Electronic ear plugs?

Any of you guys ever use the electronic ear plugs for hunting? If so how do they work and what brand? I know there are a few guides on here and I am getting tired of having clients muzzlebraked cannons going off in my ears. Was thinking about springing for a pair of the electronic ear plugs while I still had some hearing left. Just not sure how they would be for hearing game and stuff rustling in the brush, particularly for telling direction.
I'm kind off looking at the 3M Peltor EEP-100 for price and a lot of good reviews from people using them at shooting matches and ranges, but am open to suggestions on brand and model.

Huhhhhh? Could you speak up a bit.....?!!!!

Pete
Retired AK Master Guide #79

My wife is getting really tired of hearing me say that.

I have used Peltors at the rifle range and they are great. You can hear everyone talking perfectly yet the muzzle blast noise is gone. Have yet to try any in the field though.

My wifes biggest complaint about having to wear a mask is that i cant read her lips any more so I say "huh" 50 times a conversation.

How are they for direction, can you tell the direction of sounds with them?

I haven't tried them very much in the field, nor have I tried the Peltor products. My experience is based on jobsite and shooting range use. I dont wear them hunting specifically for the reasons you mentioned. They are made for hearing conversation, not discerning small noises from a specific direction.

Instead I started wearing ear plugs with a neck band, like these. I love them so much for work I started wearing them sometimes in the field too. They allow me to have hearing protection quick and ready without digging in pockets or carrying muffs on my head. Note, they may not work when you're the shooter because the band interferes with cheek weld. But they are quick to stick in when someone else is shooting.

Kenai Kid,I use them as well.Put the band behind your neck.That should help with the cheek weld.

From what I remember they still allowed you to discern the direction voices were coming from.

I tried a pair of the Walkers. I was severely disappointed. They came with three different sizes of plugs but none of them closed off the ear canal enough. I modified a pair of foam ear plugs to fit but still felt like there was insufficient noise suppression. I have a pair of the Peltor electronic muffs that work great but I’m pretty leery of the plug kind now.

Did some research years ago and they are not recommended based on some research. Sound travels fast enough you get a blast of sound before the electronics shut down to do what they are intended to do which can make things worse. Never tried them just going on what the research discussed.

I know nothing about the Peltor models.

A friend’s wife just knew that their son would be afraid of gun blast and recoil. Great, so he was terrified and could only use a 20 ga shotgun with low brass shells. He wore a pair of Walkers game ear muffs. At age 15 he wanted to hunt geese with me so I told him to grow a pair and in order to go he must use a 12 shooting 3” magnums to not just wound geese. I insisted on some hearing protection. He used the muffs and was fine.

Even expensive prescription hearing aids are limited for determining direction of a sound. Walkers game ear version that also block gun blast are very poor at determining direction. I cannot hear turkeys gobble unless very close. Wearing my prescription hearing aids would be bad because they would amplify the gun blast. With walkers game ear, you must adjust volume equally and then still guess on direction by turning head. There is nothing like your original hearing! Protect it any way possible. The banded ear plugs shown above are probably the best method for your situation.

Well here is the update. I don't really like them, but they work. They come with a bunch of different tips, but the foam ones are the best hearing protection so I used them. Apparently my ears are not the same because they fit my left ear fine but I find they are hard to put in my right and not as comfortable. As far as sound goes, when you first turn them on you hear a slight electronic hum, that you don't hear after thirty seconds or so (I assume it is still there but my brain tunes it out). Sound is clear and natural, and high is MUCH louder than I can normally hear, clients walking behind you are always loud, with these they sound like a herd of buffalo. Low is noticeably but slightly lower than my hearing while medium is about normal. I can tell direction with them just fine. They are absolutely useless in the wind, they make little foam wind filters for them but I didn't have any so I can't say how they work. They feel like ear plugs in your ear so since I have worn ear plugs so much over the years my brain thinks I shouldn't be able to hear stuff, but I can, which takes a little getting used to. As hearing protection they work fine, not quite as good as good quality foam plugs, but I had a 13 year old kid fire a muzzlebraked 30-06 while resting over my shoulder and it never felt loud like it would hurt my ears. Also shot my 7mm STW with the muzzle brake a half a dozen times with them in, cuts off instantly but you can hear people talking a split second later, and like I said, maybe not as good as really good plugs or muffs, but I believe good enough to protect your ears, better than some muffs I have put on and certainly better than nothing or trying to stick your finger in your ears while looking through the binos to see a hit. Which is what I would be doing without these. As long as there is no wind I wore them, if the wind picked up much I had to take them out, other than that and the right one not being completely comfortable I have no real complaints. It just doesn't feel natural to have plugs in your ears and be able to hear. Oh, and it is hard to tell how far away something is when you have them on high, everything sounds loud and close. I feel like the noise of clients walking is made extra loud and I can't hear anything over it, but that is probably in my head.
So in conclusion, like I said in the beginning, I don't really like them, but they work and I will continue to use them as long as there is no wind.

I feel that being able to tell direction with them is not as good as back when I had good hearing, but is at least as good as my hearing now.