This is my Wildear Hearing Protection Review based on using it hunting and target shooting.
Background
While watching another good video from Standing Stone Kennels I became aware of electronic hearing protection. I knew that it was available but just assumed it was overly expensive. At my next hearing checkup I talked to the Audiologist about whether electronic protection worked and was told that it was very effective. They even sold it through the clinic although at a premium. Standing Stone recommended and sold Wildear Hearing Protection.
I started shooting BB guns and pellet rifles when I was five years old. I started pheasant hunting in my early teens with a 16 gauge shotgun and graduated to a 12 gauge. During high school we shot a lot. Clay targets, pigeons, etc. I was reloading shells and it was not unusual to go through a couple boxes a week.
In my 50s, I started getting my hearing tested and not surprisingly I had hearing loss in both ears, but mainly in my left. I was struggling to hear in crowded settings with lots of ambient noise.
In my 60s, the hearing loss was more obvious and I started to take precautions around tools, engines and range shooting. Better late than never. I was pretty good about using some kind of protection everywhere except while Pheasant Hunting.
So when I became aware of Wildear I started to do some research. There was not a lot of information available but I found enough that I was comfortable moving forward with them.
The Purchase
One of the keys with any kind of device is that they fit well. WildEar comes with a kit that allows you to make your own molds. I was not confident that I could do it correctly and it turns out their office was only about 45 minutes away. So I made an appointment and went into the office. They made the molds and a week later I had my devices.
WildEar attends a lot of sport shows and will do fittings right at the show, usually with some kind of sale pricing. At least, they were doing it at that time.
My Experiences
I started wearing the devices whenever I took the dogs out for training, even though there was no shooting involved. Just to get used to wearing them. The first thing I noticed was the amplification that I could get through the devices. I could hear much better with them than without.
The second thing I noticed was the wind noise. Very distracting and in strong winds the wind noise blocked out everything else. In the late season if I wanted to wear a stocking cap it was difficult because of the feedback.
I also struggled with sound location. As I wore them hunting, I would hear birds flush but not be able to quickly determine where they flushed from.
I also wore them while shooting Sporting Clays and they worked really well. The ranges we shot at were somewhat sheltered so wind noise was not an issue. It was possible to wear normal conversation clearly but be protected from gun fire.
I did have problems with one device that I had to send back for warranty work. The process worked really well and I had the device back in a couple weeks without any hassle.
My Conclusions
In summary, my Wildear Hearing Protection Review.
For range shooting, they work really well. Normal conversation is easy yet your hearing is protected from gun fire.
In the field, in low wind conditions I wear them comfortably all day. I can hear the other people on the group as well as signals from my handheld. Over time I have gotten better at locating flushing birds while wearing them.
In moderate to high wind conditions I do not wear them. The wind noise blocks out everything and is very distracting. We hunt Minnesota and Iowa and it is almost always windy, especially in 2021. As a result I probably only wore them 30% of the time while pheasant hunting.
If anyone is aware of how to reduce the wind noise I would appreciate hearing about it.
