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Hunting and Hearing Loss

Hunting and Hearing Loss Hunting and shooting are one of the most popular past-times for men in North America. But, shooting any type of firearm without the proper hearing protection can result in severe damage to your hearing, whether temporary or permanent. A study by the University of Wisconsin found that men aged 48 to 92 who hunted regularly were more likely to experience high-frequency hearing loss, a risk that increased seven percent for every five years a man had been hunting. But what's really alarming is that of the 3,753 study participants (83 percent of whom were eligible), "38 percent of the target shooters and 95 percent of the hunters reported never wearing hearing protection while shooting in the past year." One shot from a gun can range from 140 to 190 decibels, and can cause immediate damage to one's hearing. Avid hunter and writer for Outdoor News, Kristen Monroe, can attest to just how damaging a single shot can be; she's ruptured her ear drum a couple of times. "I don't think they all know that it really only takesone shot at the right angle to ruin your hearing and cause permanent ringing," Monroe said of why hunters often overlook hearing protection. Monroe herself used to avoid using hearing protection because it got in the way while shooting, but said that since using SoundGear, she's not only been able to protect her hearing but also not worry about the devices getting in the way while shooting. So beyond the obvious use of hearing protection (a...

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