Hunting Hearing Protection...looking for advice/Tinnitus

[gdahl2]

Has anybody tried any of the "In Ear" hearing protection devices geared for hunters (i.e. Magnum Ear In-The-Ear by Starkey, SportEAR MICRO SHOT, SportEAR Custom Series or any other for that matter)?

I bought a cheaper pair of Walker behind the ear unit, but if it is windy out forget wearing them. Plus it is difficult to tell which direction the noise is actually coming from.

I'm looking for something that will block out the wind noise, yet still be able to give you a sense of direction in which the sound is coming from and obviously still block out the blast of a shotgun.

After getting tinnitus a few years ago in my left ear from pheasant hunting, I want to try and protect what hearing I have left.

Speaking of tinniuts (constant ringing in the ear), I see there are a lot of claims of products that will cure it from non-medical sources. Yet in reading most medical websites, sounds like once you have it, you have it for life.

For any fellow hunters that have it, have you found anything that works?

Thanks.

G.Dahl

[gspman]

You may want to look into digital in-ear hearing protection. There are several companies that make these. Two that I know of are EAR and ESP. You should simply give them a call and start asking questions to get the info you need. These devices are not cheap though. So do your research. They start at around $1000.

[gdahl2]

Have you or anybody you know used them?

I did speak with EAR and the guy was very informative, but want to hear from people that have actually used them to see if they work as advertised to justify the price.

G.Dahl

[Tom7227]

The EAR reps have been at all the Pheasant Fests and I bought a pair of the customer ear plugs, not the actual hearing devices. I also stopped at their facility in Boulder CO to get another set. I was impressed, particularly with the owner. FYI they probably will be at Pheasant Fest in DesMoinse in January if you can wait.