Loud Gun

[Stone_Ice_1]

I have 2 kids that are hunting for their first year this year. My 10 year old son and my 11 year old daughter. On opening day of the youth hunt my daughter got a shot at a doe. She has shot the gun numerous times over the summer and fall at the range and in the woods. I have them set up with a youth 243. After her shot at the doe on opening day she was in tears over the loudness of the gun. When shooting it in the past she has always had ear protection on. This time while hunting she did not. She had asked about the loudness of the gun before we went hunting. I told her she wouldn't even notice it when pulling the trigger on an animal. I am torn on what to do to help her. Even a few days later she is still talking about how loud it was and how long her ears were ringing. I don't really want her using ear plugs, she is only 11 years old and I need her to be able to hear me, even while lining up for the shot. I am considering the hunting ear muffs that most use for the range. Any thoughts?

I should mention this is a tough one for me. I have worn hearing aids since I was 3 years old. Then about 10 years ago I got a cochlear implant in one year and 5 years later in the other one. I don't wear any protection because there is nothing left for me to protect. For those not familiar my ear drums and ears in general are bypassed and are no longer used.

My son shot the gun on sunday and got his whitetail doe. He said he didn't notice the sound at all.

 

[Ben Lamb]

There are a lot of options for noise canceling headphones for hunters & shooters these days. I have an older pair of muffs that I really like. I can hear normal range tones but it blocks out the report of the gun/noise over a certain decibel level.

The Bluetooth ones look interesting as you could even utilize that if you are a few feet apart and need to communicate. Plus, kids can use them for games & such in the blind and not spook everything in a 2 mile radius.

10 Best Hearing Protection for Shooting - Earmuffs & Earplugs — Audiophile ON

Protecting your hearing is important and in this article, we list the best earmuffs and earplugs to prevent hearing loss when shooting.

www.audiophileon.com

 

[rke]

All my kids use these in the field (as do I).

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...

safariland.com

 

[Stone_Ice_1]

I didn't realize there were so many options out there. I like the ear bud ideas. Wouldn't be as bulky for the kids while walking through the woods.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Is a suppressor a possibility for next year?
My oldest is sound sensitive and it makes a world of difference. Also reduces recoil.

 

[Gut Shot]

My kids have noise cancelling ear buds.

One of the reasons I don't care for "youth" rifles is the shorter barrels that produce more noise.

 

[winmag]

I wish my hunting mentors would have been more strict on earing protection in the field. I wouldn't have hearing loss in my left ear if they had.

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

There is no reason not to use active hearing protection these days. The earmuff style are generally a lot cheaper. I have the walkers (I think).
They work really well for hearing low decibel sound, while filtering the high db noises.

 

[nastynate]

Randy had a really eye (ear?) opening podcast on hearing loss with an ear doc on. Worth a listen. Every time we shoot loud guns we're getting more hearing damage and it all adds up. No more hearing to protect is not true, unless you're full on deaf. After listening to the podcast, I'll bet you'll want your son wearing hearing protection too.

 

[Ben Lamb]

All Yins so eager to protect your hearing must be either single or newlyweds.

 

[Stone_Ice_1]

Randy had a really eye (ear?) opening podcast on hearing loss with an ear doc on. Worth a listen. Every time we shoot loud guns we're getting more hearing damage and it all adds up. No more hearing to protect is not true, unless you're full on deaf. After listening to the podcast, I'll bet you'll want your son wearing hearing protection too.

Yes, full on deaf, hence the reason for the implants and not hearing aids.

And also yes, am thinking I will get something for my son also.

 

[ThunderNocked]

I have 2 kids that are hunting for their first year this year. My 10 year old son and my 11 year old daughter. On opening day of the youth hunt my daughter got a shot at a doe. She has shot the gun numerous times over the summer and fall at the range and in the woods. I have them set up with a youth 243. After her shot at the doe on opening day she was in tears over the loudness of the gun. When shooting it in the past she has always had ear protection on. This time while hunting she did not. She had asked about the loudness of the gun before we went hunting. I told her she wouldn't even notice it when pulling the trigger on an animal. I am torn on what to do to help her. Even a few days later she is still talking about how loud it was and how long her ears were ringing. I don't really want her using ear plugs, she is only 11 years old and I need her to be able to hear me, even while lining up for the shot. I am considering the hunting ear muffs that most use for the range. Any thoughts?

I should mention this is a tough one for me. I have worn hearing aids since I was 3 years old. Then about 10 years ago I got a cochlear implant in one year and 5 years later in the other one. I don't wear any protection because there is nothing left for me to protect. For those not familiar my ear drums and ears in general are bypassed and are no longer used.

My son shot the gun on sunday and got his whitetail doe. He said he didn't notice the sound at all.

Get her some of the noise cancelling inner ear or muffs. Nothing is worth making them gun shy or shocked. I should wear hearing protection - it will affect your hearing long term.
I had a different situation that scared my 14 year old daughter and I still struggle to get her out - I wish I could go back and do things different that day.

 

[howl]

The only thing I'll shoot at without plugs in is a turkey. My kids are the same. They can hear me speak quietly with plugs in, probably because they've preserved their hearing. A shot at an animal is not worth any loss of hearing. They like 3M plugs on a plastic band.

I think if you spend more time practicing with rimfire, getting your routine down, you'll not worry as much about instructions. Same for selecting animals and shot placement.

 

[KB_]

I use the battery powered head sets for my kids. They can still hear me talk to them, and the shot sound is muffled, Works great.

 

[PNWGator]

Get suppressors for ALL of your rifles!

A Tikka 223 compact in .223 with 77TMKs and a suppressor will kill everything in MT and your kids will love shooting it! Heck, you will too!

 

[Stone_Ice_1]

Think I am going to give these Walkers Earbud Silencers a shot. The price on them has just been lowered. There is a bluetooth and rechargeable option but they are $200 a piece.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XMQTWQL/?coliid=IV2J11XEIPTVB&colid=2DWUY26RQEZSP&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

I can trace the beginning of my hearing loss back to my youth and shooting without hearing protection. Hearing is a precious thing, protect your children’s ears.

 

[Robert N]

I’m 54 years old. I’m pretty sure I haven’t consumed more than a dozen rifle shots and maybe a box of shotgun shells in my life without hearing protection.

Earplugs are priceless.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the excuse of telling my wife “i didn’t hear you…” either.

/Sigh…no good deed goes unpunished.

(*Hearing protection is good. Period. Please suit up the kids, even if it’s just muffs it’s a big, big impact.)

 

[BackofBeyond]

Get suppressors for ALL of your rifles!

A Tikka 223 compact in .223 with 77TMKs and a suppressor will kill everything in MT and your kids will love shooting it! Heck, you will too!

Really thinking about this exact set up for starting my boys out on. The oldest isn’t to far out.

 

[3855WIN]

My son shot a 16.5” barrel Ruger Compact when he was young. Way to loud due to barrel length.