Problem hearing UPDATE

[Poleaxe]

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.

[Oconeeguy]

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.

[SteelerFan]

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.

[Tail Feathers]

The Howard Leight muff do block out gunfire, but allow other things thru.  High decibel sounds are blocked.  Even loud calling is blocked. 

[MDSTRUTNRUT]

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.

[CMBOSTC]

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.

[Tail Feathers]

They are also great at the gun range.  Can hear talking but they block the shooting.  They are a good product.

[Erno86]

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.

[CMBOSTC]

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.

[sixbird]

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...

[HFultzjr]

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.

[Tom Foolery]

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.

[CMBOSTC]

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.

[Dark Cloud]

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.

[MDSTRUTNRUT]

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!