Like many of you, I began shooting guns and hunting at a young age. I also listened to loud music in my teenage years. OK, I still do. I ran power saws and other equipment, and like many of you, I didn’t wear ear protection like I should have. Back in the late 1960s and ’70s few outdoorsmen did, and now we’re paying for it. My biggest regret in hunting is neglecting my hearing. As I age, I struggle to hear the basic things in life: my wife talking to me; the kids calling my name; birds singing in the yard; heck, even ducks chattering as they circle the decoys and bull elk bugling in the forest.
I get frustrated with it. My family is annoyed by my hearing loss and my friends tolerate it. There’s no excuse; I just flat out didn’t think the inconvenience of wearing ear protection was worth it. I thought I was invincible, that hearing loss wouldn’t happen to me. Oh, if I had to do it all over again ...
