Okay, I read the entire string, and I see some valid points here. First of all, I've never hunted from horseback, and if I did, the gun would be empty. Second-my hunting has all been done in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. I've never hunted the western mountain ranges, and I can see where one would not want to risk an AD on steep slopes or in the "Black Timber" I hear you guys talk about. I should also clarify that my gun is never carried loaded when crossing a fence or climbing a treestand. However, I can't imagine sitting in a stand with an empty chamber. The buck I shot this fall came in on me very fast. I was very alert, and took the shot when the deer stopped to look over the clear cut I was watching. The whole thing took less than 5 seconds. That deer had no intentions of hanging around for very long, and I have no doubt that had I needed to open the bolt, dig a round out of my pocket, chamber the round and aquire a sight picture that that deer would have been long gone, or at best left me with a tough running shot. The doe I took was in a similar circumstance. The opportunities, at least the ones I experience, happen lightning fast. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to watch an animal for any length of time before getting a shot, and this is while hunting from elevated tree stands. I am constantly checking my safety. I've never once found it in the "off" position when I didn't want it to be. Muzzle control is always exercised. I wont' hesitate to let someone know if their gun is pointed somewhere it shouldn't be, and I expect the same of them. Outside of the instances I've sighted, my opinion is still the same. I do, and will continue to hunt with a round in the chamber.
