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Depends on the situation
Posted by Michael Strahan on Jan 13 2006
Excellent question!
If I'm hunting with someone, I insist on empty chambers all the way around, myself included. Despite all the hunter education nowadays, it still shocks me how many people are still careless with guns. I had a client get mad at me once when I went over this rule with him. Eventually he said, "But what do you mean, a loaded chamber is dangerous? You don't even know me!" I looked at him and said, "There you go. Would YOU want someone you don't know following you around with a loaded gun at your back?" He got it and that was the end of it.
I think in Alaska we have an advantage in that most of the time we have enough visibility of our surroundings that we don't have to take snap shots at game. Additionally, most of our critters will stand there a while looking at you before they run. Not so with whitetail deer, which just bolt as soon as they know you're there. So this gives us a little more time to load up when we see game.
Generally I don't load the chamber until we're actually making a stalk.
If I'm hunting alone, I will frequently put a round up the pipe; especially if I'm packing meat in thick cover. This is strictly for bear protection though. On the occasions where two of us are packing together, and I am confident that my hunter is very safety-conscious, we'll both load up, but I carry my rifle with the muzzle pointing forward and he carries his with the muzzle pointing rearward. I don't generally carry my rifle strapped to my pack or on my shoulder. I want that baby in my hands in a bear situation.
Thanks again for bringing this up. It's a very important topic.
-Mike
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