Silencers, or more accurately called "suppressors" are just that. They do not make a rifle shot silent, but rather muffled and far less intrusive to the human ear. According to OSHA, the human ear safety threshold is 140 decibels. Most common deer rifle shots are far louder and have resulted in, no doubt, generations of hearing damaged hunters.
Suppressors are typically fitted to the end of the rifle barrel to simply muffle the sound as it exits the barrel and breaks the sound barrier. It greatly reduces the sudden explosion of sound using a series of baffles and expansion tube and makes the largest of calibers much more tolerable for both the shooter and bystanders alike.
Current Texas law-Texas being one of thirty-nine states to allow such--does not restrict the use of suppressors while hunting game or non-game species such as whitetail deer, mule deer, exotic game, feral hogs or predators. Prior to 2012, Texas did not allow game animals to be harvested with suppressors but that law was amended so that the 2013-14 hunting season was the first year permitted.
Once the law was amended, hunters scrambled to purchase in order to preserve their hearing and take advantage of the new law.
Federal law through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) controls suppressors. A detailed application and permit fee is required, as is a near year-long background check and application processing wait time. The actual suppressor cost may range from $800-1,200 per unit and there may also be some specialized gunsmithing required to fit the unit to the intended firearm.
Hunting with a suppressor offers the obvious hearing safety protection but also maximizes a hunters' chance to harvest more than one animal at a time. Oftentimes, the loud unsuppressed rifle reports scare off nearby animals to the point they likely will not return. But suppressed rifles offer the hunter a chance at additional quarry should they not be initially spooked or only slightly spooked and able to return a short time later. This is very important when harvesting surplus antlerless deer, feral hogs or predators. For these reasons, suppressors are fun to shoot, safe to shoot, effective for game management programs and I recommend that you start the application process today!
