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The very first time I went hunting with a suppressed SBR, I was hooked. Walking out into the woods without any hearing protection made the experience infinitely more enjoyable — not to mention safer. Not only was I able to hear the approaching wildlife and enjoy the great outdoors, but I could also better hear my buddies and make sure I wasn’t slinging hot lead their way. There’s no way I would ever go hunting without a can ever again. Slowly but surely this is becoming the norm in the United States, and word comes from the NRA that Michigan has become the latest state to legalize this safer and more enjoyable method of hunting . . .

From the presser:

Yesterday, February 11 2016, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) voted to repeal the long-standing state prohibition on hunting with legally possessed firearm sound suppressors.

With the repeal of Wildlife Conservation Order 2.1(6), Michigan becomes the 38th state to recognize the utility of suppressor technology for law-abiding sportsmen.

While several iterations of the rule change were contemplated over the past several months, the NRC ultimately decided that an outright repeal of the prohibition on suppressed hunting was in the best interest of sportsmen in The Great Lakes State.  This is a major victory for law-abiding sportsmen in Michigan.

In recent years, the use of suppressors has seen significant growth as more shooters and sportsmen learn of their benefits.  Evidence has shown that the use of suppressors fosters a safer and more enjoyable shooting and hunting experience for the following reasons:

  • Suppressors protect against permanent hearing loss, one of the most commonly experienced hunting-related injuries, by decreasing the decibel level associated with muzzle blast;
  • Suppressors increase shot accuracy by reducing noise and felt recoil, thereby mitigating trigger flinch and resulting in a more humane taking of game;
  • Suppressors mitigate many of the hindrances associated with introducing newer generations to hunting, thereby helping to ensure the propagation of Michigan’s rich hunting heritage; and
  • Suppressors benefit wildlife populations by decreasing stress and behavioral changes resulting from loud, widely audible firearm report.

Your NRA-ILA would like to thank the NRC Commissioners, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, American Suppressor Association (ASA), and the numerous Michiganders who provided public testimony and made phone calls in support of this rule change.

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50 COMMENTS

  1. Most of my hunting is done with shotguns. And since I live in CA I don’t foresee a time when silencers will be legal here.

    But how does a can effect the handling of a shotgun? Since a tragic quail hunt in Texas is in the news right now lets use that as a basis for comparison. I usually find coveys in thick cover and the shooting is fast and furious(no reference to barry’s and holders felony crimes here). Does the can add to length and weight and handling with the gun?

    Can you put a can on a sxs or stack barrel?

    • You probably could but it would be seriously front heavy. Or you could just put it on the top or bottom barrel and never load the other one.

    • They would have to be very small in size to screw them in side by side or o/u. The salvo 12would not work for a double gun. I would love to see that tthough. If the NFA laws didn’t suck you could have a 15 inch shotty with 12 inch suppression for a standard duck length barrel.

      • If this starts taking off more at a federal level I think pre-made integrated weapons will become popular which will take into account the barrel differences.

        I could certainly see a “suppressor ready” shotgun being a popular item.

    • Yay, maybe the fudds will join us in asking for the “Safe Hearing Act” Personally I have partial hearing loss in my left ear from checking zero on someones deer rifle, 1 shot and I would guess I have lost 30% or more from my left ear. My new deer rifle is threaded, but I’m not going to pay a $200 tax for something that should be in every hardware and gun store in the country.

  4. Well it is the polite thing to do…. Arent suppressors required for hunting in some places in Europe?

  5. Nice I guess , I don’t know one person who wears hearing protection deer hunting though . One or two shots a season , don’t know many who would spend the money on a can for that .

    • I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be great and not to say it’s not a decent idea but I have never met anyone who went hunting with ear protection

      • I’ve been wearing hearing protection while hunting for 25 years. Still have hearing loss but I blame indoor ranges.

    • I’ve got a feeling that he is getting ready to field dress. I always thought that guys wearing gloves for that were pussies until I owned a vehicle with a nice interior. Now I always keep some of the shoulder length ones in my hunting pack. Certainly makes cleanup a breeze.

  8. Nick, tell me that’s a W. TX deer after a 13 year drought. ; P What is that? an 8 pt. doe? : D

    Good pic, cool hunting with cans. Haven’t done it myself, but hope to thin some feral hogs round these parts sometime soon. : ) OK only requires a hunting license.

  9. Really want a suppressed mk18 mod 0 style .300 blk. Turn 21 beginning of May 2018. Hopefully I’ll have the funds to build and register as soon as I am eligible, then I could (hopefully) have it in time for deer rifle season in November! Now if only the national political climate looked better…

    • How would a suppressor be an advantage? I would think that the limited range of the subsonic ammo would make it more of a challenge. By the time the shot is fired the hard part is done. So making the shot itself quieter would really not affect anything.

      • Who said you must only shoot subsonic ammo?

        The sound reduction works on any ammo.
        FYI-The addition of a can incereases range.

        • I understand that it still quiets regardless, but I would still wear ear pro if firing supersonic, and please explain to me how the laws of physics are broken by a suppressor that it increases the effective range of a bullet.

        • Suppressors / silencers reduce noise to both subsonic and supersonic rounds. Supersonic rounds will always create a small sonic boom. However, the muzzle blast out the front of a firearm, particularly when equipped with a muzzle brake, is usually the loudest event when a round is being fired.

          The baffles within a suppressor reduce the mechanical wave of sound and also increase backpressure in AR / gas guns. When a bullet is traveling through a suppressor, the gas pressure behind it is typically greater than the resistance in front of it, so the bullet continues to accelerate. To achieve maximum effectiveness, the bore of a suppressor should be only slightly larger than the bullet traveling through it.

          The addition of a suppressor reduces noise, increases back pressure, increases velocity, shifts balance, and causes bullet impact to change. With practice, training, and a chronograph, all of these factors can be accounted for.

      • No discussion so far about gungrabbers going nutso over hunting rifles with suppressors. The UN-based disarmament crowd already regards scoped hunting rifles as “medium range sniper weapons”.

        Well, holy smoke! Add a suppressor & you’ve given McBundy supporters a weapon that’ll give BLM agents the willies! So why hasn’t Department of the Interior weighed in on this?

        I just want a Beretta Model 71 .22 pistol with suppressor like the Mossad used to use. I can hear it now, like in the movies:

        “Pewww…..pewww…..pewww….” (just kidding)

    • What’s ridiculous? What advantage does a can offer besides protecting ones hearing? Do you think losing your hearing should be part of hunting?

      • They can be advantageous in some situations. I’ve shot multiple coyotes within minutes of each other, and multiple feral hogs on the same sendero (road) as well. I doubt any of these things would have been possible with a loud muzzle blast.

  13. My ears ring all of the time. I wish the Hearing protection act would pass so I could go hunting and not worry about my hearing. Glad another state has seen the light. Sure, I can get a can, but if I am forced to move to a non can friendly state, I will have to do some creative storage.

  14. “There’s no way I would ever go hunting without a can ever again.”

    That’s pretty extreme. You’d change your tune if you were truly hunting, and not just setting up in a blind on one of Tyler’s feeders…

    • The bullshit bureaucracy we put up with to obtain a suppressor does suck. But once you get possession of your can, the advantages are clear. And in my case, a great excuse for a new purpose built rifle. Plus parts to fit up one of my favorite semi pistol plinkers. This is great news for our great lakes state.

      • Not saying suppressors aren’t wonderful. But they have a purpose. Trading POA at 300 yards for a “less ear hurty” single shot is not worth it.

        The feasibility of suppressed hunting depends on the hunt. Saying “I won’t hunt without one” is the mark of an amateur.

  15. Once you shoot a suppressed firearm you won’t go black. Even an unsuppressed 22 technically causes hearing damage/ loss. For those that won’t spend the 200 on the tax I think that’s silly, on a 1k suppressor, you will end up buoy 500 bucks worth of accessories , the 200 tax amounts to the same as sales tax in many states…suppressors are win win win win for hunting. They help to not ruin neighbors hunts, they scare less non target animals, and the only advantage they give is to taking multiple coyotes / hogs, which only those rapidly reproducing vermin would complain about. People that post anti suppressor comments on this site have never shot ot hunted with one…

    • I own two. I don’t deer hunt with them.
      It’s not worth the added weight when you’re trekking the woods.

      Silent hunting is what bows are for.

  19. IMO if truly using a suppressed rifle, the point being using sub sonic loads,the shot has to be taken at close range, although using a suppressed rifle with full power loads the decibels are still around 150. while the law does a great deal bringing up the issue of unlawful NRA items, ill still stick w my full power loads .

  20. Thanks Nick, for taking the lead on this, and writing articles that can be spread around, to educate others, especially politicians. Do it for the children.

    This only makes sense, health and safety-wise.
    At least hunters should have the option, rather than be forced to abide by old rules that no longer make sense.

    In European indoor ranges I read gun mounted hearing protection devices are mandatory.

  21. Human odor spooks deer. Shower with a scent-free soap before every hunting trip, and try not to contaminate your hunting clothes on the way to the field. Keep them sealed in a plastic container or bag with leaves, dirt and other ground debris from around your stand until you arrive at your hunting location. Doing so will allow your hunting clothing to take on the naturally occurring scents that permeate your hunting location.

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