Who else around here is severly hard of hearing? The thread about Quick Spins and arrow noise got me wondering. I say there's no telling how many deer I would kill if I could hear. I can watch a deer bound by in a foot of oak leaves at 40 yards and not hear him. I can tell a squirrel is barking because his head bobs up and down. Birds, I don't hear except crows and blue jays. Tweets... never. Turkeys are tough at distances and direction is often a guess. I don't hear anything digital, like high pitched alarm clocks, cell phones, micro wave beeps etc etc etc. When we were camping out a couple weeks ago my buddy said, just listen to all the peepers. Man that's beautiful. My comment, "Peepers make noise?"??? I haven't heard a peeper since Tet 1968. I get the monthly check to prove it. When on a deer stand I'm like Mr. Bobblehead. My head swivels continually, slow if I remember to, so I can see a deer. I never hear one coming, I have to see him. How do you other hard of hearing guys do?

I'm not that bad but I do have hearing lost from too many rock concerts and shotguns. I have a 4''x6''handheld mirror that I put camo duct tape on and when in my stand I can look behind me and any other angle I want with out turning my head. Since I started doing this a couple of years ago things don't sneak up on me. Sorry Dave but it's time for a hearing aid.

The VA gave me some hearing aids, but they don't do it all. Birds and things are still out or if I hear them I go crazy trying to figure out where they are. They work great to hear people. I'm going to try that mirror thing.

I've seen the ones that mount to a tree but that looks like a pain in the butt to me. This method I use requires limited movement on my part and takes up no space in my pack. Sorry about the hearing; I'm heading there someday myself.

My brother has the same loss of hearing, military reasons as well. He does the same as you and see's them. Allways moving. Just the other day he mentioned the game ear. I don't think he's tried it yet.

He still piles'm up though.

I don't know how you do it, last season I had an middle ear infection and couldn't hear a thing out of my left ear! I was pretty worried at first until I went into the doc! It was impossible for me to tell which way a noise was coming from! Sucked! After the infection went away I was relieved that I could hear as good as I could. I have been in the Music Biz for 20+ years and still have excellent hearing, I just say "what" alot out of habit! Go figure!

What Huuh

No I shoulden't make fun. I have a sever hearing loss myself. I worked on the flight deck of aircraft carriers most of my 23 years in the navy. And the worst part is it is progressive. I can't make out what is being said on the TV half the time even though its up loud I just can't understand what their saying. I need to go back to the VA to get hearing aids but I really don't want to wear those things. I know I could have shot a nice buck last season if I could here the way I should but by the time I turned he was on the run.

Davidmil, I hate to read of the severity of your hearing loss. You have one more major stumbling block in front of you while bowhunting (you already know this, others didn't until now).

8 years ago I started a new job with a complete physical and they asked me if I knew I was going deaf in my left ear. My hearing loss had crept in but I didn't realize it was as bad as it was. I can only imagine it has to do with shooting guns a lot as a child/young adult with no hearing protection, riding around in my friends boom-boom cars in high school, and a .41 magnum that went off next to my left ear duting a rowdy new years eve party back in 1991 (my head rang for days).
If I plug my right ear the chirping birds go silent. If there is a noise I don't like while sleeping I just roll onto my right ear- noise gone.
This means I can NEVER tell which dirrection the noise is coming from. I can hear the deer or pigs creeping in, but for the life of me the noise always sounds like they are coming in on my right. This equates to a lot of headbobbinng also. I'd say more like woodsie the owl. round and around it goes[8D]

Since the initial diagnosis I go through extreme measures to protect what hearing I have left and haven't seen a reduction in the last 7 years.
Ear plugs when shooting, weedeating, sawing, mowing, leaf blower- anything remotely loud gets ear plugs. And always were plugs when doing rounds & working at my job.

I recently purchased some electronic earmuffs that both amplify and instantly cut off at the sound of a loud noise. This are intened to be used if I ever hunt with my Savage Striker. A .308 pistol with a muzzle break= one VERY loud gun!


If you still have good hearing, please protect it- you only get one set of ears.

Huh? What'dyasay?