need some advice on sound phobias.

[DeerHntr952]

Hey guys my 15 year old nephew has this fear of surprise noises, like if I'm shooting and he doesn't know when the round is going to go off it scares him to death. This problem really affects his shooting when hunting without ear protection because he can't properly squeeze a shot off because he is scared of the surprise sound. Any advice on breaking this fear would be appreciated because I have never had a problem with it and don't know how to help. Thanks in advance!

[LoneWolf]

Get a set a electronic earmuffs. Amplifies the good sounds deadens the bad.

[Alleycat72]

I had suppressors on all the guns my little girl learned to shoot with. She shot with them for about 5 years until she got her F Class gun at 10 years old. She has always used hearing protection.

[reynoldsfamily3]

A pricey option is the in the ear buds. Amplify good sounds land quiet over a certain decibel level like electronic muffs but don't stick out. My son had to use plugs instead of muffs when he was smaller so he could get a good repeatable cheek weld.
They are awful pricey especially while a kid is growing. A suppressor could be a good idea as long as the sonic boom doesn't cause the same problem. I have never researched hunting with sub sonic ammo.

[DeerHntr952]

So you guys don't think this is something he could get over if he is exposed to it some more? But I also don't want to damage his hearing shooting without hearing protection!

[reynoldsfamily3]

My concern would be developing a flinch and it affecting accuracy. Once he is very comfortable and consistent shooting maybe then work on getting comfortable with the noise. There is no need to shoot without hearing protection in the US today, so even if he never gets comfortable with the noise he can still participate in all shooting sports. That said, I hate wearing it.

[D.ID]

Train it out of him.
Couple sessions at the range 20-40 rounds per session with basic hearing protection attempting to shoot simultaneously ought to do it.
You can either try to treat symptoms with hearing protection or you can train him and remove the fear by making it common place.
The transition to unprotected in the field should be a natural progression.

[DeerHntr952]

Alright thanks guys I appreciate this I will try some of these things and keep you guys updated!

[DeerHntr952]

My concern would be developing a flinch and it affecting accuracy. Once he is very comfortable and consistent shooting maybe then work on getting comfortable with the noise. There is no need to shoot without hearing protection in the US today, so even if he never gets comfortable with the noise he can still participate in all shooting sports. That said, I hate wearing it.

And I agree with you just wearing hearing protection in the field would really affect you being able to hear the amimals. Unless you buy a set that cancels the gunshot and amplifys everything else like a few of you stated. And same with me I've never had a problem with the sound but I do wear hearing protection to practice and I hate it

[Nandy]

There is no need to shoot without hearing protection in the US today, so even if he never gets comfortable with the noise he can still participate in all shooting sports. That said, I hate wearing it.

I have to agree to the detail. No one should be shooting without protection, I have hearing loss and a permanent tinnitus. I wear $25 amplified earmuffs. Because of them I can hear game coming that I cant hear with my normal hearing. It protects from the loud noises and has a port that you can hook your mp3 player or whatever you want (in longer hunts or if I am too sleepy I play comedy shows, keeps me awake and my eyes in the field). What is $25 compare to all the other expenses associated with hunting? Do that young man a favor, have him wear hearing protection THEN work on his fear of loud noises... My guess is that once he starts wearing protection regularly he will work his other problem out normally....