Hunting & Hearing Health

Written by Courtney Morrison, Audiologist 

It’s that time of year again, when many folks around New Brunswick don camouflage and orange and take to the woods.

Many hunters do not realize the importance of protecting their hearing while hunting. Most firearms produce noise greater than 140 decibels (dB), with larger rifles producing up to 175 dB. For comparison, conversational speech is generally 65 dB and lawn mowers and snowblowers are approximately 106 dB. A single exposure to the level of noise produced by a firearm can be enough to permanently damage your hearing system.

Hearing loss resulting from excessive noise is generally permanent and high-pitched in nature. Individuals with this type of loss have trouble hearing certain sounds of speech, making it less clear, muffled or mumbled. Noise-induced hearing loss is often accompanied by a high-pitched and constant tinnitus which can be very bothersome for some people.

In hunters, it is common to find the hearing in one ear is worse than the other. In right-handed shooters, the left ear is closer to the barrel of the gun and often suffers the most damage, as the head provides a somewhat protective effect.

Hearing is an important sense when hunting; luckily there are types of hearing protection available that can prevent damage from loud impulse noises, while still allowing you to hear the rustling of leaves and other non-damaging sounds. 

Electronic hearing protection devices amplify soft ambient sounds from the environment but shut off when there is a loud noise. They are most readily available in the form of earmuffs and start at approximately $50.

Non-linear hearing protection devices are non-electronic and can be custom made for your ears. A filter inside the custom mold or earplug allows soft sounds to pass through, but blocks out loud sounds over a certain noise level. Custom-made non-linear devices are $120 and can be ordered from your audiologist.

Prevention of noise-induced hearing loss, particularly related to recreational noise exposure, has recently become of great interest to me. Although he is only in his early 20s, my brother has the beginning signs of noise-induced hearing loss. A ringing noise in his left ear led him to have his hearing tested where it was found he has a dip in his hearing at 4 kHz; the characteristic “noise notch”. He has since become much more conscious of his hearing and routinely uses his electronic earmuffs when he is hunting or target-shooting; protecting his ears and keeping his audiologist-sister happy. 

Self Improvement & Hearing Awareness - by Jennifer Menchenton

These days it seems like everyone is interested in self improvement, and this is a good thing. Most people are trying to eat better, exercise more, and take care of themselves to live healthier more active lives. Society as a whole is on a “self-improvement” band-wagon right now, and this is spilling over into many avenues. People want to look their best, so in addition to eating well and exercising, we see an increase in adults wearing braces in an effort to give themselves a better smile and appearance; plastic surgery is even becoming more commonplace as a means of “self improvement”. People also want to perform their best at whichever activity or past time they participate in. From golf lessons to dance instruction, people are looking for new ways to enrich their lives and improve their skill. Self-improvement is a great new trend, as people are trying to be their best, and live their best lives. Just as people are aiming to improve their appearance and skill, so too should an effort be made to improve communication.

            As mentioned before in previous articles, communication is a two way street that involves both talking and listening. Listening is a skill in and of itself, and few people are truly great listeners. An essential component to listening is of course hearing. Few people actually take the time to question their hearing ability, until they develop a significant hearing loss. But how do we know if our hearing is affected unless we have it assessed? Hearing is a sense that we use everyday, and even as it begins to decline, we can still use it in a somewhat effective fashion by asking people to repeat themselves, getting closer to the sound, or turning up the volume. These are strategies we use to compensate for difficulty hearing, without thinking twice that there may be an underlying hearing loss present. In some situations it may be normal to have difficulty hearing someone, for example in a crowded restaurant. However if you are having trouble hearing in a fairly quiet situation, it may be a sign that your hearing is on the decline. In any case, if you are not having your hearing assessed, you have no way of knowing if you are actually hearing at your best ability.

            I’ll use the analogy of going to the dentist. Many people will go to the dentist at least once a year for a check up. On some occasions, the dentist may tell you that you have a cavity that needs to be filled. This may come as a surprise, as you were not getting any symptoms or having any problems with your teeth. Usually you will take the dentists advice, and have the cavity filled. If you had not kept your annual appointment with the dentist, the cavity would not have been detected, and probably would have continued to get worse and eventually become quite bothersome and painful. The same is true for your hearing. If you do not have your hearing checked on a regular basis, how can you really know that you are hearing and performing at your best? The truth is there is no way to know, unless you have it professionally assessed. Hearing loss begins so gradually that many people will go years, waiting until it has started to make a very negative impact on their lives before doing anything about it. The trouble with this is, the longer you wait to seek help with your hearing the more challenging it will be to get improvement in the future. Hearing is a sense that needs to be actively used, and unfortunately “if you don’t use it, you lose it”.

            Hearing assistance does not necessarily mean hearing aids or devices. If you are monitoring your hearing on a regular basis, and a mild hearing change is detected, the audiologist can provide you with communication tools and strategies to improve your current hearing needs. An audiologist receives a wealth of training on both hearing aids as well as hearing rehabilitation, and can provide you with tools to truly hear your best. In an age of self-improvement, looking your best, and performing your best, it is really surprising how many people will refuse or ignore the importance of good hearing. I feel that if you really want to be your best, you must strive for your absolute best hearing. Audiocorp has three full time audiologists and offers complimentary hearing checks. If you are striving to be and hear your best, we would love to help you reach your goals.