the $216 that Amazon wants for them instead of the $120 I paid on ebay. BTW, that package was sealed from the factory, so seems like an honest and extremely good price.

I should add, my hearing is extremely poor. I should have been using hearing aids for the last decade but have struggled w/o them much to the dismay of my wife and others. Exactly how that affects how they work for me vs you may be strongly colored by that.

Anyway, that's it so far. They will be regular equipment for hunting, but I don't expect them to replace my muffs and plugs at the range.

 

[rjthehunter]

I am using the Silencers. All of one day, yesterday, so far. I have been PMing with noharleyyet about them, so, in the interest of economy of one finger typing, I'll copy my notes here.

Well, I spent about 3.5 hrs with them. Me being me, I had them cranked to the max because I wanted to hear Gus's bells. They were a little more "hearable" but not a lot. I was surprised. My first impression was that vegetation I was walking through was ungodly loud. But after a while, i adjusted to that somehow. I was hunting in mostly big bluestem and Indiangrass cover. Very tall (7-8 ft), and heavy tallgrass prairie reconstructions. It was nearly dead calm but I think I could detect the wind noises even so. On a windy day, this might become a real issue.

While I could not hear Gus a well as I hoped, I could still figure out which direction he was at when I could hear him. I could also hear birds flush okay and turn to find them. So directionality wasn't too bad, but I want to play with them more before I get too confident with that.

I fired 6 shots (killed two birds, pulled feathers on a third, unfortunately). I thought the noise attenuation was not bad but I was focused on the birds, not the noise. I was shooting a 12 gauge with 30" barrels.

So, far, I think I like these okay. They are pretty slick the way they recharge in their holding box. They are reasonably comfortable too. My ear canals are not symmetrical. The right is much smaller than the left, so I used one medium and one small sized foam plugs and ear cups. Seemed pretty reasonable.

In short, I think they are worth what I paid so far, but I would be a little disappointed if I had paid the $216 that Amazon wants for them instead of the $120 I paid on ebay. BTW, that package was sealed from the factory, so seems like an honest and extremely good price.

I should add, my hearing is extremely poor. I should have been using hearing aids for the last decade but have struggled w/o them much to the dismay of my wife and others. Exactly how that affects how they work for me vs you may be strongly colored by that.

Anyway, that's it so far. They will be regular equipment for hunting, but I don't expect them to replace my muffs and plugs at the range.

You wouldn't happen to have a link to share to the ebay post that you could PM me would you?

 

[VikingsGuy]

When upland hunting always wear SoundGear in ear electronics. Started with the “one-size-fits-all” buds but then upgraded to the custom ear molded ones. Love them both - can hear the birds and the dogs, but not the shotguns. When rifle hunting it is a mix between the Soundgears and the 3M Peltor $3 rubber plugs. Really depends on if I I expect a quick shot or not in the circumstances - if so (like upland) I wear the Soundgears during the whole time, but if not I just stick the cheapo plugs in right before the shot.

 

[Irrelevant]

I've been rocking the walker razor slims. They honestly pretty terrible and I'm actively looking for something better.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I've been rocking the walker razor slims. They honestly pretty terrible and I'm actively looking for something better.

They are pricey but the SoundGear are pretty amazing - they are made by a high-end hearing aid company under the SG brand. Better than the cheap amazon alternatives in my experience.

 

[BrentD]

I've been rocking the walker razor slims. They honestly pretty terrible and I'm actively looking for something better.

And alternative to shooting-oriented earmuffs, I took my Bose sterio, noise-cancelling headphones to an indoor range a few weeks go. I wore earplugs under them because the indoor range is intensely loud and some people just have to shoot .223 rifles and .44 mags at less than 25 yrds. I don't know why.

Anyway, they were pretty darn awesome though my FIL was worried that the immensity of the noise might blow they out somehow. But that did not happen. I won't take them to the range all the time but relative to my Peltor noise cancelling phones, they are a whole bunch more comfortable, definitely quieter and, of course, have other added benefits like listening to Ben Lamb's, noharleyyet's, and elkdud's music posts on the Friday Music threads. Of course, they cost a bundle too.

 

[Irrelevant]

There's another older thread with some other options.

Hearing Protection for waterfowl hunting

My daughter has done a lot of waterfowl hunting this past fall while at college. She had ringing in her ears for a few days. She tried the foam plugs but then she can't hear the guys well enough when they call out to "shoot em". I have some electronic ear muffs from Walker that are great at...

www.hunttalk.com

Anyone tried electronic "in-ear" hearing protection?

Wondering if anyone has tried the devices that go in your ear instead of over them. Foam type plugs work OK, but wondering about the type that let you hear normal sounds, maybe even enhance them, but protect hearing over a certain db reading. My daughter does a fair amount of waterfowl hunting...

www.hunttalk.com

I'm leaning towards the grizzly ones.

 

[Brandon270]

Pro IMPULSE® Hearing Protection

The Pro IMPULSE® is a unique product offering superior noise-blocking (NRR of 33dB) performance in a reusable, high-end earplug. Its enhanced contoured shape is easy to insert and the proprietary material offers superior long-wearing comfort, delivering solid performance that you can depend on...

www.safariland.com

I've had good luck with these. They "react" to high level noises without electronics so you can still hear fellow hunters calling things out or whispering/talking next to you. They are rated 33nrr like foam plugs but I feel like foam still bring the level down a bit more. I wouldn't do a long day of shooting with them but they are perfect for big game hunting situations.

I was interested in the electronic ear plugs, but the cost, level of protection and terrible noise in windy situations turned me off from them.

 

[MT_Chad]

Pro IMPULSE® Hearing Protection

The Pro IMPULSE® is a unique product offering superior noise-blocking (NRR of 33dB) performance in a reusable, high-end earplug. Its enhanced contoured shape is easy to insert and the proprietary material offers superior long-wearing comfort, delivering solid performance that you can depend on...

www.safariland.com

I've had good luck with these. They "react" to high level noises without electronics so you can still hear fellow hunters calling things out or whispering/talking next to you. They are rated 33nrr like foam plugs but I feel like foam still bring the level down a bit more. I wouldn't do a long day of shooting with them but they are perfect for big game hunting situations.

I was interested in the electronic ear plugs, but the cost, level of protection and terrible noise in windy situations turned me off from them.

I got a set of these to try and so far they are pretty good. Tried them goose hunting, I could still hear the birds coming in but the shots didnt bother me. So far I'm reasonably impressed.

 

[Jmnhunter]

vikings: any idea if health insurance can help with those soundgears? I should step up and get something more than surefires i use currently

 

[406LIFE]

I've ran Grizzly Ears for awhile now. After about a year, the left stopped working. A week later I had a brand new set. Sitting a gooseblind last week for a few days they were great. Lasted all morning, no fatigue on the ears. Plus they have bluetooth which is nice at the range. The price is in a nice middle ground.

 

[Irrelevant]

I've ran Grizzly Ears for awhile now. After about a year, the left stopped working. A week later I had a brand new set. Sitting a gooseblind last week for a few days they were great. Lasted all morning, no fatigue on the ears. Plus they have bluetooth which is nice at the range. The price is in a nice middle ground.

I definitely leaning that direction. They seem like a pretty good product for the price.

 

[Sytes]

How do you figure the size for the Grizzly Ears?

GE PP+ | Grizzly Ears

INCLUDES: MEMORY FOAM EAR BUDS INCLUDES SIZES: XS, S, M, L CARABINER REMOVABLE LANYARD CHARGING CASE STORAGE CARRY CASE USB CABLE

grizzly-ears.com

 

[406LIFE]

How do you figure the size for the Grizzly Ears?

GE PP+ | Grizzly Ears

INCLUDES: MEMORY FOAM EAR BUDS INCLUDES SIZES: XS, S, M, L CARABINER REMOVABLE LANYARD CHARGING CASE STORAGE CARRY CASE USB CABLE

grizzly-ears.com

It comes with all the different sizes, you just slide them in your ear and see what fits best.

 

[VikingsGuy]

vikings: any idea if health insurance can help with those soundgears? I should step up and get something more than surefires i use currently

I never looked into it. If you really need day to day hearing aid, then these would not be a great choice in my opinion as they are far bulkier in the ear than the nice daily wear ones. In turn, not sure the nice daily wear ones would really cut gun shots as well. But really a question for your audiologist.

 

[asdew1880]

I carry foam ear plugs in my bino harness and working towards hunting with a suppressor.

 

[brockel]

They are pricey but the SoundGear are pretty amazing - they are made by a high-end hearing aid company under the SG brand. Better than the cheap amazon alternatives in my experience.

And if you order them off longrangehunting.com they are $299 and 30 day risk free trial. I tried them but just couldn’t get used to them in my ears so I sent them back