Don't Go Deaf in the Duck Blind

[h2ofwlr]

Waterfowler's Notebook: Don't Go Deaf in the Duck Blind
Sound advice on how to protect your hearing while waterfowl hunting

By Wade Bourne for Ducks Unlimited

Like many veteran duck hunters, I suffer from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Most of the damage has come from not wearing hearing protection in duck blinds, mainly during my younger years. Now I wear expensive hearing aids, and they help, but I still have difficulty following dialog when I go to the movies. I keep the TV volume on a loud setting. And I often have to ask people to repeat what they say to me.

NIHL, which manifests itself in high- frequency ranges, can start at an early age and progress in severity and pitch. According to Dr. Paul Hanrahan, an audiologist from Traverse City, Michigan, this form of hearing loss is irreversible.

"Hearing aids can amplify sounds, but they can never replace a hunter's natural ability to hear," he says. "This is why waterfowl hunters must be aware of the potential for hearing loss and protect themselves from this disability."

Hanrahan is a hunter and longtime crusader against NIHL. He sees and treats this problem frequently in his practice. "Some 26 million Americans experience hearing loss from work or recreational activities," he says. "Moreover, noise-induced hearing loss is four times more prevalent in hunters and shooters than in the average population. Eighty percent of people who participate in shooting sports have some degree of NIHL."

Although hearing loss can result from aging and various medical conditions, loud and persistent noises are the main causes of this affliction, especially among hunters. "Hearing loss starts with noises louder than 85 decibels," Hanrahan says. "A 12-gauge shotgun blast measures about 155 decibels. The damage from NIHL is cumulative. The more shotgun blasts your ears receive, the greater the hearing loss you will incur. Multiple exposures to loud noises are much more problematic than occasional exposures."

So what can you do to protect your hearing while you hunt? The obvious answer is to block the sound produced by shotgun blasts by using plugs, muffs, and other protective devices. Foam and rubber earplugs give you the most value for your money, and they're highly effective at preventing hearing loss. The key is to insert the earplugs properly. First roll the earplug into a thin cylinder with your fingers. Then straighten your ear canal by pulling the top of your ear up and back. Insert the plug into your ear and hold it in place with your finger for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands and fills the ear canal. Once firmly in place, earplugs will form a seal, muffling sounds to the point that normal conversation will be difficult to understand.

Earmuffs offer roughly the same protection as earplugs but can be easier to use and more comfortable to wear. The one drawback of earmuffs is that they can interfere with your gun mount as you bring the stock to your cheek. Employing a combination of muffs and plugs will double your hearing protection.

Custom-fitted earplugs represent the next step up in terms of price and quality. "An audiologist can take mold impressions of a hunter's ear canal and send them off to a company to make custom earplugs," Hanrahan explains. "They're very good for getting a tight fit to block damaging sounds."

Among the highest-end hearing protectors are electronic earplugs and earmuffs, which allow low-decibel sounds into the ear but block high-decibel sounds. "These are set by the manufacturer to cut off at 85 to 90 decibels," Hanrahan says.

"So the wearer may have soft or normal sounds amplified to this range. Anything louder and the device shuts down, diminishing sounds by 20 to 28 decibels. In my experience, the less expensive of these devices are just as effective as the more expensive ones. They just don't have as many bells and whistles for amplification."

Given how damaging shooting noises can be to the ears, you'd think that most hunters would use hearing protection, but Hanrahan says that between 80 and 90 percent don't. "The usual excuses are that hearing protectors are too bothersome to wear or too expensive," he says. "But what does it cost to buy a new shotgun or to take a hunting trip out of state? And what is your hearing worth in comparison? It's beyond my understanding why hunters don't take better care of their hearing."

[cstemig]

Good article, but a little too late for me. My youthful ignorance didn't allow me to use them. I'm paying for it dearly now. So, if some of you think that it can't happen to you, it can. Do your self a favor and use hearing plugs!

p.s. In all fairness, some of my hearing loss was caused by being to close to the " Elephant Walk" of S.A.C. when we were not issued hearing protection. The loud pitched whining of the Buffs and Tankers taking off was deafening.

[tornadochaser]

Peltor TEP-100's....best $165 I spent not including strip clubs. I've had a constant ringing in my ears since I was 15 but at least these days I try to save what I have left.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[get-n-birdy]

Huh, what?

Pair of choppers.

Cheap box of plugs in the blind bag helps a lot. I shoot shorter barreled guns and they've been brutal on my hearing. Am a right-handed shooter and shoot an inertia driven Franchi 48AL 20ga with a short barrel for grouse hunting. Combine that with short barreled over and unders and side by sides and my left ear closest to the barrel is pretty deaf with lots of ringing. Along with the echo from the woods and multiple shooters unloading big waterfowl loads in the duck blind, has made sensitivity to noise a trigger for pounding headaches. Tend to constantly try to lean in and listen with my right ear.

Use plugs grouse and pheasant hunting now. Even put them in fishing when the motors running, weed whipping, lawn mowing and use double protection chainsawing. Wish I would have been smarter about it in my youth, but that's the joy of being young and dumb.

Being a big fan of angry white man music in my younger years didn't help much either.

[gimpfinger]

Only problems I've had with plugs is telling how loud I'm calling.

Team Power Dump

[Quack]

I forgot about that one.... Yes, it's definitely an adjustment. Sounds funny as siht "in your head" with plugs in. Especially goose calling, which I generally suck at.

[shnelson]

I'm all about the electronic muffs now, even a $50 pair of Howard leights work great.

I'll even double up with plugs under the muffs when dealing with loud comps at the range. Still trying to get used to them in the blind, you guys are right about calling - but when you're as terrible as me it doesn't really matter anyways!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[h2ofwlr]

Good tip - Save your ear drums from Nelson's calling! We need to remember that when there is a get together.

[OTCKid]

Yup - guns, outboard motors, chain saws, driving tractors in and out of tin buildings and all the other loud farm equipment I was around growing up... My left ear is more or less a decoration at this point. Rings all the time besides. Much more careful now but still probably not as careful as I should be.

I keep telling the BOSS that as long as I go deaf and she gets old and cranky at the same rate, we'll be fine...

[Waterfowlist]

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Howard-L ... 465&rid=20

These are legit. No need for spendy set. You can find them for cheaper if you look around.