Hearing Protection

[Marc]

I posted on this last year, after my first year of turkey hunting with Tetra...  But I felt it is a topic worth revisiting.

Upon doing some research, I looked at SoundGear Phantom, E.A.R., and Tetra's.


I went with the Custom Alpha Shield Tetra, that was programmed to my hearing loss, with several different settings (including waterfowl, upland, Target, and general noise).  I cannot speak to SoundGear or E.A.R., as I have not had the opportunity to try them.

I previously purchased some Walker Game protection, and had the opportunity to use Axil ear protection as well...  I did have a preference for the Axil (although could have been due to the model I was using).  Tetra is vastly superior to both...  Vastly.  Walker and Axil function more as sound protection that you can still hear with while wearing, while Tetra's serve as "sound enhancement" that also protects your hearing.

I do have some hearing loss, and suffer from significant and continuous Tinnitus...  The Tetra's work as hearing enhancers, and were customized to my hearing loss...

I have now hunted 2 wing-shooting seasons, and 1 turkey season...  I absolutely love them for waterfowl; I am hearing sounds from waterfowl (and other wildlife) I have long since forgotten.  I can hear my partner speaking in quiet tones, and the sound protection/enhancement has generally made my hunting experiences more pleasant.  Upland hunting, I can hear birds running through the brush, and immediately hear and pinpoint flushing birds...

So while I have noticed an appreciable improvement in wing-shooting, last year using them for turkey hunting was profound.  Hearing birds gobble from long distances, hearing multiple other turkey vocals, as well as hearing them walking towards me, not to mention other sounds from wildlife.

My hearing protection is now the single most expensive hunting gear I own, and I would make that purchase in a heartbeat.

I purchased the custom Alpha Shield, but were I to do it again, I would spend the extra for a molded model...  One big reason is due to fear of loss, and the molded come with a tether and you can get a bright color...  I also prefer the battery over the rechargeable option...  Batteries are cheap and easy to replace, and I KNOW I would forget to recharge, or forget to put them in my bag from recharging them...

Anyone using hearing protection or enhancement please post up!

[g8rvet]

I use the Walker ear muffs for shooting at my pistol range and can definitely hear things I am missing without them.  I am having a harder time with direction than just hearing. 

When turkey hunting, I can usually hear him gobble, but can't tell the direction at all. Often 90 degrees off (when hunting with younger hunters).  I think I will be going this route before long. 

[Marc]

I use the Walker ear muffs for shooting at my pistol range and can definitely hear things I am missing without them.  I am having a harder time with direction than just hearing. 

When turkey hunting, I can usually hear him gobble, but can't tell the direction at all. Often 90 degrees off (when hunting with younger hunters).  I think I will be going this route before long. 

With my Walker's I could tell direction to some degree (although not as good as without them in).  With Tetra's in, I feel "directionality" is actually enhanced.   Number of times hunting in the fog, I could either hear vocals or wingbeats, and was able to know what direction to look for birds appearing out of the fog...

I suspect that the more money spent, the better the overall quality and ability to tell direction becomes.

[Dtrkyman]

I hunted 7 days last season with a young man, I think he was 24, I knew my hearing was not what it once was but had no idea how much I had lost.

I pretty much heard all the gobbling he did but man he would pick out hen talk long before me, we called in many hens he heard a solid 100 yards further than I did, maybe more, some took several minutes after he heard them before I did!

[bwhana]

Good post Marc!  I have the same ones you have and love them - much better than the cheaper options as you said. I too wish I'd gone with the molded ones. For anyone on the fence, this is one thing where you pay for what you get and it can bring old ears back to life.

[NEhomer]

Interesting thread.

I definitely can't afford a thousand + bucks but I'm wondering if a 100 dollar device would give me a 100 bucks worth of better than nothing.

[Nathan_Wiles]

I am 4 deer, duck and turkey seasons in on my Tetra customs and I am beyond pleased with how much of the hunt I can hear that I hadn't heard in long time. They just work and the guys at Tetra are great! Nothing can replace what has been lost but these sure do go a long way toward that end. If you're like me and don't quite need hearing aids full time but hearing turkeys gobble at long distance is gone the Tetras may just be the deal.


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[mcw3734]

I bought SoundGear Phantoms last year just before turkey season. My hearing is fine for my age (some tinnitus) and I'm motivated to keep it that way, hence the high-end protection.

The short time I had them I thought they were great. They amplified all kinds of sounds and moderated the gun blast. But, I sent them back for only one reason: they would not pick up the sound of a turkey drumming.

Sitting with a buddy as a bird was coming in, but out of sight, he signaled that he could hear drumming. When I took the phantoms out, it was clearly heard. I put them back in... everything but the drumming. I sent them back as I was still within the full-refund time period. I was disappointed they didn't pick up drumming, but since turkey hunting was the primary purpose, it wasn't worth the high cost. If it was upland, waterfowl, or anything else, I imagine they would be great.

I have looked into getting a suppressor for my shotgun. In short, the commercial offerings aren't as far along as it is for rifles. When they do start building a shotgun suppressor that can throw turkey patterns with TSS, I'll gladly get one.

[bwhana]

I will add that for me, the Tetras do not amplify car noises or wind like most of the others I've tried. I did hear drumming last season on one bird I harvested and I've only heard two others since I started turkey hunting due to my bad ears. I lost 50% of my hearing in one ear overnight and was diagnosed with atypical meneier's, which is doctor speak for we have zero idea what happened. These have given me a new set of ears for turkeys and deer.  I had mine tuned specifically for turkeys but they work well for other hunting too. Yes they cost a lot, but they are HSA eligible so look into that option like I did.

[arkrem870]

I use tetras during waterfowl season when I'm hunting from blinds. No complaints. I've not used them for turkey hunting. I'm trying to maintain what I have hearing wise. I'm likley within 10 yards of 2000 shotgun blasts in a year so trying to do better

[Tail Feathers]

Tetra was a game changer for me.  Some protection but lots of enhancement to hear gobbles.  Speedy, but Well worth the price imho. 

[Marc]

I bought SoundGear Phantoms last year just before turkey season. My hearing is fine for my age (some tinnitus) and I'm motivated to keep it that way, hence the high-end protection.

I sent them back for only one reason: they would not pick up the sound of a turkey drumming.

Interestingly, my hearing loss is all on the high end, and my low end is actually better than average...  I did notice last year that I was not hearing drumming as well...  I have since sent mine back to Tetra, so they could enhance the low-end drumming... Hopefully I will find out this season.

Tetra does truly customize the sounds you want to hear, and the sounds you do not.

On another side note, due to my hearing loss I was able to write mine off...  I know of others who have used medical flex spending to pay for theirs...

[Stick]

I recently got a set of the turkey ampods from Tetra - looking forward to hearing better in the woods.  I will say that customer service is top notch.  They took time and answered every question without ever pressuring me into a decision.  The least expensive option is what they recommended for my situation. 

[NEhomer]

Let me ask it this way.

Has anyone used a lower end hearing device that they abandoned and regret purchasing in the first place or is a moderately priced unit still a worthwhile improvement?

Obviously most of you have gone high end.

[JeffC]

Thank you for the update Marc. Hope they can tune for drumming, I never hear it till 20yds or so. Have been looking at Tetra's for a few years, the owners are hunters, so they know how important it is to hear certain sounds. Good luck this season.