An excerpt from one of my weekly outdoor columns
**************
Just this week seniors in Canada outnumbered working force youth in Canada... plus many of us are next generation working our way to that "wise" stature.
My generation grew up with loud just about everything...rock N roll, the big gun revolution…heavy loud machinery and hearing protection wasn’t a safety or foreseeable concern...
As much of Canada ages we found that a huge hind sight…as millions of us have hearing loss due to that recreational and environmental noise...
Even Statistics Canada report that 25% of young people entering the workforce already had the early warning signs of hearing loss...
For the younger bowhunters...protect that hearing it is so vital to everything...
I even wear hearing protection now when on the riding lawnmower, etc...its scary how little loud noise can do unrepairable permanent damage to your hearing...
Sound reaching 80- 85 DB [ decibels] or stronger, can cause permanent damage to your hearing...its scary how little sound surpasses that level on normal daily activities...I downloaded a SOUND METER app to my phone...mostly for bows but use it now on everything...
http://www.healthyhearing.com/report...e-noise-levels
I will credit my hearing loss to Rock n Roll and guns...I know have Tinnitus...known as permanent or temporary ringing (or roaring, hissing, buzzing, or tinkling) in their ears…mine is constant permanent...hearing protection is too little too late!
While bow hunting with a younger bowhunting buddy, I noticed he was always stopping listening to distant elk bugles or calls...which was totally silent to me...
At first I thought he was just hearing things...later I realized the truth it was...I wasn’t!
So several year ago I purchased a Walkers Game Ear...of course lost that one but recently bought the latest version...
This year the first time I wore the Gam Ear hearing enhancer I quickly found that the world is a different place than with my normal hearing.
It is actually very noisy, besides hearing distant elk bugling…my main goal, birds are chirping, geese are honking, all kinds of waterfowl are splashing around in water.
Moo cows are mooing, belching and farting, leaves falling sound like trees falling and it seems like it is happening on your lap...at times you near want dive out of a stand when things are crashing in the woods...
Yesterday I listened to Elk chirping and moving all around me, I removed the Game Ear for comparison and it was so silent...what have I been missing all these years...
The game ear will magnify your hearing tenfold...and is adjustable...they are whisper quite with no hissing...it has an instant shut off to loud or sudden noises ..When I bugle it will shut down...
Best price and fast delivery I found was at Cabela’s Canada
http://www.cabelas.ca/product/28803/...elite-earpiece
Game Ear website -
http://www.gsmoutdoors.com/shopping/...d-the-ear.aspx
Pro's-
-Mentioned above-plus
-lightweight and comfortable behind ear doesn’t interfere with shooting bow
Con's-
-Cost is couple hundred dollars...however hearing aids can be in the thousand plus dollar range as comparison.
-Things seem much closer and one has to adapt to that.
-Sound direction may be confusing at first until you adapt to that also.
One environmental adaptive listening mode
Includes Walker’s field carrying pouch
40dB of hearing enhancement
Standard Game Ear Elite Features (excludes Micro Elite)
• 4 digital sound processing channels
• 20 bit audio processor for crisp clear sound
• 8 band graphic equalizer
• Nano-Tech Water repellant coating
• Automatic feedback control
• 20% smaller than Game Ear Series 1
• Toggle volume control
• Sound activated compression (SAC)
• Low battery tone indicator
• Noise reducing rating, NRR 29db
• Power source #13 battery
All Walker’s Game Ear Elite products feature
Water repellent nano-coating
One last note to the younger bowhunters ...Its a Game Ear Hearing Enhancer NOT a "hearing AID"...lol
Neil