I Messed up on Ear Protection

[NYDAN]

Hey Dan!
I went to Canton ATC but it was back in 1975. Had a good friend that went to Clarkson U. Had a steady GF while I was there who lived in Potsdam. Had friends work at Kodak in the day. I was in the army as an MP in Seneca Falls next to Cayuga Lake as my last duty station. Again back in the late 70's.

When I was a kid, the hunting and fishing was just phenomenal. I had a great time growing up in the Adirondacks.

I was there a little bit earlier than you. I graduated in 1973. I hunted a couple of times in the North Country but I don't remember where now. Maybe St. Regis Falls area?? I also visited Cranberry Lake.

For some reason, I think Charlie-NY lives in the Catskills, but don't quote me on that.

 

[Blkram]

As a kid, no one bothered with hearing protection when shooting. (At least not anyone I shot with.) Or when operating machinery, equipment, and chainsaws.

It wasn't until in my mid-20s when I started to wear ear plugs when shooting, after learning about hearing protection while working in industry. And I had already acquired a flinch from the noise of shooting a 300 Win Mag that had been Magna-Ported, in my early 20's.
I quickly found that I could learn to work through my "flinch" from the noise by wearing ear plugs and muffs when shooting from the bench. (My "flinch" is blinking when the rifle fire, not recoil related.) I can work through it by starting with the 22 LR and working with it until I can shoot without blinking, and working up through progressively more powerful cartridges, but it is a process that I go through every year when I go months without shooting after hunting season in the fall, and the spring bear season. It isn't as prevalent if I spend more time shooting through the off season. I have been doing this for approx. 30 years.

A couple of years ago, I finally got a pair of moulded ear plugs (they are vented, but I keep the plug in the event for shooting), and also got a pair of electronic muffs that aid greatly when at the range.
For hunting, I have picked up a pair of Walker's electronic plugs for hunting. Still have to try them out.

Fortunately, I have not an issue with ringing ears from shooting, or being around shooting...to date. (I do hate the noise and muzzle blast from muzzle brakes on rifles others are shooting next to me at the range!)

 

[Charlie-NY]

Related story:

I occasionally bring my brother to the range to punch holes in paper. He's not really a shooter and the two rifles he owns I bought for him. For a short while, I had two pairs of Sordin OTH (amplified) hearing protection, so I let him wear a pair. He told me that he was hearing things he never heard before. He could hear the distant birds, he could hear the traffic off in the distance and he could hear people walking nearby.

It was that day that he decided to have his hearing tested. He was shocked to learn that he had a marked decrease in hearing ability. He got a set of hearing aids and now enjoys hearing everything that he hasn't heard in quite some time.

Morale of the story - even if you 'think' that your hearing is fine, you don't realize what you are missing without a comprehensive hearing test.