Youper,
I don't know what others do, I only know what I do. I hunt entirely out of a stationaly blind. When I go to the stand, the chamber is
ALWAYS empty until I am sitting down, have all my accruments arranged and am ready to hunt.
ONLY THEN do I chamber a live round! I am usually in my blind well before legal shooting hours (In Mich this is 30 min. prior to Sunrise) and when I can no longer see to shoot, I come in. When I make the decision to "Call it a day", the 1st thing I do is empty the chamber. Doesn't matter if it's a single shot or bolt gun. My philosophy is such that if I see a deer on my way out, doesn't matter, he'll likely be back tomorrow.
Be it right or wrong; "That's my story and I'm stickin' to it."
Grasshopper