It’s well knowledge that shooting without ear protection can result in permanent hearing loss and tinnitus. Many people are unaware that hearing impairment can occur from being exposed to even a single unmuffled gunshot. In surveys, the vast majority of hunters report never using ear protection. In fact, the risk of high-frequency hearing loss increases by seven percent for every five years a hunter spends in the field.
Most hunters don’t wear earplugs when they go out hunting because they enjoy being fully immersed in their environment. The only way for hunters to protect their hearing while still keeping an eye on their surroundings is to use a sound suppressor or silencer. What this means is that both hunters and those who choose not to participate in the sport can feel more secure in their activities.
Hunters’ safety depends on their ability to maintain situational awareness. The capacity to detect the sound of approaching prey can make or break a hunt. More crucially, the ability to hear and locate animals, pets, and people nearby, even when they are out of the hunter’s direct line of sight, can make all the difference in the world.
Passive HPDs, such as earplugs and earmuffs, severely limit the wearer’s ability to hear and pinpoint the source of ambient noise. When it comes to pinpointing the origin of noise, electronic hearing protection devices fall short. Though it may seem like a little point, there is a big difference between hearing a sound and understanding where it originated from.
“Hunting and target shooting are the greatest risk to one’s hearing.”
Suppressors or silencers, generally speaking, are as effective as conventional HPDs at dampening background noise. The use of a suppressor in the field allows hunters to protect their hearing while still experiencing the benefits of open-ear shooting. Hence, hunters may keep their hearing safe while yet being fully aware of their surroundings. Suppressors are the only equipment that can protect the user and their entire group, including hunting companions, partners, and even dogs, from the sound of a firearm.
In order to lessen the impact of a shot, suppressors / silencers dampen the noise somewhat but do not eliminate it entirely. Suppressors can prevent hunters from experiencing hearing loss when they are unable to use ear protection due to the necessity to remain alert of their surroundings. It also protects the kids who come along with their parents when they go hunting, even if they don’t plan on doing any actual hunting themselves.
From a conservation of hearing perspective, using suppressors in addition to traditional hearing protection is the best option.
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