I'll throw some gas on this fire. I hunt with an empty chamber, always have, always will. I have never seen any critter spook from a bolt cycle. Further (this is the gas part) I REFUSE to hunt with anybody that has one in the spout. I have read this entire thread, and (more gas) it seems to me that the guys that get it, get it, and the guys that don't, won't. I haven't met a guide yet that will pair up with someone that hunts hot. To me that's just the way it is.
R.

You can run, but you'll just die tired.