Hearing Safety

Another blogger contacted me the other day, John at Blogging with John O. Liked what he saw and wanted to make sure we all understood the risks of hearing damage and loss while hunting. Not a lot of hunters think about this, often to our suffering later in life. So here's what John has to say:

       Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Over the past few years I have become more and more interested in hearing loss.  My father and grandfathers, who are and were all hunters, are affected by hearing loss.  I feel that there is a general lack of understanding around the issue and it is our job to spread awareness where we can.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!

Hearing Loss Caused By Firearm Use
While hunting outdoors or firing a firearm indoors, your hearing should be your first priority. My father who has been an avid hunter since I can remember, often times did not pay much attention to his hearing protection while out in the field.  He now is severely affected by hearing loss and his doctors say that hunting played a major role in it.  In order to help with hearing levels he now wears two hearing aids everyday. Protect your hearing today in order to ensure healthy hearing for the future.

Prevention and education are always the best resources to have on your side when considering the long term affects of firearms on your hearing. With many different products available, hearing protection is a must have for any firearm owner. Make sure when choosing hearing protection that you read the labels very carefully and are positive it will protect you from the range of decibels you will be exposed to.    
Hearing loss, while inconvenient, can also be very dangerous. This is especially true when dealing with firearms. Whether you are big game hunting or simply going to the range, your hearing needs to be priority number one. There are many different forms of hearing protection to use while discharging weapons. Standard earplugs seem to be the most popular. While they are not stylish, they are very effective. Earplugs protect your hearing from the extremely high decibels that are released while firing weapons.
Earmuffs are one other option. Coming in many different styles, hunters enjoy the comfort and ease of earmuffs. Unlike earplugs, earmuffs cover the entire ear rather than being inserted into the ear. This is also a very effective way to protect your hearing and your pocket book. One large complaint with this option is the inability to hear others in your party. Earmuffs do a very good job of canceling out all surrounding noise.
For weapons enthusiast, inner-ear electronic earplugs can be a great choice. Although these tend to be very expensive, hunters can have them custom fit to them individually. Much like hearing aids, these inner-ear plugs electronically monitor decibels. Most models allow the hunter to retain normal hearing capabilities. It's only when decibels reach a certain range that the earplugs began canceling the damaging levels of noise. This allows users to hear everything except the damaging levels of noise.  

When making the selection of hearing protection, finding the option that best suits you is important. While some hunters do not prefer large earmuffs for tactical reasons, an avid range shooter could find the earmuffs to be very useful.
Educating yourself and others in your party of the dangers and long-term effects of firearm use without hearing protection is key. Many ranges and hunting clubs require the use of hearing protection for this very reason. With all of the technology put forth into hearing protection, there is no reason to be caught without it.

Now I'm pretty sure I've seen some Hi-Tech hearing protection at both Bass Pro and Cabelas, Including some that allow you to hear normal sounds while dampening gunshots. Definitely worth the consideration. Thanks John, and those interested can check out his blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com,