As already said, ear plugs will only protect your hearing to a certain Db level, after that the bones in your inner ear vibrate causing inner ear damage. Some hearing experts suggest the use of ear plugs & Ear muffs for prolonged exposure.
I know where you are coming from, I hate any form of ear protection whilst stalking. One of my mates, who I have been shooting with for near 20 years had Tintinites (sp?) caused by shooting clays with no ear protection, my stalking partner is near deaf in both ears due to full bore shooting with no ear protection. These days I use ear muff's whenever I plan to shoot more than one shot. Clays, decoying and at the range. After over 15 years with no protection, I guess I must have a ear wax build up as I have a slight loss of hearing in my left ear.
John