good advice. i must admit though im only 19 i know my hearing isnt as sharp as it was when i was 12. i know its from shooting without ear protection. mainly groundhog hunting...dove hunting etc. i just never thought to wear them because i wasnt ringing out alot of fire....but now i noticed that. around the time i noticed it dad bought me a pair of the electronic earmuffs before i even started looking. man them things are awesome. i wear them groundhog hunting and everything. they collapse nice and small so i just keep them in the truck so they are always there...though when i put them in there i found 2 pairs of the little foam plugs i never thought to put in when hunting!!