Hunting cold does not mean more chambering and unchambering of rounds. If anything it would be less. If that does indeed raise the risk level, then "hot" is worse in that respect.
There is no "fool's gold" in carrying cold. If so, then you really aren't carrying cold. Carrying cold means checking the chamber whenever the action is closed. Regardless, the rifle is still treated by the same rules - right? Cold is safer.
It really is not difficult to unchamber even a levergun without emptying the magazine. It's very simple. I do it frequently; no problem. (I also unload my leverguns through the loading gate when it comes to that.)
Enough time and experience in the field under anything but gentlemen's hunting conditions will undoubtedly provide one with more than enough fuel to to spoil one's appetite for carry hot as a general practice. That's why I rarely carry chambered.
Having a "panic accident" while chambering "in the heat of battle" suggests a lack of experience hunting with firearms. I very rarely use the safety on any weapon. It is really quite simple and safe to deliberately work the action. That's all there is. The rifle is ready to go; no safety to worry about, etc.
I do understand that some types of hunting seem to demand carry hot. I have spent a bit of time in the Oregon rainforest and have a clue what that is about. I also have hunted whitetails in the swamps and forests of Minnesota. I am not completely ignorant of the whats and whys involved. Neither does it surprise me that these, and others like them, are also the areas which seem to produce high numbers of accident and fatality statistics. There is a reason. While it may be comforting to you to see others of like mind, one has to remember that beauty, truth, worth, and other things of value are not decided democratically. One can operate more safely and still be successful. That's all that some have tried to convey. Some things are better learned through experience. Gun accidents don't happen to fall among them.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
