Black Bear Hunting Gun?

[Deleted member 67409]

[...]My point.....firing a shot when hunting is not going to automatically cause hearing loss. If it did there would millions of hunters running around with hearing aids.

Well there are millions of hunters with hearing aids, once they become seniors and simply can't hear, combined with years of unprotected shooting.

My deceased grandfather was almost stone deaf when I knew him while I was growing up. He had to have gotten started shooting back before hearing protection was a requirement considering he was born in 1942. Where I suspect his hearing went to crap though was he was a diesel mechanic until he was around 60 and retired. Again, he would've been working in shops in the days before hearing safety in the workplace.

Shooting one unprotected shot isn't going to cause immediate hearing loss unless someone shoots an unusually loud gun like a SVT-40, which has an old-school muzzle brake, something with a Cutts compensator, a machine gun, or a .50BMG. Shooting without hearing pro causes cumulative hearing loss. Maybe someone won't notice it when they're 20, 30, 40, but they'll eventually be deaf as a post when they're old if they shoot enough to cause damage.

Hunting bears with dogs is no different than hunting raccoon or squirrel with dogs.....a common practice in the south.

I grew up beagling and coon hunting with hounds in RI. The opportunity is out there for New Englanders. Culturally, though, most hunters are oblivious to the idea because true, old school New England is pretty much dead. Bear hunting is out of my ken though because there's no bear season in RI.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Been hunting a long long time. Have my hearing tested at work every year. No hearing loss detected. I never wear ear pro when hunting.

Was in the driver's seat of a hmmwv in Iraq in 2003......another pax fired a few shots with his m4 from inside the vehicle. My ears rang for about 24 hours. No hearing loss. Also spent a few crazy minutes firing an m2 back then......no ear pro of course .....same thing......ears rang for a day.....I have tinnitus (permanent ringing) now but no detectable hearing loss.

My point.....firing a shot when hunting is not going to automatically cause hearing loss. If it did there would millions of hunters running around with hearing aids.

What?