Hearing Defence.

[Westley]

Went clay shooting this morning and I have to say that I was appalled by the number of, mainly younger, shooters without hearing defence or safety glasses. I do know that the Ground Owners do their best to get people to use safety equipment, but it is down to shooters to take the advice. I am approaching my seventies and I too disregarded the advice, albeit limited, in my younger days (I did not shoot at clays until the 1970's). I now suffer from almost complete deafness which even 2 hearing aids can not improve. Trying to hold a conversation in a crowded area like a clubhouse is a non starter and can even be an embarrassment, but does often provide amusement to others. The worst offenders seemed to be game/pigeon shooters and wildfowlers (all of which I am, or have been). I used to try and advise people, but have long given that up due to their reactions. The Ground was quite busy today, but I would put the figure at something like 25% without protection.

[welshwarrior]

It sickens me I've always worn ear defenders shooting but an incident in the Army has left me deaf in one ear hard of hearing in the other premenant tinnitus and 2 hearing aids from 32.

 

I now refuse to shoot with or teach anyone who won't wear them, my son wears them beating it's not worth the risk

[shootgun]

Never wore any kind of ear defenders in 20 years of shooting, including 12 years in service and 24 months spent in a very noise polluted area in The Middle East.... Never had any problem, and may be i will, but is down to personal choice. I'm a grown up adult and i wouldn't accept to be told what to do

[Westley]

It sickens me I've always worn ear defenders shooting but an incident in the Army has left me deaf in one ear hard of hearing in the other premenant tinnitus and 2 hearing aids from 32.

 

I now refuse to shoot with or teach anyone who won't wear them, my son wears them beating it's not worth the risk

 

I do not mind if my advice is ignored, that is their choice, it is the looks and/or verbal abuse that often accompanies it that irritates.

[Big Mat]

I always wear them when shooting clays, sometimes when shooting pigeons but i don't on the marsh. I wouldnt even consider wearing them on the marsh, it'd reduced my chances of shooting something by 75% at least.

[Malik]

Never wore any kind of ear defenders in 20 years of shooting, including 12 years in service and 24 months spent in a very noise polluted area in The Middle East.... Never had any problem, and may be i will, but is down to personal choice. I'm a grown up adult and i wouldn't accept to be told what to do

Does the gun going off not make your ears ring for ages?

 

When i was young i shot a gun with no ear protection. My ears were ringing for hours!!

[Wildfowler12]

As a young lad, I have been guilty of having the 'I don't need that' attitude. Then I got a dose of tinnitus following a mornings pigeon shooting, that lasted for 8 months!

 

Luckily it went away, it was one of the worst things I've had to endure!! A persistent high pitched ringing keeping me awake all night!!

 

Since then I wear defenders for everything BAR wildfowling (although I do wear a hat and scrim that cover my ears). As Big Mat said it's a massive hinderence, not being able to hear wingbeats or bird calls.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Wildfowler12

[Catweazle]

Electronic ear defenders are magic, I use them all the time.

[Danoi99]

Electronic ear defenders are magic, I use them all the time.

I always wear the little foam jobbies when shooting clays. They block out the bang and the laughter from behind , but I am considering some electronics for pigeon shooting.

 

Torn between Peltor Sportacs and Howard Leights Impact sports. Not wanting to steal this thread matey, but any suggestions?

[Shooting2]

I didnt bother till august when I was shooting alot of shots at pigeon and got tinitus in both ears and went abit deaf for 2 days. that scared me a little, well alot with only being 16 and from then on have always used ear plugs and defenders togeather, luckily I can still hear now and the tinitus has all but gone but comes back with any loud bang. Definatley wear earprotection.

[HDAV]

Never wore any kind of ear defenders in 20 years of shooting, including 12 years in service and 24 months spent in a very noise polluted area in The Middle East.... Never had any problem, and may be i will, but is down to personal choice. I'm a grown up adult and i wouldn't accept to be told what to do

 

Yet you were in the military.......................

 

You've been lucky very lucky There are lots of options that still allow you to hear and protect your hearing I honestly don't understand why you wouldn't wear them.... Oh and the noise absorbing properties of scrim are?

Edited December 22, 2013 by HDAV

[Good shot?]

Electronic ear defenders are magic, I use them all the time.

+1 and I can hear more with them on but it dulls the 'bang' considerably.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Good shot?

[Catweazle]

I always wear the little foam jobbies when shooting clays. They block out the bang and the laughter from behind , but I am considering some electronics for pigeon shooting.

 

Torn between Peltor Sportacs and Howard Leights Impact sports. Not wanting to steal this thread matey, but any suggestions?

I have Sportacs, but haven't tried the others so can't give a comparison.

[Westley]

Yet you were in the military.......................

 

You've been lucky very lucky There are lots of options that still allow you to hear and protect your hearing I honestly don't understand why you wouldn't wear them.... Oh and the noise absorbing properties of scrim are?

He said "PARDON"

[welsh1]

I wear cens in ear plugs,they are very good,I suffer bad tinitus in my left ear from an accident in the army where I smashed my head inside an apc on the turret and damaged my inner ear,believe me tinitus is not fun,it never goes away,and is there for life,if you shoot please protect your hearing and make sure you wear the right ear protection,my Dad worked on huge turbines in a power station and is now virtually deaf,because they supplied the hearing protection which was good for 70dl unfortunately the environment he worked in was over 90dl.

 

It is to late when it's gone protect it now.See a good audiologist and he will recommend what to wear.

[Dougy]

Never wore any kind of ear defenders in 20 years of shooting, including 12 years in service and 24 months spent in a very noise polluted area in The Middle East.... Never had any problem, and may be i will, but is down to personal choice. I'm a grown up adult and i wouldn't accept to be told what to do

 

12 years in service and not accepting being told what to do Straight in from public school

 

I agree its entirly up to you if you want too look after yourself or not, but you can put money on it your hearing has allready been irreparably damaged.

 

As allready been posted your trying to have a conversation with freinds relations, grand children, your going to miss out on an awfull lot if you cant hear them properly and keep having to keep saying "Aye" every 2 minutes.

[shootgun]

Does the gun going off not make your ears ring for ages?

 

When i was young i shot a gun with no ear protection. My ears were ringing for hours!!

It doesn't... may be i'm just used to it, and i never had any hearing problems

 

 

Yet you were in the military.......................

 

You've been lucky very lucky There are lots of options that still allow you to hear and protect your hearing I honestly don't understand why you wouldn't wear them.... Oh and the noise absorbing properties of scrim are?

 

 

12 years in service and not accepting being told what to do Straight in from public school

 

I agree its entirly up to you if you want too look after yourself or not, but you can put money on it your hearing has allready been irreparably damaged.

 

As allready been posted your trying to have a conversation with freinds relations, grand children, your going to miss out on an awfull lot if you cant hear them properly and keep having to keep saying "Aye" every 2 minutes.

 

Being told what to do and what to wear on a clay ground or in civilian life have nothing to do with being in the army. Here i'm talking about priciples

[welsh1]

If your principles are to ignore advice that will save your hearing just because you don't like to be told what to do,then you certainly are a bit warped.

 

Only a fool would continue to do something that will have a detrimental effect on himself and effect the rest of his life.

[fruity]

 

It doesn't... may be i'm just used to it, and i never had any hearing problems

 

Sorry but you don't just get used to high decibel levels like gun shot noise etc.

Theres a pretty good chance your hearing is damaged already , which is why you say you have got used to it ,not because your ears are immune to the noise but because of the damage caused

[welshwarrior]

That's why an estimated 40% of the infantry have hearing loss people are offering advice to help not make you look stupid!

[Dougy]

That's why an estimated 40% of the infantry have hearing loss people are offering advice to help not make you look stupid!

From what I can see we are not the one's making anyone look stupid, I think thats self inflicted the same as the hearing damage.

 

You can offer all the advice and facts available but it doesn't mean folk's take it on board.

Maybe some people have bionic ears, I don't know, I've seen it on tele so could be true.

[simonix]

Only a fool would continue to do something that will have a detrimental effect on himself and effect the rest of his life.

 

I suppose the same could be said for smoking?! There will always be people that ignore good advice for their health.

 

 

I already have mild tinnitus from playing in rock bands since my teens. I certainly wouldn't want to make it worse by not wearing plugs whilst shotgunning!

[shaun4860]

Well at our club if your not wearing hearing protection AND glasses then you're not shooting

Simple as that and we have never had anyone walk away because of it

Edited December 23, 2013 by shaun4860
placed the correct NOT in the right place :)

[sishyplops]

I had a hearing test once with a nurse and she told me to press a button when i heard a beep and in which ear, she stopped after about a minute and said did you not hear anything and I said no (the test had finished) i could not hear any high pitched noises, now wear a hearing aid (sometimes) it was put down to shooting from aged 13 and playing in rock bands for many years, no i never wore ear protection but do now, the worst was no ear protection when standing right next to a friends auto ejection port, my ears rang for days, I always wear them now even game shooting as it keeps your ears warm as well

[kent]

Ok, I shot rifles without moderators, shotguns then I only wore ear protection on the clay ground (not very often I visit a clay round though). 45 yrs old and now I have issues, like many who have created their own problem earlier in life I now wear ear protection on the marsh the lot this season- talk of horses, stables etc.

The only issue with disposable foam plugs on the marsh is the need to keep a few sets clean in a little box as they are single wear (you can buy the plugs cheap in builders merchants in large packs)also if you get on the call it sounds wrong but with practice you soon learn when that "wrong sound" is just right, they also fit under hats etc. Another good side is they are good for preventing wind induced ear ache.

I respectfully suggest those that have no hearing damage just haven't noticed it yet, hearing starts to fade anyway and gets worse in small progressions you don't notice till others start getting naffed off at saying things twice. strange thing is I can hear really small sounds sometimes like a valve opening or a bird turning over leaves but conversation when there are other noises is getting real hard now and my left ear clicks with certain electronic type sounds like just before my phone rings.