By Larry Teague

Psst. Hey you.

I said, PSST. HEY YOU!

Maybe you had trouble hearing me because you're one of an estimated 28 million Americans who suffer some form of hearing loss.

Hear those high-pitched crickets? I do. Doctors describe tinnitus as a constant ringing in one or both ears, but it's always reminded me of hundreds of crickets sounding off at once on a warm summer evening, only at a higher octave. Whether or not the eeeeeeee reminds you of something else, it's a sure sign of a high-frequency hearing loss, and you need to protect your ears whenever you shoot to prevent further damage.

I've had tinnitus for so long, I can't remember not having it. I do recall one of my uncles letting me shoot his centerfire rifle when I was 7. The big gun stung my shoulder and rang my ears pretty good.  I'd been sitting by him and two other uncles as they lay prone, taking turns shooting at a log in the middle of an east Texas stock tank. (Texans have always called ponds "tanks.")

That same year, I followed my grandfather on my first hunt. An armadillo had dug a series of holes behind his farmhouse. Granddad kept a 16-gauge shotgun propped in the kitchen corner by the back door. I followed him as he carried the smoothbore into the woods in search of the nine-banded hole digger. At least we found some fresh-turned earth near some armadillo burrows.

Back then, nobody wore earplugs because they didn't know any better. In that same glorious year I'd first smelled gunsmoke, my second-grade teacher sent a note home that I was not paying attention in class.

For decades, I thought my hearing loss was caused by that early exposure to gunfire and the hundreds of firecrackers my brother and I were so anxious to set off each July 4. Then three years ago, my youngest daughter, Casey, was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss at age 6. The doctor said the loss was hereditary and that I'd likely inherited it, too. The Winchesters, Remingtons and Black Cats had only made it worse.

Though an audiologist told me 15 years ago that I needed dual hearing aids and should learn to read lips, I've stubbornly refused to do both. But one thing I won't do is shoot without wearing some type of hearing protection.

I own three sets of electronic muffs, a non-amplified muff and countless earplugs that I keep in the truck console and in my shooting bags, lest I forget the muffs. Last year, on a sporting clays course, I donned a set of silicone plugs provided by a major firearms manufacturer. Several shots later, my right ear was ringing as if it had not been plugged at all. Apparently the earplugs did not fit me well, because the effect of the gunshots was if I'd cranked up the volume on the ringing already there.

Don't learn the hard way like I did. Make sure your earplugs fit well before pulling the trigger.

Though I use electronic muffs most of the time, particularly when shooting rifles off the bench, I don't like to wear them when shotgunning. Even my favorite Remington Thin Muffs frequently come into contact with my shotgun's buttstock on the gun mount. The resulting noise and feel is so distracting, it's easy to lose focus on the target.

Pro shooters prefer various custom-made plugs fitted by an audiologist. I've been wanting to have a pair made; in fact, it was the next thing on my to-do list. Basic non-amplified custom plugs cost around $50 and up. However, I recently found a much cheaper alternative.

Clear Water Concepts says its Custom Molded Ear Plugs, available through Cabela's and other mass merchants, are the only do-it-yourself earplugs on the market. I found mine in the pharmacy section of the Wal-Mart Supercenter not far from the Buckmasters headquarters. A note on the package says you can save over $45 off physician-fitted plugs. The package also listed the Noise Reduction Rating as 26 decibels when the product is used as directed.

In the package are two small flip-top containers of silicone, one white and one blue. The directions say to divide the mixtures in half and knead them together for 30-45 seconds. After rolling the material into a ball, it's pressed into the ear and worked to conform to the ear contour. The directions warn against pressing it too hard into the ear canal. In 10 minutes, the silicone cures and can be removed.

Mine conformed well to the ear and cured just like the directions said it would. At the shooting range, it blocked out noise much better than all of the cheap foam earplugs I've tried. The cost? Around $10.

Then I had an idea: Why not use the silicone to make a "poor man's custom electronic plug?"

I already own an adjustable Walker's Game Ear II that amplifies sounds but shuts off in the event of loud noises like gunfire. I simply removed the foam earpiece connected to the clear tube of the hearing enhancer, plugged the tip of the clear tube, inserted it in a new batch of silicone and formed it to my ear as I did previously, but making sure the tube end was flush and properly aligned with my ear canal. When the silicone cured, I removed the wooden stopper in the end of the tube. Whadda you know? It worked!

At the range, I inserted the hybrid plug in my left ear and the regular plug in my other ear. Then I turned on the Walker. I was leery about it shutting off the instant the gun fired, but it did. Until I was sure it would work, though, I kept a good distance away from the muzzle blast. I have yet to test the homemade plugs while shotgunning, but there's no reason they shouldn't perform as well as they did on the rifle range.

It's important to note here that I carefully followed directions and did not subject my ears to damaging noises until I was sure that the plugs offered adequate production. Anyone trying this should do the same. 

The Walker's Game Ear II sells for $227.95. I would have used the foam earpiece that came with it, but as mentioned, the foam plugs don't fit me well and as a result, don't block out all of the noise that they should. If the Walker fits you, it, along with a custom plug for the other ear, should adequately protect your hearing in most, if not all, shooting situations.

GSM-Walker Products also offers a Custom Analog Plug for $695 and a custom digital model for $1,195. I'd love to try a pair of either. Bob Walker, are you listening?