A couple of facts:

• Both the Hunter Safety (called C.O.R.E. here in B.C.) and the Canadian Firearms Safety courses recommend to load the gun only when ready to fire.

• Of the guides I know here in B.C. - and I know quite a few - ALL of them have their hunters wait until the final approach to chamber a round. If Jarrod and Co. want to come here for Big Horns, Stone Sheep, Moose, etc., that's the way it'll be, and I'll wager that it won't prevent you from bringing home the bacon.

quote:

Originally posted by John G:
A couple of facts:

• Both the Hunter Safety (called C.O.R.E. here in B.C.) and the Canadian Firearms Safety courses recommend to load the gun only when ready to fire.

• Of the guides I know here in B.C. - and I know quite a few - ALL of them have their hunters wait until the final approach to chamber a round. If Jarrod and Co. want to come here for Big Horns, Stone Sheep, Moose, etc., that's the way it'll be, and I'll wager that it won't prevent you from bringing home the bacon.

John G.,
Jarrod & Co would love to go there to B.C. Canada for Bighorns, Stone Sheep, Moose etc. Not having a round in the chamber up there might not cause me to go home without any Moose steaks. But I will assure you that there are a lot of people here who would of went home without any bacon if there chamber had of been empty.
However I would feel much safer with a round in the chamber with grizzlies around than without a round in the chamber.

Even if I do go to Canada or wherever to hunt and the guide insists that I have an empty chamber I will respect his wishes, but I will still disagree with it.

In the case that a hunter practices unsafe gun handling then yeah I would prefer him to have an empty chamber.

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion here about the definitions of hunting. To me, hunting means: feet on the ground, or in a stand, rifle in hand, actively looking for something to shoot. Then I have rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. The idea of hunting elk in the dark timber or whitetails in the thick stuff and chambering a round AFTER you see game is ABSOLUTELY rediculas. You folks that are confusing "spot and stalk" with "hunting" where you haven't an idea of where or when the game will appear need to rethink you comments. If you know where the animal is and what approach you are going to take, then your position has merit. But only then.
And then you have transporting: which to me means in a truck or on an ATV (or horse) going to a hunting spot or between hunting spots. In which case, if legal, I have rounds in the magazine but not in the chamber.
And FWIW, folks that shoot their foot off or blow their transmissions away shouldn't be allowed out of the house without adult supervision.

Jarrod,
No problem. As I stated earlier, when I'm still hunting on my own, I usually have a round in the chamber. If I were a guide, though, I would do exactly as the ones I know. There's no friggin' way I'd let a stranger walk behind me with a loaded gun.

I wouldnt let anyone walk behind me with a loaded gun. Nor would I walk behind anyone with it loaded. I agree with you.

Sorry, I'm like 300H&H, as are all the people we hunt with, as soon as we leave the vehicle or leave camp, a round goes into the chamber. The reverse is also true, whenever you come back into camp, you unload before you get there. If anyone is caught in camp with a loaded gun, they don't hunt, period.

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Snowwolfe: I wouldnt let anyone walk behind me with a loaded gun. Nor would I walk behind anyone with it loaded. I agree with you.

Snowwolfe- Obviously you've never been in a infantry combat unit where everyone's weapon is loaded and most of the time they are on Full Auto and not on Safe..
gotta learn to trust your brothers (but Sh*t does happen..)

quote:

Originally posted by John G:
A couple of facts:

• Both the Hunter Safety (called C.O.R.E. here in B.C.) and the Canadian Firearms Safety courses recommend to load the gun only when ready to fire.

• Of the guides I know here in B.C. - and I know quite a few - ALL of them have their hunters wait until the final approach to chamber a round. If Jarrod and Co. want to come here for Big Horns, Stone Sheep, Moose, etc., that's the way it'll be, and I'll wager that it won't prevent you from bringing home the bacon.

I would not listen to ANY Nooks-

I'm loaded when I consider it safe, almost always. I also hunt solo most of the time.
When hunting with a partner we both are safety consious.