I've been wearing hearing aids for over 20 years now, probably closer to 30 years. Couldn't hunt turkeys without them and they help a lot with other game I hunt (like ruffed grouse). I lucked out tho, I not only married an audiologist, she has a PHD, use to be a clinical audiologist and is now a professor at a university and does a lot of research in noise induced hearing loss.
Everyone can have a different type hearing loss. Mine is in the higher frequencies.
My hearing aids have 3 programs. One is for normal use and has omnidirectional microphones (pick up sound all around), one is for noisy situations and is for places like a restaurant (these microphones are more one directional), the other is a custom program I had my audiologist set up for me. I call it Nuclear.
It is very LOUD and I can only use it in fairly quiet situations. I have been able to hear and eastern gobble from about 3/4 of a mile and a Merriam's from over a mile when conditions are right. I've measured those distances with a GPS. However I can't even move while in that program as even the little noises I make are just too loud. But it works for me to locate birds. I had my aids fitted at a university clinic and the students & supervisor worked with me on my "Nuclear" program. There is also volume control on all the programs.
As far as locating or being able to tell direction...for me it takes practice. I need to wear my aids regularly for a good while before I can really tell direction. It takes effort on my part. I can even be fairly good at judging distance too. I think it is important to find something that may work and stick with it a while. I can't just put something on and expect to judge direction & distance right away.
Some other notes:
I use in-the-ear aids for my hunting. Not the real small ones but the ones that are custom molded to fit the bulk of my ear opening. I like these because wind noise is less (much less than behind-the-ear aids) and they help protect my hearing from loud impact type noise, like from a shotgun.
On windy or rainy days I wear a boonie hat. This helps with the wind noise and will keep moisture of my aids in the rain.
I take good care of my aids with nightly maintenance. Make sure the microphones screens are clear of debris, clean the wax guards or change them if needed.
I always have 3 spare batteries with me. In case 2 go down and/or I lose one when I drop it in the leaf litter.
One final note. Hearing aids are NOT as good as good ears, not even close. Take care of your hearing (even if its already damaged) in all facets of life. Hold on to what you can. Once damaged it doesn't come back.
