I mostly deer hunt from tree stands. I Have the chamber empty to and from the stand but I am definitely going to have a round in the chamber while I'm in the stand.
BTW the reddest (is that a word?) I've ever seen anyones face is the first and last time I have loaned a rifle. I had a boyhood friend up to my place to hunt. We had gotten together again at our 40 year high school reunion and I invited him for whitetail season. I knew he was an avid gun collector and has a world class collection of Colt revolvers. When he showed up he had a pre 64 model 94 Winchester in .32 Special but only had 30-30 ammo. I loaned him a 1903 sporter in 30-06. It is a beautiful little full Mannlicher style rifle put together by the Fajun Custom shop in 1973.
He hunted all morning from a ground blind then we met at noon for lunch. He had the rifle slung over his shoulder and I noticed the safety was off. I told him I sure hoped he didn't have a round chambered because the safety was off.
He told me: "No it is off, see." (pointing to the magazine cutoff)
"That's not the safety!" I blurted out.
I thought he was going to faint! He had carried the rifle all morning loaded with the safety off.
That rifle has a 3lb trigger. How he managed to go that long without a AD is beyond my comprehension. I'll never loan out another gun.
There I was at 40,000 feet and the pilot jumps out with the only parachute. All I had was a silk worm and a sewing machine. Boy! Was I ever busy.
