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

I suspect all hunt with a round in the chamber at some point, else the obvious point you make MD. But the question is really one of when the round goes in. And I suspect that varies from time to time with every hunter. Many choose to hunt empty-chambered for the most part, while others run things mostly hot. And a great many conditions, not the least of which are terrain, play into what makes sense.

Is it any safer or less safe to sit in a tree stand with one in the spout versus hiking in steep terrain with the rifle slung and both hands busy to maintain balance. (Can a person actually maintain positive muzzle control with the rifle carried across the back on a sling?) And, not every firearm works the same way either. Carrying an exposed hammer weapon which relies on a down hammer as a safety versus a weapon using an always-cocked hammer which is either blocked or the trigger blocked does strike me as being the same deal. (I know very well that a blocked trigger can be potentially very hazardous, yet a simple gun like a lever action Marlin, Winchester, or even and H&R single shot can be carried hot quite safely. I still don't carry an exposed hammer weapon chamber loaded when it is in a scabbard though.)

The real answer to a question like this lies in using judgement. And that judgement must always be alert to the situation just as one must always be alert to keeping the weapon directed safely. Truth is, I load and unload quite often when a weapon is carried in my hands. On the sling or in the scabbard I rarely expose what I consider an extreme risk by not unloading the chamber.