Western big game hunting, whether solo or in groups, requires a hyper-focused use of your senses. You are constantly using your sight, smell, and hearing to track and locate game. Take one of those out of the equation, and your odds drop significantly. When hunting with friends or family, especially less experienced hunters, you want to be able to coach them effectively on locating game, selecting the right animal, and taking an ethical shot at the right moment. 

Both your hunting focus and communication are greatly enhanced when using a suppressor on your hunting rifles. You can talk in whispers, even right before the shot, and there’s no fumbling around getting earpro on whether something stepped out right in front of you for an offhand shot or for a long-range prone setup. That’s why all my hunting rifles have a can on them. 

An additional benefit of hunting with a suppressor is audible confirmation of the hit. There is a distinct “Thwop” when hitting an animal in the vitals. Even if you don't see fur or blood flying through your scope or binos, you can hear a solid hit under the right conditions if you’re using a can. 

Especially with small game, a .22LR suppressed firearm can be “movie quiet”. Being that it’s legal where I hunt to use any firearm on forest grouse, I typically pack a lightweight .22LR pistol with subsonic ammunition to take incidental grouse when I’m scouting, bowhunting, or waiting to find big game on a rifle/muzzleloader hunt. That way, if I shoot some grouse for camp or an impromptu “mountain lunch”, I’m not spooking any game. If I don’t find any big game, I’m not coming off the mountain hungry or empty-handed. I’ve also used the same technique on ptarmigan further north. It’s been a great way to change the monotony of mountain house meals when you’re out in the backcountry for long stretches of time without blowing a potential trophy animal out of the area.

When selecting suppressors to use on my hunting rifles, my primary consideration was weight. Being public land big game hunting in the Rockies, we get to most of our locations by foot due to how rugged the terrain is around my area. Hunts usually involve at least 5 miles of hiking at altitude, with 2000-3000ft of vertical gain. Packing in an extra pound or two of additional weight on my rifle (or multiple rifles when taking youth hunters along) is rather unappealing to me. 

Three suppressors stood out when I was searching for the ideal lightweight hunting suppressor: The Dead Air Nomad Ti, YHM Nitro N20, and the CGS Hyperion K. I obtained all three, but the Dead Air stands head and shoulders above the other two due to tone and perceived noise reduction. An additional benefit was that on my three primary hunting rifles, a Howa Superlite, Weatherby Mark V Backcountry Ti, and a Christensen Arms Summit, there was no zero shift with the Dead Air on or off. 

For extra quietude, look for suppressors that have interchangeable endcaps to match your caliber BUT be extra careful not to throw a .270 endcap can onto a .308. It’s a recipe for a bad time. I like to mark my endcaps prominently so I know what one is equipped at a quick glance. 

The Nomad Ti has gotten even more advanced since I acquired mine, with the new Ti XC and LTi XC models now available in matte colors and with an even more advanced baffle design. If you hunt with a rifle and have not hunted with a suppressor yet, I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s an expensive investment, but if you have multiple tags to fill every year, it is well worth it.

Below are the specs of some current ultra lightweight .30 cal cans on the market suitable for hunting as well as links to Silencer Shop product pages where you can buy these suppressors.

Dead Air Nomad Ti XC

• Caliber: Up to 300 RUM
• Energy rating: 4400 ft lbs
• Bore: 30 cal
• Length: 6.35” (Body), 6.74” (Direct Thread), 7.03“ (w/Xeno Adapter)
• Diameter: 1.76”
• Full auto rated: No
• Weight: 7.4 oz (Body), 9.6 oz (Direct Thread), 9.7 oz (w/Xeno adapter
• Materials: Grade 5 6A1-4V Titanium
• Finish: Raw titanium satin bead-blasted, black, or FDE high temp Cerakote®, Nitride adapter and mount
• HUB Mount compatible
• Barrel length restrictions: 12.5” supersonic (5.56 NATO), 6” subsonic (.300 BLK)
• MSRP: $1099

YHM Resonator K  

YHM’s current lightweight .30 cal can, comparable to the N20

• Caliber: Up to .300 RUM
• Weight: 9.6oz/12.4 w QD adapter
• Length: 4.8”/5.65” w adapter
• Diameter: 1.562”
• Materials: 17-4 PH stainless steel w cobalt 6 blast baffle
• Mount: Phantom QD HUB
• Barrel length restrictions: .308 10.5”; 5.56, 7.62×39, 6.8spc 10”; 300wm/300RUM 20”; .300BLK 7.5”
• Full auto rated
• MSRP: Roughly $600