Indeed, we’d all love to preserve our sense of hearing during our entire life. Surely you have met or heard about someone that has a tough time having a conversation and can barely hear a thing, and certainly, no one wishes for that to happen.

Various things can damage your ears, but if you do loads of hunting with firearms, there’s one simple thing you can do to evade hearing loss and be certain you don’t have to wear hearing aids later in life: use hunting ear protection.

permanent hearing loss

Any noise louder than 85 decibels can lead to permanent hearing loss. A single gunshot can cause hearing damage if it’s loud enough. In regard, a gunshot is about 130-180 decibels.

A single blast from a 12-gauge shotgun at close range is rated at 165 decibels (dB), louder than a loud rock concert (115dB) or a jet engine (140dB) The most audible suggested exposure using hearing protection is 140 dB, with the pain threshold beginning at 125 dB.

Hearing protection options for hunters

Foremost, forget cotton balls, tissue, packing peanuts, or an old-shooter favorite, cigarette filters.

While they are better than nothing, they also offer peculiar protection. You’ll get a reduction of somewhere around 7dB. You should look for a minimum noise reduction of 15dB, preferably 30dB.

There are various kinds of hearing protection on the market, ranging from the most simple (foam earplugs) too far more complex (electronic earplugs or electronic ear muffs). Here are the different options, so let’s see how they compare.

• Foam Ear Plugs

  They are presumably the most straightforward, the cheapest form of hearing protection to come by. They have certain advantages, particularly the fact that they’re affordable, small, and flexible enough to be used for many applications. They also have an NRR (Noise Reduction Rating, more about it later) of 33, making them significantly reliable for blocking noise.

Although they do come with certain drawbacks, the biggest of them being that they only protect the ear canal. This means that the sensitive bones of the ear are mainly left unprotected. The second issue is that foam earplugs dampen many noises, regardless of where it comes from, making it equally hard to hear a range master’s commands as it is a gunshot.

• Ear Muffs

  With an NRR of 30, a pair of shooter’s earmuffs may seem like a downgrade from foam earplugs, but most times, they’re actually an upgrade. You just need to place them over the ears, they are incredibly easy to use, unlike foam earplugs. Besides protecting the ear canal, they also protect the entire ear. Earmuffs can be combined with earplugs for extra protection.

They also have certain drawbacks. Earmuffs can be uncomfortable when wearing headgear, such as helmets, beanies, or hats. Sometimes they can get in the way when you need to take aim, messing up the fit of the rifle or shotgun to the shoulder. Finally, like earplugs, they block out all noise levels, making it harder to find game or hear conversations when out in the woods.

• Electronic Ear Muffs/Ear Plugs

  Electronic earmuffs and earplugs are like their non-electric counterparts. Despite that, their major advantage is that they only block louder noises (85-95 dB) while retaining the benefits of non-electric earmuffs or earplugs. Like most products, they have some disadvantages, their major one being the cost. Electric ear muffs and earplugs are undoubtedly the priciest options out of all ear protection gadgets, with a pair of electric earplugs coming in at $125 and up.

• Percussive Filters

  A percussive filter is like a custom-molded earplug that merges all the good of earplugs, earmuffs, and their electric cousins into one non-electric unit. They cancel out harmful noises and won’t lift off your ears during firing. One of their only drawbacks is that they don’t amplify sound, unlike electronic earmuffs or earplugs. That said, most percussive filters have two different NRR levels so that they can allow regular conversations to flow through the 10 NRR section while blocking out loud noises with the 32 NRR section.

Things to Consider When Purchasing Hearing Protection for Hunting

There are various types of hunting hearing protection on the market. Because of such a broad choice, how a hunter or shooter needs to test several factors when picking out the type of hearing protection they’d like to buy. These are the factors that should be considered:

• Amount of Use: Are you planning on just going out hunting or to a shooting range once in a blue moon? Or perhaps you are someone who hunts every season? If you plan to go rarely, then more basic options might be the best choice. For a regular hunter, getting a pair of dedicated, custom hunting earplugs is often a better and more economical option in the long run.
• Type of Use: The type of hearing protection you get depends on how you need to use it — specifically, what you need to hear. If you need to hear conversations or a range master’s commands, then foam earplugs may not be the best choice since these dampen or block all sound regardless of the source. Other options allow the shooter to hear lower-decibel noises but then activating to muffle or dampen higher-decibel noises (usually anything over 85-95 dB).
• The Product’s Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): Each type of hearing protection on the market has a Noise Reduction Rating stating how much the given kind of hearing protection will reduce sounds entering the ears. Each type of hearing protection has different NRRs, with foam plugs often having some of the lowest.
• Comfort: A shooter’s comfort depends on preference. It’s up to the hunter to choose what they are most comfortable using and wearing, as different options give a hunter different levels of comfort.

Myths about hearing protection while hunting

When hunting, many people don't realize the importance of not only wearing hearing protection, but also selecting the right type of hearing protection.

However, there are some myths:

Myths 1 - Build Up A Resistance

You can build up a resistance to noise - No, the hearing protection has to be worn constantly to block out the noise. A noise above the usual levels will cause damage, even if you have previously been a hunter or worked in a noisy environment.

Myths 2 - Noise Can Hurt Me Unless Its Loud

If the noise is not loud, it cannot harm me? - No, this is incorrect. Normal sound levels of 85dB can be damaging to your hearing.

Myths 3 - I Can Duck In And Out Of A Noisy Place Before It Can Effect My Ears

Again, No - This is incorrect. Noise exposure will have an effect, even if it is intermittent, the damage will still happen. If you do not wear hearing protection, your ear's will be damaged.

Myths 4 - It Isn't Too Big A Deal If I Can Hear My Explode

Noise exposure can affect your brain, and the effect is worse in noisy places. This is why ALL firearms should be muffled. Remember the noise level is 85dB at best (the international safety standard that is quoted), and wearing hearing protection will reduce this by 20-30dB.

Myths 5- My Hearing Will Come Back If I Avoid Noise

No, it won't - The hearing is permanent. You can push it to the limit, but you will still be deaf in the long run. The damage will cause your ears to become permanently damaged.

Hunting Hearing Loss Is Caused By 3 Things

Decibel Level, Distance and Time, and the amount of exposure. All three are essential for a true result.

If you are hunting with your firearm, low decibel levels combined with long exposure is extremely dangerous.

Decibel Level

is the level of sound, or noise, that causes damage. The decibel level of a gun at 30 feet away is 155dB (DB). When you are around 85dB, you will be exposed to noise that could eventually cause harm to your hearing.

Distance

is how far away the gun is from your ears when it fires. For example: if the gun was 2 feet from your ears when it fired, it would be at 110DB. You should always have at least 20dB of protection and preferably 30dB+, depending on the type of firearm used, and your distance from the firearm when it is fired.

Time

for shooting is short, but Decibel Level is high. The longer you are exposed to loud noises, the higher the chance of hearing loss.

Decibel level is what you need to protect against. Your ears are a delicate organ that can be damaged by all forms of noise. Many people don't realize the seriousness of hearing damage, and think that if you wear protection it will not effect you.

Conclusion

If you are going to hunt, or shoot a gun, ensure you wear hearing protection at all times.

Wearing hearing protection will protect your ears from any sudden loud noises, such as a gunshot. It is the best way to protect your ears from hunting related hearing loss. Hearing damage can leave you permanently deaf.

So when you are hunting, wear hearing protection.

Please Note: Just because an ear defender is marked, for example, "Gunshot" - it will still cover other things, like "explosions"