If your hearing is poor, or if you’re just looking for an added edge in the woods, consider a hearing enhancement device. Not only will it protect your ears from the noise of a gunshot; it will also let you hear a squirrel burp at 100 yards.
Using a pair of Walker’s Game Ear IIs (about $179 each) lets you maintain binocular hearing, allowing you to pinpoint the origin of a sound that a single unit wouldn’t. Or go with Remington’s R2000 earmuffs (left, about $125), which feature independently adjustable hearing amplification on each muff.