Hearing aids while hunting for seniors

jglass

LSB Member
I'm in my late 60's and have a hearing loss. I have hog hunted with some younger guys that seem to have outstanding hearing. They always warn me when wild hogs are nearby. I have a thermo imaging scope which is extremely valuable but wish I could hear the hogs before seeing them.

I have been looking at a Hausbell listening device that uses a plastic funnel and a microphone and amplifier. Not real expensive. Wondering if this device would be worth the expense and lugging it out to the tree stand. I'm looking for something to make me hear even better than the younger guys. Is that possible and practical?

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I already have electronic ear muffs that muffle gun shots and amplify sounds. Works ok. I also have hearing aids. I'm I better off turning up the volume on those?
 
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Brian Shaffer

Hog Hunter
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
Having a directional mic in a box blind situation might be a fun novelty. In a tree/tri pod stand, it would be a pain in the butt to deal with it and your other gear, trying not to drop it out of the stand as you try to mount your rifle. You don't want to be wearing the headphones to the mic when your gun goes off!

You probably should not turn up the hearing aids louder than normal when using electronic hearing protection that already amplifies sound.
 

jglass

LSB Member
I have a set of electronic ear phones for shooting. I turned up the volume nearly full blast plus a hearing aid set to normal now I can hear everything. Those electronic ear phones came from Cabela's and work better than some others. My only problem is forgetting I'm using the ear phones and some things are to loud. I did try a Hausbell listening device. Worked well but was a huge pain in the tree stand or blind. The ear phones are great because they are hands free and not in the way when shooting.
 

L. Burou

New Member
Hello jglass, this is my first post on this site...I hope it is useful to you.

I'm a retired audiologist. Hearing aids have a Saturation Sound Pressure level (SSPL) limiting the loudest sound that will pass through the circuit. That SSPL level is part of the design of the hearing aid electronics and varies by manufacturer and model. For custom hearing aids, the SSPL can be ordered according to each individual patient.

All that said, I would not wear hearing aids as you describe while shooting. I'd be much more comfortable with the device as you described above without the hearing aids. The last thing you want is increased hearing impairment! Of course I'm at a disadvantage without specific knowledge about either device you describe.

One reason some hearing impaired persons hear better when sounds get louder is a phenomenon called recruitment. A layman's definition of recruitment follows, from Google:

Recruitment refers to a condition related to some hearing loss. Recruitment causes your perception of sound to be exaggerated. Even though there is only a small increase in the noise levels, sound may seem much louder and it can distort and cause discomfort.
No amplification device knows which sounds you want to hear, and the device can't pick them out of a complex sound source. As you wear those amplification devices, you will hear a lot that you don't want to hear, or you could hear distorted sounds. In fact, it may not help you as much as you hope. HTH
 
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