There’s a lot that goes into preparing for a hunt. Whether you’re a veteran or a novice, hunting takes time and patience. Not just in the stand, but also in gearing up and getting ready for that big day. We know that what every hunter wants is good, reliable gear - no matter what type of hunting you are doing. Included in that gear is your suppressed rifle, so let’s talk about hunting with a suppressor.
The Benefits of Hunting with a Suppressor
There are a lot of reasons to hunt with a silencer. But who would we be to not mention sound reduction when it’s in the name itself? A lot of people look to get a suppressor to preserve their ears, but when it comes to hunting with a suppressor, there are even more benefits.
Let’s cover why it’s such a game changer. Literally.
- Saves your ears. It goes without saying that shooting even one unsuppressed shot, especially in a blind, but still in a stand or out in the open can have lasting hearing damage effects. Using a suppressor mitigates that so you can shoot without hearing freedom ring in your ears days after.
- Saves your hunting partner’s ears. If you’re hunting with a buddy in the same proximity, you’ll want to protect their hearing as well and hunting with a suppressor will do just that.
- Anonymizes your position. With an unsuppressed firearm, game will be able to better determine your position. When hunting with a suppressor, the noise is different and allows you to not completely give away your whereabouts. There are plenty of youtube videos that show just how effective this is. Sometimes, the wild game doesn’t even move, or they’ll come back a lot more quickly.
- Gives you a better shot. Suppressing reduces recoil and reduces sound level, so even with your adrenaline pumping, you will be less likely to anticipate them when you pull the trigger. Because of this, you’ll be a better shot and able to stay on target, especially when you need to watch where you need to track once you leave your position.
- Allows you to listen. Why go out into nature to just put ears on if you don’t have to? If you’ve never hunted with a suppressor, it can truly change your outlook on the birds and the bees. But also, being able to hear your surroundings is crucial and can give you a huge leg up. Hunting suppressed provides you the ability to talk with your hunting buddy and hear nature, something unsuppressed and hearing damage can never allow.
Where is Hunting With a Suppressor Legal?
Before you begin your hunt for the perfect hunting suppressor, you want to make sure it’s legal in your state. As you can see in the above image from the American Suppressor Assocation, there are currently 40 states that allow you to hunt with a suppressor. As you probably already know, there is a silver lining. The good news is you don’t have to hunt in your own state, as long as you have the proper state permits and tags, and understand that state’s laws.
That being said, you can always advocate for your state to be on this list (42 states allow suppressor ownership right now). Getting in touch with your elected officials might help legalize hunting with a suppressor in your state.
The Best Suppressed Hunting Rifles
If you’ve read any other blog post we’ve written, you’ll know that the best of anything depends on what your goals are for it, and what your use case will be. As always, we can give you the top things to look for when starting your shopping.
The best suppressed hunting rifle can be distilled into just a few factors. By determining what you’re hunting and how you’re hunting, you’ll be better able to narrow down your options.
Weight
When preparing for a hunt, you may want to ask yourself, is it worth the weight? Incredible puns aside, weight can play a huge role in your hunting rig.
Spot and Stalk Hunting: Let’s talk specifically about spot and stalking, where your firearm is attached to you and you can’t set it down to rest without physically stopping (unless your suppressor has robot legs, in which case, let us know).
Some hunters prefer to have the lightest suppressed rifle because of this. And we get it. Things start to feel a lot heavier as the day progresses, even if they seem light initially. Long story short, when spot and stalk hunting, you’ll want to consider a lighter, more maneuverable suppressor.
A lot of spot and stalk hunters look for a titanium suppressor because it provides durability while still being lightweight. Two examples of spot and stalk hunting would be the Griffin Sportsman UL 300 or the Gunwerks 6ix.
Blind Hunting: Alternatively, trekking to a blind or treestand to set up camp spares you some ounces since you don’t have to consider lugging your hunting gear around for too long. You have a lot more suppressor flexibility, so you can add length to help with noise reduction without the concern of the ounces it may add on to your host gun.
As we’ve discussed, blind hunting means weight doesn’t carry as much weight, so the option is truly up to you. Some of our popular hunting suppressors are the Dead Air Nomad LT and CGS Hyperion.
Durability & Firing Schedule
Does durability really matter when you’re hunting? We say it depends a lot, but… it depends! Your firing schedule will determine how durable of a suppressor you might want/need.
Low Firing Schedule: If you’re planning on hunting deer or another wild game, for example, your firing schedule might be one round, maybe two. Your suppressor isn’t going to need to take a ton of heat for that.
Popular examples of lower firing schedules include the Nomad Ti and SilencerCo Harvester 300.
High Firing Schedule: On the flip side, some people like to have a higher firing schedule when hog hunting due to conservation purposes. In this case, you’ll want to consider a suppressor that is more durable to withstand the heat.
Suppressors like the SureFire SOCOM 300 SPS and Rugged Surge 7.62 are two examples that take the cake for durability.
Conclusion
As you can see, hunting for your perfect hunting suppressor needs to take into consideration what you’re planning on using it for. No matter which option you choose, we can help get you there.
Have a question? Chat with one of our customer service representatives standing by to assist you.
