Elk hunting after hearing loss
Elk
This past season was my first year elk hunting after losing about 70% of my hearing literally overnight. It was hard in many ways. I can no longer hear the high pitch part of a bugle, so listening for bugles to locate elk no longer works. If they're inside of 100 yards, I can sometimes hear just a little bit and also pick up the tail end growl. I can't tell you how much I miss hearing a canyon light up with elk bugling.
I've hunted elk for over 20 years. Every one of them has been archery only because of the bugling experience during the rut. I used to mainly listen for bugles to locate and then intercept them in mornings or evenings and during the day relied on bugles to sneak in on them. I think I'm going to be relying on glassing more. It's going to stink. I used to like nothing better than getting in the thick and nasty stuff and moving in on them.
Has anybody else on here had sudden hearing loss? How'd you change your hunting style? Any success after it?
I fight severe hearing loss too, though not as bad as yours. Tinnitus has a ringing pitch that is very similar to that of a bugle. The growl part of the is usually all I hear. Cupping my ear with my hand seems to help when I think I heard a bugle. Over the years I have pinpointed the best terrain for hearing bugles and I use certain spots to call from when I can. Up high on knobs, in thinner timber or above timberline and on the downwind side of the hill (out of the wind) are a few things that when put together will help you pick up a few more bugles. Hearing aids would help even more if you don't already use them.
I'd focus on early or late season specific hunting opportunities outside the bugle. No need to battle competition for those tags if it doesn't benefit you anyway. There are quite a few such hunts that have better draw odds, such as the late hunts in Arizona & early hunts in New Mexico.
I may consider earlier hunts but mid September to late September hunts are just so nice due to the changing season. Along with the rut, the weather and beauty of late September is just hard to beat.
I assume hearing aids don't help you. I finally got some great ones this past year and they are great. Really lets you know how noisy you are when cranked up to max.
I have major hearing loss and tinnitus. Prgrammable hearing aids changed my life. I crank them way up with a remote when hunting.
You didn't say whether you've tried hearing aids, but the new ones are pretty amazing.
Best of luck!
I finally got a hearing aid this year, and it helped a ton. I could always hear them I just couldn't tell where they were, got tired of walking in circles:)
I was born with nerve deafness, estimated at 50% loss. age and environment has increased the loss to about 75%. I have found out, by luck and with the help of a friend, that sometimes we still hear the sound but it 'sounds' different. the tone or pitch is different. hearing aids do help. the sound that taught me that we hear it different is the turkey gobble. I've listened to CDs to learn the sounds but they sound different in the woods than the stereo speaker. if the bird is in an open field, I heard it as gobble. but if the bird is in the woods, it sounds more like a gump-gump-gump or a woodpecker tat-tat-tat. I tried to pay attention to the pattern or sequence of sounds to tip me off to what I am listening to.
I've been using mid-range(price wise) game ears for the last 3 years. It has helped tremendously. I will probably get more expensive, tunable, devices soon. I highly recommend trying hearing aids. The first time I used them I asked my hunting buddy if the crickets were always chirping so loud. He stated they were. I hadn't heard that in years.
To put it bluntly, hearing loss sucks ! I lost a good deal of mine with a bad ear infection at fourteen years old. Add to that, years of operating heavy equipment and shooting handguns ( no hearing protection ) and you can see where I am. You learn to deal with it , but there are lots of things that I simply can't hear.
I wore hearing aids once for a few years, but never liked them. Sweating in the hot summers that we have, talking on phones multiple times daily, was just too much of a hassle. Now that I'm retired, I may have to give them another try. Hope you get your issues worked out stalker !
Like you I lost hearing over night. However it is only in one ear. Never had any idea how it takes both of them to know the direction of a sound. It has made me a more patient hunter. Don't know your situation, but in my case,nerve damage isn't repairable. Hearing aids do no good.
I wear hearing aids and have for close 15 years now.....like optics you should get the best money can buy. Unfortunately, they will never make you hear as good as a normal person. I have issues hearing Turkeys as well but I'll take my odds with the aids in over without the aids any day of the week.
My philosphy is why whine about it. Get out and hunt, hearing loss isn't like being paralyzed or something serious, you can still kill elk.
Hearing loss isn't anything but an inconvience. I almost lost my leg once.....now that had me a little worried for a while but I believe I could have overcome that as well....damn glad I didn't have to.
"I asked my hunting buddy if the crickets were always chirping so loud. He stated they were. I hadn't heard that in years."
I can identify with that....I can't hear birds either without my hearing aids in.
Sudden hearing loss is not normal. What did your Dr. say was the cause?
drycreek, the digital aids that are available now work well with today's smart phones and land line phones. I agree, the old models suck on the phones.
x2 on both of Straight Arrow's posts.
"I asked my hunting buddy if the crickets were always chirping so loud. He stated they were. I hadn't heard that in years." I can identify with that....I can't hear birds either without my hearing aids in After deer hunting here at home the first time I used them, I went home and told my wife that I thought I'd heard every acorn fall in the woods. Again, something I'd been missing for decades.
My dad suffered an injury when he was young which resulted in some of the bones in his hearing canal breaking meaning even a hearing aid won't help. He's dealt with it his whole life and he depends more on his eyes then anything. When hunting turkeys or elk I usually hunt with him so we can figure out where they are and then set up. Often if they call enough times he can keep turning his head and figure out where it's coming from. But if it's just one or two calls and he guesses 9/10 he's wrong about where it's coming from. So I would suggest trying hearing aides and iff all else fails find someone to hunt with you.
Shoot straight.. Josh
This sumer I found out that my hearing is pretty bad. My big broblem is the cost. I looked at that mid-range and everything was great. I could hear and no noise. These where priced at $6000.00 for the pair.
$6k is better than mid-range Boris. You should be able to get some pretty decent units and if you don't care about all the blue tooth stuff and hearing your phone in your hearing aids you can get dang good stuff for $6k. I have never paid much more than $5-$6k. I agree it does suck to have to pay that kind of dough....it ain't like getting a pair of glasses that's for sure.
I talked to close to a dozen audiologists before I found one that that felt I could trust and wasn't selling me whatever he had a deal to sell. A lot of it depends on your hearing loss though....but I am told mine is pretty bad in the high frequencies.
Good luck.
I have a couple bowhunting buddies with terrible hearing- they got frustrated with elk hunting and became spot and stalk mule deer guys.
I wore good hearing aids for a couple of years, I got busted by elk and I swear they heard a noise from the hearing aids. Wish I new for sure that they picked up the noise from them. Hope someone else can chime in that thinks like that. I have friend that wears them and I have noticed I can hear an occasional high pitch noise.
Thanks for the replies. Thornton asked what the cause was. In my case, I was treated at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, which is supposed to be one of the best. They blamed it on an inner ear viral infection. The real answer though is that they don't know. For someone like my self that literally loses it overnight (And I mean overnight. I went to bed with great hearing and woke up with nothing.), they do all the tests and scans they can for things they can prove. When everything comes back negative, this is the diagnosis you get. Unfortunately it's an unknown area at this time. They know bacterial infections can do the same thing so the theory is that you somehow get a viral infection in the inner ear which causes irreperable nerve damage. When the damage is done, your hearing is gone for good.
The problem I have in my case is that I have almost complete hearing loss of high frequency sound. I can be 2 feet away from my home phone and not hear it ring. Same thing with many other high pitch sounds. Last fall I was with my buddy elk hunting and he said the bulls where just screaming, but I didn't hear a thing. In addition to this, my low tone hearing is only at 25-30%. I tried the expensive Walkers Game Ear and it was useless for me.
For you guys with hearing aids, do any of you have this bad of hearing of high pitched sound? If so, have your hearing aids helped you to hear a bugle? Thanks for you input.
I have limited hearing as well. 25 years of sirens. My buddies all hear elk way before I do but when I do I know I'm close.. really close.
One of my problems when I hear a bugle is determining which direction it came from. I also stop more often now because I cant hear them if I'm moving.
Chasin bugles had some nice advice...
There is no guarantee they can help you, but the new programable ones mentioned above are pretty amazing. Mine came from the VA and have a small toggle on each to adjust volume or switch modes.
Send joehunter8301 a pm... He has worse then 30 percent I beleive and with his ear aids can hear everything. They're pricy but it would be worth hearing bugled again if it was me.
My hearing loss is almost total at the high end. Drops off a cliff. The programmable aids amplify the frequencies that need amplifying. When I crank them up with the remote, (or down in loud places) I can control how loud and crisp I want the high frequencies.
Walker Game Ears are better for people with no hearing loss. But they are not a substitute for aids programmed for our specific areas of loss.
Rondo, sometimes if I crank mine way up I might get a feedback whistle from a hat brim. An elk bugling at 7 yards made it happen too. He didn't pay any attention until an arrow went through his lungs. But I know where its coming from and it's a small inconvenience for the ability to hear bugles.
Yes, they cost money. What is the value of hearing an elk bugle, a bird chirp, a turkey gobbling or a child talking?
Think of your frequency signature as a Topo with peaks and valleys. Good hearing aids leave the peaks alone but bring up the valleys based upon where YOU need help. They have headroom so future loss can be compensated. Mine also have a Goretex membrane to protect them in the rain or when I forget and get in the shower. The newest ones also help with tinnitus by producing an inverse of the frequency, like noise-cancelling headphones.
I will make a suggestion. I would avoid strip mall hearing aid centers and go through a ENT clinic for hearing aids. I got burned at a strip mall clinic years ago. ENT clinics will give you better service and better quality aids. I've been wearing aids since around 14 yrs old. I am now 54. the ENT units outlast the strip mall units by 3x longer.
and as said before, the Walker Game Ears will not take the place of a hearing aid. I tried to use them as a backup and they failed.
"For you guys with hearing aids, do any of you have this bad of hearing of high pitched sound? If so, have your hearing aids helped you to hear a bugle?"
For sure. I just can't hear them nearly as far away as people with normal hearing but I can hear them MUCH better with hearing aids.
"One of my problems when I hear a bugle is determining which direction it came from. I also stop more often now because I cant hear them if I'm moving."
Yes that is a problem but if you use "in the ear" types of hearing aids it does help that a little. The behind the ear units are more difficult to orient toward the sound.
Being a deaf elk hunter isn't for wussies.
Perhaps the best way to describe how aids have helped is with word recognition.
Often I would have the tv up so loud it almost hurt yet could not understand the words of many speakers.
What the aids did was amplify the frequencies I was deficient in and leave the others alone. It's not perfect but my wife doesn't wear earplugs to watch tv with me any more.
I can lip read like most people cannot believe...although I'm not as good at as I was years ago before I had hearing aids.
Thanks for all the replies everybody.
It sounds like I need to start looking into hearing aids as soon as possible.
Those of you that have hearing aids, have you found out that a certain type or particular manufacturer is better than others? If so, would you mind posting what type you have and who makes them.
Thanks again.
Stalker I experienced sudden deafness back in 2009 at the age of 55. When completely deaf in my right ear over a four day period. As with your case there is no real medical explanation for it. I made it pretty good hunting and going about normal activities with only ear for the next five years. In May 2014 I experienced sudden deafness in the other ear leaving me completely deaf most of last year. In Dec I had Cochlear implant surgery. With the Cochlear I do have limited hearing once again on one side but it's not the greatest. Anyway, hearing loss and the vertigo that goes with it has about put an end to my hunting. I wish you the best, hoping you can maintain your present hearing level and not lose anymore. As you know, hearing and eyesight do not get better with age. Best of wishes for future hunts.
Stalker, my current ones are Phonak. From past experience from family members, I don't even consider looking at the Beltone or Miracle Ear aids. as I stated earlier, I highly recommend going to an ENT clinic verses a strip mall.
" I highly recommend going to an ENT clinic verses a strip mall."
For sure see an ENT first.
Then find an audiologist you can communicate with and you can trust. There are a ton of makers out there and there is no clear best. They all have things that will work good for you and not work good for you. It's a game of trade off's and really depends a lot on your hearing loss. But do not kid yourself into thinking any audiologist is totaly agnostic about what they sell you.
Think of audiologists a little like a car dealership. They sell fords and lincolns, or GM's, or Dodges....nobody sells them all so any audiologist is going to steer you in a certain direction on a manufacturer or two. I make them tell me WHY.
My audiologist is also a PHd....most are not. He was the third or fourth audiologist I talked to before buying my first hearing aid.
Thank you for all the info guys! I too suffer from severe high freq hearing loss and tinnitus from unprotected shooting. It has greatly affected my ability to hear bugles, but I didn't think hearing aids would help and I had no idea that tinnitus could be at least partly controlled by hearing aids.
I started doing some research on local ENTs and styles and brand of hearing aids since i first read this thread. It appears that the post above is correct, related to ENTs being dealers for certain brands. If there's certain brands or styles, i.e. in ear, external, etc. that work better, can you post it up to help narrow the choices of ENTs? I don't like going to Dr., so the less visits the better. Also, I'm interested in getting the type that work the best, pretty much regardless of price. If I could reduce the ringing and hear bugles from a distance, it would be worth it! Thanks.
More random thoughts on this...
Everyone should also know that once you get a hearing aid it may freak you out and give you auditory overload for a while. It takes a couple weeks to a month before you don't feel it. I know some people who just can't get used to them. I was lucky I guess as it wasn't fun but was really no big deal and I wasn't gonna waste 5k. Just deal with it but don't take them out...or you start all over again the next time.
Cheap hearing aids are much harder to get used to than good ones. Your voice will sound strange and eating can be very noisy. Feedback can be a problem with in the ear models.
There are definite draw backs to the darn things....
Stalker, like you,I went to bed with excellent hearing in both ears.I woke up deaf in my left ear. I have been to two different ENT clinics. Neither can give a reason for the loss. Both said the chances of any changes are slim. I have tried a hearing aid, was really disappointed that it didn't help. Not trying to be a downer hear, just letting you know how it went for me. I hope the best for you. In the meantime, I'll be like Ace of Spades dad, constantly turning my head, trying to find the direction of that last sound.
You guys with sudden hearing loss may want to schedule a MRI of the brain. I have severe tinnitus at times that seems to coincide with my MS flare ups. Certain neurological problems could be the issue here and a MRI is the definitive diagnostic tool for most of these.
Straight Arrow has pointed out a lot of good points in choosing your audiologist. I had been seeing my audiologists for between 15-20 years before I really paid attention to his diplomas on the wall. He had went to school in Colorado. I asked him how did he make it from there to Tennessee. he said he was stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY and never moved back. he was the on-base audiologist during his service career.
Mine are Siemens, and at the time I got them (7 years ago) they were top of the line. Since then there have been a lot of improvements in technology from all of the major manufacturers, but mine still work so I'm going to squeeze as much use out of them as possible.
I'd recommend searching out someone who represents as many of the top brands as possible. That way, you won't be pushed into one or two choices that offer the company the best commissions. everyone's hearing loss is different, and what works for one may not be the best for someone else.
I worked with Hearing Rehab Centers for many years and they were wonderful. Then they switched to a high-pressure, "sell first, service second" philosophy, the good people left, and I left my last appointment with a bad taste. I'm now going to a new Audiologist next week to get the speaker replaced in one of my aids and have them recalibrated. Will see how that goes.
Thornton,
For both hearing loss incidents I was treated at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles by one of their doctors that is a neurotologist. If I have it right, a neurotologist is a specialized otolaryngologist that deals with treatment of inner ear conditions. During my treatment I had multiple MRI's along with other tests.
Believe me, when you have almost complete hearing loss over night in an ear, along with other effects like severe vertigo and head aches, it scares the bleep out of you as to wondering what caused it. When it happens in both ears, it is even more unnerving. The mental side of dealing with health issues is something most people don't think about until it happens to them.
For me, the good news is that everything has come back negative and it's been a year and eight months since the first incident.
The bad news is it is permanent hearing loss.
That being said, I'm just very grateful to still be around and still able to enjoy my family and life. I enjoy archery elk hunting more than any other activity I do by myself, but it really means nothing compared to the fact that I'm still here and able to spend time with my family.
JLT,
Thanks for your input. I want to hear every ones experience. Good or bad. The reality is hearing aids may not help. I'll give them a shot and see if they help at all. If not, I'll still keep on hunting and enjoying it.
I feel for you. It's quite an adjustment when you lose hearing literally over night. It's been a year since my second ear went and I'm still adjusting to it.
Jaquomo, Straight Arrow, Eddie C., ....... everyone.
Thanks again for the responses guys.
Stalker, give it a shot. Most quality audiologists will let you do a trial with aids. If they work, great. If not, you can look at other alternatives.
Best of luck!
Siemens. that's the brand I couldn't remember off the top of my head. That is the brand I had before my Phonaks. no problem with those from my experience. Thanks Jaquomo.
As for hunting elk, instead of chasing the bugle, I suggest you try more stand hunting. Water holes and wallows are great, but so are saddles and game trails in the heavy north facing hillsides. I like to cover ground in the mornings, which burns the calories and lets me discover new stand ideas for evenings. Good luck.
Are you guys having good luck with the in-ear types or the behind the ear models?
Are you guys having good luck with the in-ear types or the behind the ear models?
About 3 years ago my Mom started losing her hearing pretty bad and was talking about hearing aids, doctors, ent's, etc... Around the same time she was having some pain in her upper back and shoulders and decided to consult with a chiropractor who took x-rays and discovered she was significantly out of alignment. Long story short about half way through her recommended chiropractic treatment her hearing came back and it happened fast. Almost overnight as you describe. The chiropractor explained how all those nerves are connected and intertwined throughout the body. She swears by them now. You might consider looking into it.
ReSound Behind the ear type. Has a toggle on each that allows you to increase the volume or switch modes. Got them thru the VA.
Mine are by NuEar. They have 3 settings on them. Guess I was lucky because my audiologist was an archery elk hunter. When I told her I wanted #3 set for elk mode, she knew exactly what I was talking about.
Stalker - as my son "Ace of Spades" indicated above, I have had hearing loss for 45 years. I bought Siemens digital hearing aids about 2 years ago; spent $5,000.
My hearing loss is from damage to the cochlea from a likely skull fracture when I was 7 or 8 years old. My wife, grandkids or even sons would be talking to me (I read lips - something I have unknowingly developed) and I would hear blah, blah, blah.... With the hearing aids, I now hear BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.... In my opinion, they did not accomplish even 10% of what I had hoped. They seem to require "tune ups" at the office where I purchased them. Now that the 2 year warranty is up, I have to pay for those.
I got the digital units as they are custom programmable for your hearing profile as determined in a test booth. They have up to 5 programs in them I have chosen for voice, noisy environment, driving, outdoors (hunting) and phone. Despite this, I have had to remove my right one (my good ear) to hear on a phone (even with the hearing aid, my left ear is useless) and they get the dreaded static hiss on occasions. Wearing a hat to cover your ears even can cause this.
Not to be a whiner, or a negative nellie; you should get checked and see what they can do for you. I'm not sure if the lady doesn't know how to program them well, or if its the units themselves or what. But, as a customer and a user who expected a lot from them, I am totally disappointed and wish I had bought more bows & guns with the $5K instead! :)
>>>>----Good Luck---->
Çarbon, I went within the ear models 15_ or so years ago. Less with rain or sweat getting in the mic, temples pieces on my glasses hitting against them, etc.
4 words to live by: find the right audiologist!! When ny son was 2 we suspected that he was having trouble hearing. We took him to a local audiologist and she did an audio logical brain stem test and told us that all was ok. Talk about going from low to high!!!
About three months later we were still suspicious and took him to children's hospital in pittsburgh. Two days before Christmas we were told the he did in fact have bilateral sensioneural hearing loss. Both ears were permanently and severely impaired.
We then set out a quest to get him aided in order to allow him to hear to the best of his ability. Three years later and at the age of 5 he has been using his Phonak nadia III SP aids and has made great improvement.
Point is, find the right doctor, pittsburgh children's hospital dotors are miracle workers. The aids are not cheap, but they tailor the amplification based on the sound frequencies that are most impaired. Good stuff and good luck!
Great thread guys...had a tough September. My hearing has really changed. My family notices. I noticed in the field. Time to do something.
