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.
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