"I didn't miss any of your post. I just wondered that if it was safe to hunt hot most of the time, why isn't it safe to hunt hot all of the time?"
If it safe to drive most of the time, why isn't it safe to drive all of the time? Let's stay with driving a moment. More accidents happen in inclement weather such as rain and snow. Some people make a decision to never drive in the rain or snow. Other people will always drive regardless of the weather. Some, perhaps Mr. Hack, will look at his window, consider all of the variables, deliberate carefully and decide to drive (or not) based on his years of experience, his assessment of the conditions and his skill level. Because you or I would choose not to drive in a particular situation does not necessarily make Mr. Hack "unsafe" or reckless or foolhardy. He is engaging in legal activity in compliance with the law.
Now, Mr. Hack can drive in the worst blizzard in recorded history and emerge unscathed. You may go out in perfect conditions driving a perfectly maintained car and die. So it goes.
People jump from airplanes for sport. They kayak wild rivers. They race anything with legs or wheels. They climb mountains. As a species, we engage in complex and unsafe activities, often for nothing more than our own amusement. In most instances, the law acknowledges our right to go in harm's way (though this is changing). The law also holds us accountable for our actions.
If Mr. Hack is guiding for me in the dark of Africa, I would prefer he tell me that he is carrying hot. Call it full disclosure. If he is my PH, I'm going to trust his knowledge and experience. If he says he thinks carrying hot is appropriate, I'm going to think he knows more about Africa than me. If I find his muzzle pointing at me during a hunt (which I think damn unlikely), I will politely point this out. If it happens more than once, I'll be on a flight back to the U.S. No hard feelings, mind you, but gun safety is a religion in my family... though much like Christianity, there can be differences in theology.
I believe a hunter has the right to carry hot or carry cold in the field. As with driving, I think competent adults should be allowed to make personal decisions, bear the risk and accept responsibility. I'm not going to force someone else to wear a helmet or buckle a safety belt... though the law may. Whether a man hunts carrying hot or cold is his business, not mine... that is until he puts me at risk. I will not hunt with a person I think is less than perfectly safe. There are people I trust more holding a loaded gun than others holding a potato gun. The same holds true for other hunting ethics. If I don't like a guy's ethics, I won't him with him. This is how the hunting community shapes its values... not through the legislature but how we choose to engage in our sport, or in the case of Mr. Hack, our calling.
Hunting success is 90 percent hunter, 10 percent weapon.
