Kind of ironic that in a place as "heavily populated" as Alaska, we have guys hunting empty. I gotta admit to carrying chamber empty, heavy mag (of course) while hunting most of the time. It's true there are occasions when I have the chamber loaded but I always feel a bit funny about that - and often it's not hunting, it's more often fishing. I suppose part of my quest not to kill myself or others with a rifle has to do with the fact that in these parts there are so many other ways to do it. That and the fact that unlike some who live where they move toward each other at over 100 miles per hour on a regular basis, that is not part of how I live so maybe I'm just a chicken.
I do understand how hunting in the thick stuff works and know how easily one could get shot or shot at. I recall on one occasion walking up on a fellow who I didn't see until I was about 30 feet away, perhaps less. He neither saw nor heard me. Had he been more aware and trigger happy, perhaps I wouldn't be telling this.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
