Antlers & Anglers Blog

Hunters and Hearing Loss: Understanding the Hazards by John O'Connor

Hearing is critical for outdoor sportsmen, particularly hunters. From the faint crackling of dry leaves to the far-away call of a duck, sounds help hunters anticipate their next shot. The lack of adequate hearing protection can instantly damage hearing and keep hunters from participating in their favorite sport.

As they head to the woods and fields during hunting season, many outdoor sportsmen carry new guns, hunting knives and other accessories. Wise hunters include hearing protection on their equipment lists. A hearing aid or hearing aids provide sound amplification for hearing-impaired hunters. As many sportsmen can attest, just one hunting trip without adequate protection can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

My father has been a hunter for many years, but often times when he was off on a hunting trip with friends or at the range teaching me how to shoot he would not be wearing hearing protection.  Although he would not be wearing hearing protection he would always make sure that I was equipped with a proper hearing device.  After many years of hunting and shooting without hearing protection, the gun blasts began to take a toll on his hearing so he eventually decided to see a doctor.  Many tests later the doctors concluded that my father is affected severely by noise- induced hearing loss and that he would require the use of hearing aids in order for him to hear well.  Although my father still heads to the range to practice he always makes sure he has his hearing aids in and earmuffs on at all times to limit any further damage to his ears. 

But my friend told me ... Are friends a good source?

Are friends a good source for bird hunting, big game, and fishing destinations?  No one has ever directly asked us that question but it is a question that should be addressed.  The answer is yes and no.

Why do you need a state-side rep for Africa trips?

Ask anyone who has hunted/toured in Africa if they think it is beneficial to have a representative in the United States to aid in the travel process and they are most likely to say, “Definitely!”  Whether it is your 5^th trip or your first trip, knowing that you have a local (That is someone in the United States) watching your trip is an asset and here are the reasons why:

This is how the story goes… a new prospect calls looking for an outdoor trip.  It is our practice to ask the prospect a number of questions about the type of experience that they are interested in having on the trip.  The questions might include:  Is the trophy size most important or is experience, do you want to stay in nice accommodations or will any work for your group, do you have specific dates in mind or do you want to go prime season, do you have a price point in mind, are you o.k. with a physically challenging trip or do you want to take it easy…and on and on.  After discovering what type of adventure the prospect is interested in, we suggest the best destination that fits their criteria.  If we don’t offer the experience that he/she is interested in, we give other suggestions or advise them to check back with us as we are constantly adding new destinations that we have personally visited.

Dear A Wing and a Prayer Booking Agent,

I’m so glad you recommended me the Bigga Bigga Sheepa Safari. Flying 46 hours with 7 connections in the cattle transport plane was a brilliant move to save me $11.00 on my airfare.

The accommodations at the Majicikzistan Home for the Mentally Challenged were simple but clean. At first it was hard to get to sleep with all the screaming, moaning and patients banging the walls with their heads. But all in all I made some new friends there I will stay in touch with for years to come.

Last week, we were visiting a fantastic new fishing lodge in Arkansas where we were accompanied by four other couples.  The men and I were fishing and the other ladies were enjoying the lodge.  On the last night, one of the wives approached me with this question, "My husband and I are about to be 'empty nesters'.  If I want to see my husband after the kids are gone, I need to learn how to hunt birds and big game.  I don't know where to start.  Can you help me?"

Do I or don’t I take my own gun for my hunt?  This poses a great question and one that is often asked in this day and age of ever changing airline regulations.   In the past, most outfitters kept a spare gun around in case the client’s gun failed.  (Of course, I’m not talking about Argentina because they have had fantastic shotguns for clients for many years).   Now, we are finding that many lodges around the world are realizing the need to have proper guns with good optics for their clients so that the clients do not need to travel with their guns.   Outfitters are working to remove every obstacle that keeps people from hunting around the globe.

Antlers & Anglers Worldwide would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

One of the first questions people usually ask when they are booking a quail hunt is, "How good are the dogs?"   It is a valid question and often the answer determines the overall success of the hunt.  Last year Colvin and Mazie Davis decided to open their handsome lodge to quail hunters, Davis Quail Hunts.  Upon opening, they were able to boast (actually, they never boast!) that Colvin was a Field Trial Hall of Fame dog handler!  That in itself was impressive.  This summer, Mazie Davis was inducted into the same prestigious small circle of world class handlers!  Without exhaustive research, we are guessing that it is quite possible that Colvin and Mazie operate the only quail lodge in the country with two such handlers! 

Montana Bozeman Elk 2010!  What an experience!  Free range, mountains, Mother Nature and great people made this year's elk hunt near Bozeman just outside Yellowstone one to remember. 

The second week of the season we spent a week chasing shadows as the weather warmed and the elk decided to stay safely hidden high up in the park.  Our week followed the week that the hunters on the ranch hit a home run , they went 9 for 10!  The tenth missed!  Our week was the reverse, 1 for 9.  It was so disheartening to hunt hard and climb the mountains battling the altitude to be defeated by Mother Nature.