Outdoor Addictions

This past weekend during a crow hunt I was able try out some new outdoor hunting gear — a new pair of performance earmuffs by Pro Ears. The Pro Ears Stalker Gold not only offers hearing protection, but they amplify sound as well. For crow hunting they are ideal because I can hear distant crows, and get the protection I need from the multitude of shotgun blast going off a few feet away during a good crow hunt.

These are the most technologically advanced earmuffs I've tried. The Pro Ears feature a technology called Dynamic Level Sound Compression, which actually compresses sounds louder than 70 decibels (db) by 50 percent. At the same time it amplifies sounds lower than that to the 70-db range. For example, while I was hunting I was able to hear my hunting partners telling me which direction a crow was coming in from while I was calling with my mouth call. The sounds emitted from the mouth call were much higher than 70 db and they were greatly reduced, but my buddy's commands were clearly audible. This was extremely beneficial when I didn't have a visual on a distant crow.

The Pro Ears also have stereo sound qualities. Each earpiece has it's own circuit board, this allows you to pinpoint sounds in any direction. Except for a few times during the hunt, I could tell which direction calling crows were coming from. And trust me, when hunting in a pine thicket like we did, knowing the direction of incoming crows keeps you from being surprised when they come in behind you.

The Pro Ears are comfortable, too. I wore my set for about 4 hours on Saturday and for the majority of the time I didn't even know I had them on. Another nice feature is the chop-side design, which features a slimmed down ear muff. This allows you to mount your shotgun properly without interference from the earmuff's cup. While this is a small detail, it's a huge benefit. I've had earmuffs in the past that would get cocked to the side when mounting my shotgun. If I'm going to spend my hard earned money on any outdoor hunting gear I want to make sure it is functional and so far the Pro Ears Gold have been.

Here are a few other key features found in the Pro Ears Gold Series:

• Each earpiece has a fully enclosed military-grade circuit board to ensure function in harsh weather.
• An LED alert light to let you know the unit is turned on even when you're not wearing them.
• Auto shutoff feature helps conserve battery life.
• Low battery indicator.
• Faint sounds can be magnified up to 8X.
• Each earpiece features independent volume control.
• Adjustable padded headband.
• 200-hour minimum battery life.
• Auxiliary jack to plug in your iPod, radio, scanner, etc. (3.5 mm jack).
• Made in the USA.
• Come with a 5-year warranty.

If you do a lot of wing shooting, such as duck, crow, dove, or quail, where communication during the hunt is necessary, then I would look into a set of Pro Ears. These would also be ideal for predator hunting and many other types of hunting, too. Visit Pro Ears to learn more about Pro Ears Gold Stalkers or any of the Pro Ear line.