Recreation comes in all shapes and forms. Generally, I like the solitude of Chantrelle picking in the woods but many outdoorsmen and women enjoy louder type activities in the Tillamook forest like shooting, dirt biking and ATV riding.
Yesterday, on a crisp, and bright Sunday afternoon, we made our way to BLM land, off Highway 6,
to a highly used area in the Tillamook forest for all sorts of activities. Although our hunt was mostly quiet in the wooded areas, the dirt bikers and hunters nearby were
not so quiet so. The folks using all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on the muddy trails needed PPE - Personal Protective Equipment including PepPlugs and Helmets and gloves to stay safe while they rode. According to the article How loud is a dirt bike, https://bikehike.org/how-loud-is-a-dirt-bike-decibels/#How_many_decibels_is_a_loud_motorcycle
the loudest bike observed was a 450 exhaling through an aftermarket closed-course system at 106 decibels. Without any hearing protection, 15 minutes at that decibel level could case damage. Luckily helmets will muffle out a little noise but it isn’t much. In fact for people riding motorcycles on the freeway/highway, wind noise is loud.
This is the same for the hunters shooting off rounds in the coreys and gravel pits there, they needed to protect their hearing with hopefully both in the ear plugs and earmuffs.
I recently listened to a story on the radio about a dad/son group shooting guns on their land. The teen was rushed into urgent care because he was have severe ringing and pain associated with his right ear. Why? because he had the gun barrel on his shoulder when he shot (unprotected) which was probably 130-140 dB level. See article about How Loud is a Gunshot? How loud is a gunshot?
This young man had an immediate unilateral hearing loss from the shot he blew off on his right side and the long term effects are most likely devasting, unlikely that he was recover from this permanent damage.
When you recreate, whether on motorized ATVs, dirt bikes or shooting at targets, wearing hearing protection PepPlugs, is making a good choice. Consider getting your PepPlugs today for any potentially damaging activities you engage in over the weekend. That’s my Pepp Talk for today. Radha Joy