Hearing Enhancement?
 

Anyone here use hearing enhancement ear plugs or muffs for deer hunting? I recently purchased a "Walkers" ear enhancement system for deer hunting from a stand. I found the "white noise" when the unit is on to be very distracting. I swear I can hear better without them and whish I hadn't bought tem cause I don't like the constant "fuzz" in my ears. How are you folks using yours?

I have found hearing enhancement to be a PIA, I have a set of EAR earplugs that work great until there is a little bit of breeze, then you get a hissing sound that is a great big irritant. I have not used them for years.

I've got a cochlear implant. Surgery cost $85,000 and unit $10,000 but man does it work good! (Thank God medicare paid for it).

Which unit? I've used Walker's Game Ears for a few years now and like them. There are 3 different models.
Base--This model base model isn't adjustable, has only one program for settings and may be the model you have.
Middle--The middle model still only has one program setting but allows you to adjust the frequency which would likely fix your problem.
Top--The top model has 4 different program settings and also allows you to adjust your frequency.

The base model enhances hearing by 40 DB and the middle and top models enhance by 50 DB. I bought the middle model for the additional DB gain and because it offered the tuning capacity to reduce or eliminate white noise. When I first started using Game Ears, I heard a white noise which may or may not not be what you're hearing. After I used the AFT feature to adjust the frequency, I pretty much eliminated the white noise. If it's really windy, the Game Ears still pick up some wind noise but not nearly as much as the Walker's Neck Band model I use as a backup.

I like the Game Ears and think they work well for both hearing critters in the field and for blocking out gunshot noise from shooting a rifle or shotgun while hunting. They were a little less effective when firing a pistol. I have not used them at a firing range and would not recommend them for that. They were designed for hunting, not a firing range. At a firing range or even if somebody is just firing next to you, I would recommend the ear muff style for better noise reduction. This is just my personal experience after using the Game Ears for 3-4 seasons and the Neck Band for part of this hunting season. Between the 2, I much prefer the Game Ears as they don't pick up wind noise as much and don't have the issue of a shirt or jacket rubbing against them and picking up that noise. This is just my personal experience offered as feedback in response to your question and as always, YMMV.

Thanks for the input. I have the Neck Band model. Not happy with it, but I didn't want to go to a full head set as I thought that would be too cumbersome.

You're welcome. I have the Razor model neckband unit and have not used either the rope band or Raptor neckband models. I try to only give opinions on models I've used since another model might work differently for me or you. I have some degree of hearing loss and tinnitus that comes and goes. I find that I am often able to ignore tinnitus but not always. I use the Game Ears to protect the hearing I have left and also to hear the critters better. Your particular hearing situation might be different so your results might also be different.

last year i tried hunting in a pair of electronic shooting muffs that amplify sound then shutdown for loud noise. While they definitely helped me hear much better, it could be a little tricky zeroing in on exactly what direction the sound was coming from when the sound was to my direct front or back

also the things really started to hurt my ears and head after a couple of hours and was suprisingly little help in keeping my ears warm....im still playing with ideas on how to pull that off the price is definitely right

I've never tried muffs for hunting. I can see why your ears would hurt after a while. If you still have your hearing, there are passive in the ear plugs that let you hear normal and only shut down for loud noises like shooting. Lots cheaper than hearing enhancement gear.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever had your hearing checked? Most of us....of any age, have significant hearing loss which we have just gotten used to. It turned out I had over 40% loss in my left ear (machine shop, rock and roll, firearms..typical American Male). I was amazed at what I was hearing again, and my wife is alot happier with the TV on only 1/2 the volume! I am hearing alot more out in the woods, too.
Alot of cheap "hearing aids" are only really, sound enhancers...think, turn up the volume, and dont really help in real world use. Actual quality hearing aids match the ranges you have lost to the aid. Amazing little things.

I've tried some of those electronic earmuffs. Didn't really care for them all that much. The white noise was irritating after a while, and they only enhanced sounds in the direction the mics were pointing.