TERTRA Hearing Alpha Shield Review

It’s mid day and hot and I’ve been hiking around playing cat and mouse with some mule deer bucks when I decided to stop for a second. As soon as I stopped walking I could hear the sound of branches breaking, which was weird as I was on a ridge with almost 360 degrees of view. And there weren’t many trees around me aside from a clump on Aspens maybe 100-200 yards below me down the ridge.

Low and behold the sound kept getting louder and louder and finally out pops a nice mule deer buck. Without having the TETRA Alpha Shield Hearing Device in there’s little to no chance I would have known that buck was there.  He winded me on the ridge as thermals were not in my favor and ran off.

However I knew were he had bedded down and that Mule Deer tend to stick around a couple mile radius. So, the next morning I went back in to the same area, waited and finally got a chance to fill my tag with a huge part of this success going to TETRA for helping me to located the deer in the first place.

TETRA Online Hearing Test

Everyone’s ears are different in the way we can hear things. Some people may have ear damage from work or play or just won’t have very strong hearing to begin with. That’s were a devices like the TETRA Alpha Shield can really take your hunting to the next level.

I have taken the hearing test from TETRA a few times. And it works best with over ear studio type headphones and a very quiet room.  Essentially the test sends different tones and pitches of sounds to each ear and when you can hear the tone you mark it down.

What this does is allow the mad scientist, and doctors at TETRA to create custom hearing devices that are built for the specs your ear can hear.  If you need a little extra in the highs or lows they program this in and are able to enhance the exact frequencies your ear needs to hear better.

My custom pair of TETRA’s Alpha Shield Multi-Sports allowed me to hear branches breaking and foot steps that would have been tough to the naked ear as I have bad hearing from having worked in the music industry and airline industry for many years.

Specialized Target Optimization STO

Before you get your TERTA hearing devices in the mail they will ask some simple questions including what you plan to hunt so they can program in different settings via the STO. My TETRA Alpha Shield Multi-Sport has the following modes to choose from based on my hunting preferences

• Waterfowl
• Upland
• Elk
• Range
• Land Management
• Clear Com

Each mode is easy to cycle through by simply pushing on the battery compartment. And what’s really interesting is the sound and hearing is totally different from say Elk to Upland.

Not only are these TETRA Alpha Shields great for locating animals by isolating and enhancing frequencies, they’re built to actually protect your ears when you pull the trigger. Eliminating some of the nasty high end sounds associated with rifles or shotguns.

Select Your Fit

The TETRA Alpha Shield Hearing Devices I received fit nice and snug out of the box. These work for 95% of ear sizes according to TETRA. And for even more custom fit they offer the Custom Shield which looks more like an in-ear monitor you see band members wearing.

The Alpha Shield set I got comes with a 6 pack of batteries which you will most likely run through pretty darn quickly. Especially if you leave the hearing devices on (accidently) when not wearing them.  So plan to bring some extra batteries with you on your hunt. Along with the batteries there are even different sized silicone tips to really allow you to find the best fit for your ear’s shape. I found the set that come out of the box worked well for me and haven’t yet had the need to swap the tips out.

Pros: Easy to pickup distant sounds you want to hear that the naked ear would have a hard time picking up.

Cons: Walking and talking take a while to get used to as the sound and vibration will be amplified with every step you make or word you say.

Carrying Case

When not using the TETRA Alpha Shield Hearing Device, there is both a hard-shell case and soft shell case to transport them. One thing you’ll want to be mindful of is fully opening up the battery when not in use. This will turn off the system as there are no on and off buttons. Once the batteries are in the hearing protection starts.

Keep in mind the batteries are pretty small to fumble around with. So I found putting the hearing protection in when leaving the truck and then taking them off at the end of the hunt worked best as I knew they were always on and there was not fumbling with the battery door which is pretty darn small.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Enhanced Sound Detection: The devices amplify subtle sounds like branches breaking and footsteps, making it easier to locate game that might otherwise go unnoticed.

2. Customizable Hearing Profiles: The online hearing test allows TETRA to create devices tailored to individual hearing needs, enhancing specific frequencies for optimal performance.

3. Hearing Protection: The devices not only amplify sounds but also protect ears from loud gunshots, preventing further hearing damage.

Cons:

1. Amplified Ambient Noise: The amplification can also pick up and enhance unwanted noises like the user’s own footsteps or voice, which can be distracting and take getting used to.

2. Battery Dependent: The devices require batteries and run through them rather quickly and need to be replaced often, which could be an issue if you forget to pack extras for a long trip.

3. Potential Cost: At $1,599.00 for the Multi-Pursuit model, these devices could be a significant investment for some.

Overall Impression

The longer you hunt the odds increase that you will damage your ears, same can be said for the shooting range. It only takes a few times forgetting your hearing protection before your doing damage. Instead TETRA Hearing wants to help you perfect your hearing and allow you to pickup on sounds of animals calling or branches breaking that would have been nearly impossible yo pickup with some sort of amplification.

I have asked myself a few times If it’s ethical and even legal to hunt while wearing the TETRA Alpha Shields Multi-Pursuit ($1,599.00). It sure is as there are lots of guys walking around in the woods at the moment that already own hearing aids that understand the value of protecting your hearing, and now there’s a hearing aid/protection that’s built around hunters and shooters in mind that may encounter sudden loud noises.

Best of all the TETRA customer care team rocks, you might even find yourself talking to the founder Bill Dickinson, Au.D or any of his rad team of employees, they’re here to help you hear better and if you hunt these are a must have moving forward.

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