Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Poll: Do you hunt with a round in the chamber?

djs -

When hunting heavy timber I usually have a cartridge in the chamber, especially when using my bolt guns. Somewhat less likely to do so when using the levers.

But a lot of my hunting is done in open country where the time required to load a cartridge is relatively unimportant. Here are a few pics from the last few years:

This first picture is not mine but rather Klikitarik's - a grizz taken in Alaska with a Marlin .45-70 in what looks to me to be pretty open country. Don't know but I suspect starting with an empty chamber would have made little difference in this case.



They are hard to see, but there are a LOT of elk in this picture - total herd size probably 1,500 to 2,000 including out of the picture to the right. Private land that we can't hunt, but some people have access. We have watched hunters glassing the herds from up close for long periods of time as they chose the animal they wanted. Clearly with the time they have taken an empty chamber would be no detriment.


Here's an open ground antelope I took in 2003 with my Marlin in .375 Win. The shot was 167 yards across grass. Loaded the chamber just a couple seconds before the shot.


Here's a small 6x6 bull I took in 2003 with my Marlin .45-70. Loaded the chamber shortly before the shot, after walking about half a mile through the sage:


Here's a picture of my hunting buddy, Dave (in orange hat), and his 2003 cow. Mine is down in the snow field on the far hillside. Started with a loaded chamber but had plenty of time to load had it been necessary.


Here's a picture of the first of two cow elk I took last fall. Started with a loaded chamber but an empty chamber would have made no difference in the outcome:


Dave scoping for deer last fall. Clearly an empty chamber would be no problem here:
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/811532704-R1-14-9.jpg[/img]

I took 2007's second second cow elk on this hill. Spotted a small herd over a mile off and watched them untill they came right up over the hill at me. My shot was maybe 40 yards but only because I waited for a cow to clear - the closest opportunity was under 25 yards. Didn't load the chamber until I knew the elk were headed towards me, maybe 600 yards out.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/811532703-R1-03-22_004.jpg[/img]

Yup, there's often deer and even elk in the sage:
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/811532703-R1-07-18_008.jpg[/img]

Like this forkie, 2007. Started with an empty chamber and loaded just before the shot.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/811532703-R1-05-20_006.jpg[/img]