Been a little while since i've been on here posting but i need some help. Im writing a report for college and looking for some more information as to how hunters who are Deaf/ HoH, cope and adapt to the challenges of hunting. Ive looked online and while there is some information out there, (Deaf news now had a good interview with a female hunter) im looking for more. My girlfriend has aslo informed me that she is interested in picking up the lifestyle. She is Deaf and im looking to help get her started but since im hearing, i dont know what the differences are. Anything will help. If you are Deaf/ HoH please help. If your hearing and have a Deaf friend who hunts please help.
Well, I'm your guy. I have heredity bilateral, moderate to severe hearing loss that starting in my early 20's. I wear hearing aids. How do you deal with it? You use your eyes more. That is it really. People think hearing aids are like glasses and it is a cure to the problem. Really they just help but they are not a cure by any means. 99% of the time I see a deer before I hear it unless it is dead still like before sun up. It definitely impacts my hunting. It also helps once the leaves are off the trees to help with spotting deer.
I lost hearing on one side and rely more on seeing a deer .... sometimes I cover up my good ear because I rather see a deer before hearing it ..... all the woods noise just confuses me .....
I don't want to over-simplify it, but what would be different for her? Nothing. She's deaf everyday. It's not going to prohibit her from doing anything. In fact, she'd probably be better at it, because if she uses sign language, she can still communicate easily without fear of spooking deer (barring any big arm movements) The only thing she's going to miss out on is the experience if you don't take her. FWIW, I've never heard one deer before they walked into my shooting range. I describe it as they "magically appear". Whether that means I don't hear well, I don't know.
I am in the same boat...started wearing aid about 6 years ago. It's made a world of difference in my hunting and my quality of life in general. That said there are days when my hearing aids are a source of frustration and discomfort. I have learned to adapt.
Setup trail cameras with a flash on obvious deer trails and near food plots. This will work great for evening hunts and early morning hunts. Hunt as high as possible to give her the best vantage point. I wish her the best!
thank you all for the insight. Michihunter, please don't misunderstand what im saying. in no way do I see my girlfriend as being handicap. I believe in the "difference" not the "medical" (AKA fix it) approach to her deafness. I just wanted to know what the perspective of hunting is like from the viewpoint of someone without hearing. I know a lot will be the same but I know a lot will be different.
I didn't take it that way. I was simply saying, she doesn't need her ears like we do. Good luck to you, keep us posted on how it works out.
You got me to thinking. I probably see a lot more deer than hear them and my hearing is pretty good. Learned pretty quick to limit movement as much as possible.
I have horrible hearing. Have had hearing aids since I got out of the corps but I never wear them. I also have tinnitus in both ears so I have a constant ringing which drowns out any noise I can hear from animals. I rely on my peripheral vision more than anything. When I can hear an animal I know it must be loud because I cannot hear squat.
