The Hunter's Guide to Selecting the Best Hunting Hearing Aids and Enhancers

Many things have changed for hunters and sportsmen over the years. Optics, ammunition, polymer parts, and arguably most importantly, hearing protection. Advancements in hearing enhancement and devices such as hunting hearing aids becoming more common have allowed hunters to expect much more than simply ear protection when it comes to deciding what equipment to take out into the field. New technology combines effective hearing protection with spatial and environmental awareness.

The benefits of hearing protection combined with enhancement are numerous and it's easy to consider specific situations where it would be advantageous. In the field, there are often many sounds that can distract from being able to hear potential prey. Think strong wind through a canyon or field, or running water from a river or stream. Being able to pick up subtle noises that animals make when moving or eating can even help determine what kind of animal is nearby, increasing the accuracy of a hunt.

With Axil technology, a hunter can increase their hearing by up to eight times, while protecting their hearing from hazardous noises. This is a clear advantage for a modern-day hunter using hunting hearing aids.

Essential Features of Hunting Hearing Aids and Enhancers

Protecting hearing should be a top priority and support for this from professionals has become unanimous. That being said, the technology and offerings available to accommodate hunters and sportsmen have changed rapidly over the last few years. Having hearing protection that decreases your exposure to hazardous noise is a positive benefit and demonstrates the value of a good set of muffs or plugs. Protection and ease of use make for a good hearing protection product. Hearing enhancement, improved communication, durability and resistance to sweat and moisture, and tailored ergonomics are all qualities of a GREAT hearing protection product.

Noise Amplification

Being able to distinguish the sounds of nature can be critical to the success of a hunt. Running hooves, feeding, and even breathing become discernible from sounds like wind and rain due to noise amplification technology. Even a light breeze can hide the sounds of movement from animals like deer or turkey and other game. The technology that can increase hearing is built into a hunting hearing aid allowing not only improved hearing but also being able to hear things you normally would not.

The shooting range is a great example of how amplification can work with ranges being very loud places and everyone wearing ear plugs or other noise-dampening hearing protection. Having a conversation becomes very difficult if not impossible. However, with noise amplification, someone training on the range could easily hear a friend or range partner giving instructions or explaining something. In fact, noise-amplifying hearing protection would allow someone to hear conversations from other people using the range further away. Convenience in a range environment quickly becomes a major enhancement with a hunter in a natural environment.

Situational Awareness

With hunting sound amplification, time to prepare and make decisions in the moment as well as directional, spatial situational awareness increases dramatically. Distance management is critical to having good judgment and making good decisions in the field. Next to vision, no sense is more crucial to distance management and situational awareness than hearing.

A hunter in a tree stand using hearing protection is at a distinct disadvantage in that he is limiting his hearing and unable to hear potential prey until it is very close, giving the animal more time to detect his presence and possibly evade. Whereas, with enhancement and amplification, a hunter can protect his hearing, and pick up on noises much earlier, allowing a more measured response to encountering prey on the hunt.

Clarity

Noise amplification and being able to determine how close or far a target is can be dulled substantially if the sound is muffled or unclear. Hearing enhancement that goes in the ear and is closer to the canal can ensure enhancement and keener hearing for a hunter, however, even high-quality earmuff style enhancement can be effective as well. Hearing amplifiers for hunting improve overall awareness and being able to zero in on the location of your target.

Using advanced digital sound microprocessing and proprietary Audiocore 4.0 technology, Axil hearing protection is able to ensure clarity by having AC signal circuitry to convert a physical soundwave into a digital code. This allows the shaping of sound, for example, making loud noises above a certain level quiet and quiet noises louder. Even the ability to change specific types of sounds like gunshots.

Top Hearing Enhancement Picks for Deer Hunting

When looking for the best hearing enhancement for deer hunting specifically, the Trackr Blu from Axil has all of the components that experienced hunters would want on a hunt.

Adjustable and Ergonomic

Having intuitive hearing protection and comfortable hearing enhancement for deer hunting is essential because of the length of time and potentially rugged environment most hunts take place. Having to constantly adjust or take off and put on hearing protection is not practical when in the field.

Lightweight

Most hunts will require a substantial amount of walking, hiking and even crawling. In addition to a heavy steel firearm, hunters carry endless amounts of gear and supplies, making being compact and lightweight a requirement for high-quality hearing enhancement equipment.

Durable

Resistance to moisture and sturdiness are all important aspects of high–quality deer hunting hearing aids. The slimline“low profile” design of Axil ear muffs allows a hunter to be able to quickly raise their rifle without fear of knocking off their hearing protection with their shoulder and exposing themselves to hazardous noise or terminating the advantage and enhancement that’s provided.

Despite this design, there is always a chance of dropping equipment or bumping into something, and even in a low to no precipitation environment, sweating into your hearing protection is a certainty. The Trackr Blu is durable and difficult to damage and also built resistance to water and other moisture, giving the hunter the confidence of knowing that even in the most rugged environments, they won’t have to worry about high-functioning hearing protection.

Hearing Enhancement for Different Hunting Scenarios

Different types of hearing protection can be suitable for different hunting scenarios. When choosing hunting ear enhancement, the main considerations have been described above, however, like most products, there are further-tuned models with even more features. Smaller, closer to the ear canal, Bluetooth, compatibility with communication devices, and other technology are all improvements and perks that are available when choosing a hunting hearing enhancer.

Hunting From A Stand

Hunting from a stand is one of the more common ways to hunt deer in many parts of the US. Early detection can be critical because the deer might come into view at different distances and from different directions. The ability to not only hear the deer before it comes into view but to know what direction it’s coming from can give a hunter the extra time needed to adjust accordingly.

Target Identification

Target identification is also an imperative requirement when hunting. The more bonus time you get from early detection due to hearing enhancement, the more time you have to identify your target before engaging. This is not only an efficiency issue, but a safety issue as well. The sooner you hear your target, the sooner you can locate your target, and the sooner you can identify and zero in on your target.

Working With A Pointer Hunting Dog

What you don’t hear can be just as important as what you do. For instance, using a pointer hunting dog. Hearing your pointer's bell as he moves back and forth across the field searching for Pheasant is important for the direction and canvassing, but it’s when you stop hearing the bell that lets you know it might be time to engage. Clarity reduces distracting sounds like wind or moving water with the aid of hearing enhancement and improves spatial and directional awareness. In other words, having a better idea of where your pointer is even though you can’t see it, improved awareness of its distance from you, and finally, clarity from muffling environmental noises allows you to know for sure what you are hearing and not hearing.

Advanced Technology in Hunting Hearing Aids

Advanced hearing aid technology is becoming more common and available to consumers, not just for the hunting and sporting market. Even a few years ago, much of the technology considered the best hunting hearing enhancement today, would have been unknown and difficult to find, particularly with regard to Bluetooth, wireless, extended battery life, mobile charging, and water resistance (overall durability). Being able to combine ear protection with a hunting hearing amplifier has just recently become a common hunting and sporting product within the last decade. This advancement in hearing aid technology has contributed to making hunting not only more enjoyable but also much safer.

Making an Informed Choice: Axil’s Solutions for Hunters

Hunters have learned that protecting hearing is imperative, as more and more studies detail how easy it is to be exposed to hazardous noise and hearing damage. Axil’s hunting solutions have been field-tested by experienced hunters and sportsmen, not only in the lab but in rugged environments. Having the best hunting hearing aids can be helped by having the knowledge to make an informed choice. Products that protect your hearing and increase it simultaneously, while improving your overall awareness and are durable and comfortable enough to use in the field are readily available for your research and purchase. Axil offers a range of products suitable for all hunters and sportsmen.