Living in New York means that one of your favorite pastimes might be hunting and shooting, but did you know that repeated exposure to gunfire can negatively impact your hearing, even at a young age? Hearing loss in hunters is a relatively common condition, and it does not discriminate. The noise from a gunshot can cause damage and even long term hearing damage in both young and old people. Unfortunately, according to a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin, out of the 3,753 participants, only 5 % of hunters and 62% of shooters wore hearing protection during the previous year. The same study also revealed that the risk of hearing loss increases 7% every five years a person hunts.
Hunting season is almost here, so plan ahead and start thinking about how you can protect your ears and prevent hearing loss now. Remember, prevention is the best form of medicine, so check out these simple hunting and hearing loss tips you can implement this season.
- Alternate Rifles – If you have other guns, especially ones that shoot at a lower-volume, make sure you alternate between them when you are out shooting. If you commonly use a gun that has a “lower volume” you will significantly help reduce your chances of hearing loss.
- Use a Silencer (If Possible) – If it is legal in your state, then you should consider using a gun suppressor, or a silencer to help reduce the volume of your firearm. Just make sure you double check your state’s laws and regulations regarding silencers before you do so.
- Take Breaks – You don’t want to be exposed to loud, continuous noise for more than 15 minutes at a time, as this can damage your ears and affect your hearing. Take preventative measures and make sure you take 15-minute breaks in between hunting/shooting sessions.
- Shoot Sparingly – Make sure you are not shooting more than necessary. Unnecessary shots not only waste ammo and your money, and scare off the game, but excessive shooting increases your chances of hearing damage since it can damage the hair cells in your ears.
- Wear Protection – Wearing the proper ear guard protection every time you are out shooting, or hunting is imperative if you want to protect your hearing. Earmuffs are available for men, women, and children, so there’s no excuse. Just be sure to pick the appropriate size for you and keep them on, even if you are not shooting. If you are around other shooters and you are not wearing protection, you are putting your ears at risk.
- Alternate Arms – When you are shooting, make sure you rotate your shooting arm. Otherwise, if you only shoot with one arm, you can develop asymmetric hearing loss, which can occur when one ear is more exposed to loud noise than the other ear. To prevent this, don’t hold your rifle to just one side of your body. Instead, learn to alternate between your left and right hands. By doing this, you can expose both of your ears to similar noise settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Repeated exposure to gunfire produces extremely loud noise that can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, leading to temporary or permanent hearing loss. This risk increases with the number of years a person hunts, as each exposure adds cumulative damage that can impact both young and older individuals.
According to a University of Wisconsin study involving 3,753 participants, only about 5% of hunters and 62% of shooters wore hearing protection during the previous year. This low usage significantly increases the risk of hearing damage among those exposed to gunfire noise.
Some effective hearing protection strategies include alternating rifles, especially using lower-volume firearms, taking breaks every 15 minutes to avoid continuous noise exposure, limiting the number of shots fired, wearing proper ear guards or earmuffs tailored to your size, and using silencers if legal in your state. Additionally, alternating your shooting arm helps prevent asymmetric hearing loss.
Alternating shooting arms helps prevent asymmetric hearing loss, which occurs when one ear is exposed to louder noise than the other. By shooting with both arms, hunters expose both ears to similar noise levels, promoting more balanced and protected hearing over time.
Yes, using a silencer or gun suppressor can significantly reduce the volume of gunshots, thereby lowering the risk of hearing damage. However, it is important to ensure that using silencers is legal in your state before employing one during hunting or shooting.
Hunters should take breaks every 15 minutes to minimize continuous exposure to loud gunfire noise. These short breaks give the ears a chance to recover and reduce the risk of permanent auditory damage from prolonged noise exposure.
Hunters should wear properly fitting earmuffs or ear guards designed specifically to attenuate loud noises during shooting sessions. These are available for men, women, and children, ensuring everyone can adequately protect their hearing regardless of size.