Under some conditions. What if you're 50 yards away? Which would be your preference, a 180 grain bullet out of a .30-06, or a load of #7s?
But the main difference is, if you're bird hunting with an unloaded shotgun and a bird flushes, you're not getting a shot. So if you bird hunt with an empty chamber you may as well stay home.
Not true with big game and a rifle. Not all big game hunters are deer hunters in the woods of New York, jumping deer and taking shots at running deer.
