Seems I can't hear thunder anymore, went out with my kids this AM and they heard birds that I never heard whatsoever. Then daughter heard something walking and here comes 3 longbeards running in and I saw them and could hear them spitting and drumming but only at 20 yards. Honestly I would have left the farm after hearing "nothing" and looked elsewhere but only 20 min later son had one on the ground. Have ringing in my ears, family doc said just getting old, can hear most conversations but NEED TO HEAR ROOSTED GOBBLERS and the trees aren't even leafed out yet. Guess too much shooting without hearing protection or ZZ TOP CONCERTS LOL
Any experience with hearing enhancers, limited budget so no gold plated stuff.
I have a similiar issue. Ringing in my ears. These help me a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T7QJ9O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Points to consider:
Put them on and adjust just until you barley hear "background hiss"
Wait a few minutes letting you ears adjust, then increase a small amount.
Continue increasing in small amount and you should be able to go almost to the max setting.
The secret is letting your ears slowly adjust to them.
If you just turn it up pretty high, the background "hiss" is annoying.
I have found that by doing it gradually, after about 15-20 minutes, it's not nearly as noticeable.
I love them. Just be careful, what you hear may be A LOT closer than you think.....I found out the hard way...............LOL. Was listening to some gobblers one morning before season at what I thought was about 125-150 yards away. LOL.........ended up they were only about 50 yards away and I got busted.
Tinnitus here as well, since childhood. I can hear a turkey drumming, if he is practically sitting in my lap. I honestly don't recall the last time I heard drumming even when I can see the bird strutting. I have a friend, older than I, who can, honestly, hear drumming at least 150 yards away. I was with him last year when he did so.
First time I realized that my hearing wasn't as good as other peoples was when I took a friend hunting way back in the 1980's. He kept telling me, and another partially deaf buddy, that he heard a turkey. Since he was new to turkey hunting, we looked at each other, rolling our eyes, because we were sure he didn't know what a gobble sounded like. After closing the distance maybe a quarter mile, I finally started hearing the bird as well. ;)
HFultzjr, thanks for the tip regarding the use of amplifying muffs. I bought a pair for pistol shooting this year, and attempted to use them scouting last weekend, but found the hiss, or white noise, if you will, when I cranked them up to be quite annoying. I will try advancing the volume in increments and see if that helps.
Quote from: Neill_Prater on April 19, 2017, 12:17:23 AM
Tinnitus here as well, since childhood. I can hear a turkey drumming, if he is practically sitting in my lap. I honestly don't recall the last time I heard drumming even when I can see the bird strutting. I have a friend, older than I, who can, honestly, hear drumming at least 150 yards away. I was with him last year when he did so.
First time I realized that my hearing wasn't as good as other peoples was when I took a friend hunting way back in the 1980's. He kept telling me, and another partially deaf buddy, that he heard a turkey. Since he was new to turkey hunting, we looked at each other, rolling our eyes, because we were sure he didn't know what a gobble sounded like. After closing the distance maybe a quarter mile, I finally started hearing the bird as well. ;)
HFultzjr, thanks for the tip regarding the use of amplifying muffs. I bought a pair for pistol shooting this year, and attempted to use them scouting last weekend, but found the hiss, or white noise, if you will, when I cranked them up to be quite annoying. I will try advancing the volume in increments and see if that helps.
Yes,
The hiss can be a problem. Start very low with no hiss, then adjust over a period of about 20 min. Just a little at a time, with time between to have your ears adjust. You should be able to adjust them much higher than if you just start out with them cranked up. Even at a med. setting they will help. Listen to the "tweety birds" and other sounds. You will hear a difference.
Not sure what you consider pricey but I've been using Walkers Game Ear for probably 15 years (maybe more) and WOW, what a difference they made.
I started out with one and that worked pretty well since you can turn your head and guess direction fairly well (when it's louder in that ear, the sound is from that direction and a little behind, since the device is in back of your ear).
When I got the first one, I went out on my porch and put it in and was dumbfounded by all the sounds! Birds, traffic far away...All sorts of sounds that I never heard!
I've had fairly severe hearing loss since I was a child so being able to hear all these sounds was a revelation and, to be honest, a little overwhelming. I'd describe it, the first moment I used it, as I'd imagine a blind person suddenly being able to see. It was a dramatic moment...
So, my opinion is, get something that really works and protects your hearing (put it in the ear that faces the muzzle, i.e right hander, left ear) and just bite the bullet on price. You won't be sorry.
I found that the models of Walkers that produced 50 decibels of volume were the only devices that actually had enough volume to allow me to hear, so, according to your loss, that could be a consideration.
The model I'd recommend is the HD Power Elite. Here's a link. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Walkers-Game-Ear-reg-Digital-HD-X-Game-Ear/1214146.uts?productVariantId=2971988&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03241735&rid=20&gclid=CIDAhenSsNMCFcxLDQodbysFiQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
If you look around I think you can get them a little cheaper...
Hope that helps...
It's tough to do for sure. Two years ago my boy said sit down they sound close. I Never heard em,not once... We got him. :turkey:
I got a younger guy that hunts with me from time to time and he gives me holy HE double hockeysticks...."Don't you hear that bird?" "Sorry sonny.....when I was your age hearing protection was not en vogue...."
I got hearing aids and they helped me hear drumming pretty good last year. They don't seem to be working well right now, I need to make an appointment to have them checked.
I have used the Howard Leight earmuffs to help me hear them at a distance this season. They help a lot and determining direction is pretty decent with them.
I prefer to use the camo-clad Howard Leight amplified muffs for my firearm hunting needs. Great for squirrel hunting too. They do help in negating the flinch factor. Direction finding the sound source is sometimes a problem.
Do those Howard Leight amplified muffs also protect your ears from the loud boom when you shoot? I know nothing.. just used ear plugs in the past..
The Howard Leights work great. I use them in conjunction with hearing aids. They make birds seem closer than they are, that is the only knock on them. Hard to get use to.
I'm 36 and have significant hearing loss in both ears plus ringing. I bit the bullet and bought hearing aids. It is unreal how much I was missing in the woods. Also your everyday life will improve as a result of being able to communicate better.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: FL-Boss on April 19, 2017, 03:53:22 PM
Do those Howard Leight amplified muffs also protect your ears from the loud boom when you shoot? I know nothing.. just used ear plugs in the past..
The ones in my post above do both very well.
Shuts off at a certain level and become protectors.
Great for at the range, doesn't effect normal hearing.
Quote from: FL-Boss on April 19, 2017, 03:53:22 PM
Do those Howard Leight amplified muffs also protect your ears from the loud boom when you shoot? I know nothing.. just used ear plugs in the past..
Yes...to a point. I prefer to use them with thin-armed safety glasses and a thin camo head net for a proper sound sealant. At the gun range...I might double-up {for loud boomers}, with amplified muffs and ear plugs.
For a proper gun mount with ear muffs {without hitting them}: bring the rifle or shotgun up slightly forward of your shoulder pocket, then bring it straight rearwards.
Quote from: JHoyle on April 19, 2017, 04:28:54 PM
I'm 36 and have significant hearing loss in both ears plus ringing. I bit the bullet and bought hearing aids. It is unreal how much I was missing in the woods. Also your everyday life will improve as a result of being able to communicate better.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would LOVE to get hearing aids, but for my situation and loss, they would cost $5,500.00+ PER EAR.
Sorry, I'm not in a position to do that and insurance covers ZERO.
They could put me on a payment plan of like $450.00/month for 2 years zero interest...........LOL
I'll stick with my Howard's.
Quote from: sixbird on April 19, 2017, 09:44:56 AM
Not sure what you consider pricey but I've been using Walkers Game Ear for probably 15 years (maybe more) and WOW, what a difference they made.
I started out with one and that worked pretty well since you can turn your head and guess direction fairly well (when it's louder in that ear, the sound is from that direction and a little behind, since the device is in back of your ear).
When I got the first one, I went out on my porch and put it in and was dumbfounded by all the sounds! Birds, traffic far away...All sorts of sounds that I never heard!
I've had fairly severe hearing loss since I was a child so being able to hear all these sounds was a revelation and, to be honest, a little overwhelming. I'd describe it, the first moment I used it, as I'd imagine a blind person suddenly being able to see. It was a dramatic moment...
So, my opinion is, get something that really works and protects your hearing (put it in the ear that faces the muzzle, i.e right hander, left ear) and just bite the bullet on price. You won't be sorry.
I found that the models of Walkers that produced 50 decibels of volume were the only devices that actually had enough volume to allow me to hear, so, according to your loss, that could be a consideration.
The model I'd recommend is the HD Power Elite. Here's a link. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Walkers-Game-Ear-reg-Digital-HD-X-Game-Ear/1214146.uts?productVariantId=2971988&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03241735&rid=20&gclid=CIDAhenSsNMCFcxLDQodbysFiQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
If you look around I think you can get them a little cheaper...
Hope that helps...
X2. I love mine. You can probably hear a squirrel fart out to 200yrds. I drive a train and even though I wear ear plugs but 18yrs of horn blowing has given me a pretty big loss.
I have hearing loss and ringing, but was a little Concerned that my newly aquired muffs might amplify that shotgun blast. I got a coupl of 1 x 4 boards and slapped them together. Worked fine so tried it with the gun and worked like a charm.
Go to a hearing specialist. Get tested and fitted with hearing aids if that's what the specialist recommends. A buddy of mine (actually 2) did this and it has been a LIFE CHANGING experience. They now hear deer walking in leaves, and can hear that gobble on the roost - AND know which direction it came from.
They will test each ear, fit you with the proper device (can't see them, even the behind ear models) and will program the devices from the data on the computer. Hearing technology has come a long, long way.
The Howard Leight muff do block out gunfire, but allow other things thru. High decibel sounds are blocked. Even loud calling is blocked.
THANKS for replies, that was the kind of info I was looking for. Hearing aides in future for sure may try the Howard Leigh muffs for a temp fix after the good reviews, got a bday coming soon.
I ordered a pair of Howard Leights on Wednesday after reading this post and received them on Friday. Talk about fast. Let me tell you, it's been one of my best purchases. Other than what's already been discussed, the other benefit is that it teaches you that you weren't as quite as you thought.
They are also great at the gun range. Can hear talking but they block the shooting. They are a good product.
I also like Peltor's Tactical Sport amplified muffs. since they seem to have softer ear cushions than the Howard Leights. The negative: They have a 3 inch long by 1/8" slit in the top of each muff, that might make the electronics susceptible to rainwater. The Peltor's are my firing range muffs. The camo Howard Leights are my hunting muffs.
I noticed that I called softer than I normally do, I think that it paid off because I had one gobbler come into my setup and another that I bumped while trolling this morning.
If you truly have SIGNIFICANT loss, look for 50 decibels of enhancement. Not many products have it. The only one I know is Walkers. There may be others but I'm not aware of them. I did order muffs once. They were about 30 or 40 decibel enhancement and I might as well have had no enhancement. I think they did increase my hearing a very slight amount but it was something you had to really pay attention to to notice. Even at that, I'm not sure there was a benefit.
Hearing aids, like a previous poster said, are great but at $1,500-$5,000, they may be out of a lot of people's budget. The Game Ears are fairly reasonably priced and they do a great job...
I used my Howards yesterday scouting a property I'll be hunting. Sitting in my chair, I turned them on at 5:30 and slowly began increasing volume. 6:10 heard my 1st gobble. Up until 6:20 I heard many gobbles both with and without the muff. When I would hear a crow, I lifted them off and did notice quite a difference. Spring Peepers seemed like they were in my lap. Gobblers sounded much closer. Noisy Highway can be a bit distracting. But I did hear some gobbles that I'm sure I would have had difficulty hearing without them. After a gradual increase, I'm almost at the max volume. Without the gradual increase, the instant high volume hissing can be annoying. I turn mine on until I can just barely hear, then adjust a little higher every couple minutes. 15 minutes later I'm where I want without the initial hissing blast starting on high. Plus they kept my ears warm...............LOL.
I use the Predator Pro Ears Gold series and I really like them. We bought the Leights for my niece and they are excellent as well.
I have shot quite a bit without hearing protection but too many diesels, hot rods and air tools in my past is what got mine.
Quote from: HFultzjr on April 23, 2017, 08:14:52 AM
I used my Howards yesterday scouting a property I'll be hunting. Sitting in my chair, I turned them on at 5:30 and slowly began increasing volume. 6:10 heard my 1st gobble. Up until 6:20 I heard many gobbles both with and without the muff. When I would hear a crow, I lifted them off and did notice quite a difference. Spring Peepers seemed like they were in my lap. Gobblers sounded much closer. Noisy Highway can be a bit distracting. But I did hear some gobbles that I'm sure I would have had difficulty hearing without them. After a gradual increase, I'm almost at the max volume. Without the gradual increase, the instant high volume hissing can be annoying. I turn mine on until I can just barely hear, then adjust a little higher every couple minutes. 15 minutes later I'm where I want without the initial hissing blast starting on high. Plus they kept my ears warm...............LOL.
Pretty much the same experience for me yesterday as well. I had a small bird fly past me that I could actually hear his wings. It was rainy yesterday so the sound of rain falling was pretty cool as well.
I would recommend walkers game ear,I've used one since the eighties.went to ear dr. Had an insert made to fit my ear to replace the foam one .i use only one in left ear to balance out my hearing,right ear good,just couldn't tell what direction sound was coming from.Only use It when hunting,I've had one to mess up in all these years,sent it back with a small fee ,not much they sent one back to me.They do work really well,for me.
Well my H L's came yesterday and hit the woods this AM. Had rain and wind, that was wild. Walking in wet grass sounded like ice and scared myself when grabbed a ziploc sandwich bag in my pocket, sounded like dry leaves LOL. Some birds way off that I'm sure would have missed without them but I had backup(21 year old son with me). Long story short pulled them off when could hear them good and 20 min later a longbeard earned a truck ride home. Thanks for all your help worked GREAT especially for $36 TYD!
Quote from: TURKEYSTALKER on April 25, 2017, 05:35:54 PM
Well my H L's came yesterday and hit the woods this AM. Had rain and wind, that was wild. Walking in wet grass sounded like ice and scared myself when grabbed a ziploc sandwich bag in my pocket, sounded like dry leaves LOL. Some birds way off that I'm sure would have missed without them but I had backup(21 year old son with me). Long story short pulled them off when could hear them good and 20 min later a longbeard earned a truck ride home. Thanks for all your help worked GREAT especially for $36 TYD!
WOO HOO!!Congratulations Sir!!
I tried these several days this past week listening in the morning, and they too can generate white noise.
They do enhance my ability to hear significantly, however I struggled triangulating the source of the sound with them in. What sounded like a gobble hard off my left shoulder with the Walker buds in my ear was in fact a bird gobbling couple hundred yards straight in front of me when I took them out. Even the tweety birds were hard for me to pinpoint with them in. Any suggestions to help?
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Walkers-Razor-XV-with-Bluetooth-reg/2347397.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dwalker%2Bgame
Quote from: TURKEYSTALKER on April 25, 2017, 05:35:54 PM
Well my H L's came yesterday and hit the woods this AM. Had rain and wind, that was wild. Walking in wet grass sounded like ice and scared myself when grabbed a ziploc sandwich bag in my pocket, sounded like dry leaves LOL. Some birds way off that I'm sure would have missed without them but I had backup(21 year old son with me). Long story short pulled them off when could hear them good and 20 min later a longbeard earned a truck ride home. Thanks for all your help worked GREAT especially for $36 TYD!
Congrats on a nice bird and good choice.
:fud: :OGani:
Quote from: paboxcall on April 25, 2017, 06:11:58 PM
I tried these several days this past week listening in the morning, and they too can generate white noise.
They do enhance my ability to hear significantly, however I struggled triangulating the source of the sound with them in. What sounded like a gobble hard off my left shoulder with the Walker buds in my ear was in fact a bird gobbling couple hundred yards straight in front of me when I took them out. Even the tweety birds were hard for me to pinpoint with them in. Any suggestions to help?
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Walkers-Razor-XV-with-Bluetooth-reg/2347397.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dwalker%2Bgame
Not sure about that particular model but with Game Ear, I adjust volume in each ear and test by closing my eyes and snapping my fingers, left to right. When I get the volume right on each one, I can hear the sound going left to right. Directional hearing is essentially like a hearing abled person...
Quote from: sixbird on April 26, 2017, 09:07:54 PM
Quote from: paboxcall on April 25, 2017, 06:11:58 PM
I tried these several days this past week listening in the morning, and they too can generate white noise.
They do enhance my ability to hear significantly, however I struggled triangulating the source of the sound with them in. What sounded like a gobble hard off my left shoulder with the Walker buds in my ear was in fact a bird gobbling couple hundred yards straight in front of me when I took them out. Even the tweety birds were hard for me to pinpoint with them in. Any suggestions to help?
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Walkers-Razor-XV-with-Bluetooth-reg/2347397.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dwalker%2Bgame
Not sure about that particular model but with Game Ear, I adjust volume in each ear and test by closing my eyes and snapping my fingers, left to right. When I get the volume right on each one, I can hear the sound going left to right. Directional hearing is essentially like a hearing abled person...
Thanks for the response sixbird - Unfortunately the Razor XV only have a single volume setting controlling both ears. I can see how adjusting the volume in each could help with triangulation of the sound source. I think my right ear is worse than my left which might explain why everything sounded like it originated over my left shoulder - it would be louder in that ear with the sound enhancement.
That said, I do like the Walker Razor for the gun range - I can hear the officer talking at the other end and the response time is fast enough to attenuate the muzzle blast.