Roy,

I've always hunted in what I considered a "safe" manner. To be perfectly honest, the concept of a "cold" chamber is new to me. I was taught the "usual" safe gun handlin' techniques, and got real good with it. I'll be adding a "cold" chamber to my routine (where appropriate). 'Cept for jump shootin bunnies by myself.

Wildswalker makes a good point IF you are hunting somewhere where you can spot game hundreds of yards away. I notice in his story that he chambered a round and kept moving when he felt he was close to the animal.

Now I'm no "mighty hunter" and don't have nearly the experience hunting many here do but I do know this: There isn't any place that I have permission to hunt where I can even see 200 yards. In most places I can't see much over 50 yards. I haven't killed many deer but my longest kill so far was 40 yards or so and the longest shot I've taken was about 60 yards (Note the branch I had mounted on the plaque). The closest two were 10 and 12 yards. In both those cases I was on the ground moving either to or from my stand. In neither case was the deer running.

If I was hunting “spot and stalk” with lots of visibility I’d keep an empty chamber too, until I started the stalk as Wilds did. You’ve got plenty of time to put one up the spout. But basically here I am still hunting on the way to and from the stand (Depending on the time of day of course) and I don’t believe anyone would do that with an empty chamber.

It’s foolish to think that everyone else hunts under the exact same conditions and terrain that we do. I certainly know better.

Good point Mike....

And precisely the reason I DIDN'T mention deer hunting in my posts...

We still-hunt to and from stand sites on relatively small properties...

Hunting here is in a fairly well populated area, and the deer have JUST enough experience with PEOPLE to be extremely wary.....

Hell...

Sounds like I better review my deer huntin' practices too.....

I am going to stick with what I have always done, empty chamber on snowmachine, boat, or horse, loaded chamber when my two feet are on the ground. I have still hunted up on whitetails in the grapevines on a quiet drizzly day and shot them in their beds from within a few yards. My first black bear appeared for a second between one patch of mountain laurel and the next patch he was headed to. Call me unlucky, but I was charged by a grizzly just this spring. All scenarios where having an unloaded chamber just doesn't cut it. I am sure that for spot and stalk hunting, such as sheep hunting in extreme terrain, an empty chamber is the way to go. I went on a guided elk hunt years ago in Montana, empty chamber was the rule while spotting and stalking, until setting foot in the dark timber and stillhunting, then the guides wanted a round in the pipe. Different hunting methods, different practices. On a side note, on that same hunt, another hunter in camp tried to chamber a round upon seeing an elk, but couldn't. Later found out that a piece of debris had lodged on the boltface making chambering a cartridge impossible.

Thanks for your persistence wildswalker -you make persuasive arguments.

I've done either or, and a mix of both, with muzzle and trigger control always top of mind.

Good calls on when to go hot. Think it's time I did the same.
thx.

Bushy and I have hunted the same area. In the Western Cascades you can't even see 75 yards much less pick a target at 200. When I hunt I am standing still. If I am moving I am scaring animals away so I do my tracking and find a good place to sit and hide. If I get a 50yard shot then the area has been logged or burnt down. I hunt with a round in my chamber too. Just moving the gun to my shoulder can spook a deer. I don't shoot at running deer or half visible animals. I take only the shots I know I can kill fast and humanely. I hunt with folks that know to keep the muzzle pointed at the ground - not in the air. Never had any kind of incident while hunting other than being shot at by hunters who were shooting at that sound (me) in the brush.

Yeah, lots of 'sound shots' get taken on the internet. ;-)

Wildswalker,
You have a different point of view and a different history. I have respect for that but I have a different history. You have every right to consider my way unsafe but either way is only as safe as the hunter is vigilant. If that boy had been taught to carry his gun muzzle down then he would be alive today. If he had recognized the hazzard of walking on the ice and unloaded his gun he would be alive. The accident is a terrible thing - regardless of his age. The fact is he was not vigilant and it cost a life. I am not blaming the boy, it was an accident but it was an avoidable accident. There is more than one way to have avoided it.
You should not attack someone with a different view, it is ok to attack the view but when you attack the man you lose your arguement. If you are not cool enough to discuss a point then I would never want to go into the woods with you - even with an empty chamber.

Here's my idea of hunting "cold chamber", it was -20 F

No Wildswalker, this is just another post of the same thing you like to do on the forums which makes others upset at you.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, talking down to them because of theirs is not right. No matter how you try to justify your reasoning.

Carrying a hot chamber always has and always will be a safe and reliable way to hunt. Heck thats how they teach you in hunting education courses here and we have a very low rate of accidents. Its the way thats been taught for the few hundred years in most of the worlds militarys and its the way that hunters have done since before everyone who posts on this board was born.

A cold chamber does NOT imply safety. Training and a respect for the firearm does however.

99% of the time a loaded chamber is just fine, if someone can't realize while crossing a obstacle they need to unload the gun to be on the safe side, well then they probably shouldn't be carrying that gun with ether a hot or cold chamber.

Dimitri

That was uncalled for wildman.

Dimitri was trying to reason with you.

Let us hit this argument from a different angle Wild.

I have taught thousands of youngsters for going on 35 years, how to handle firearms safely.
Lots of planning, time spent traveling, and also the long hours of teaching safety.

OK Mr. Safety, except for a few posts that have managed, once again, to upset a bunch of fine fellows here, what have YOU done to advance gun safety.


I challenge you to get yourself certified from the Great State of Paradise, and to begin putting in the time and talent that it takes to make a difference.
Arguing on a web page is a far cry from teaching youngsters on gun safety.
I will be happy to send you training material if the State of Paradise is somewhere on Earth.
Any place else I will have to contact. NASA.

Take me up on my challenge Wild, and put your time where your mouth is.

Eric

I keep tellin' ya...Not me...I respectfully decline...

Bushy, I like what I see in you for President.
Now if I can get you to chase some teeny bopper girls around, behind Mrs. Bushy's back, I think that I can even get you some of the liberal vote.
--or is that chase around some teeny bopper boys for the liberal vote.

Eric

First post here. Just had to log in and see for myself. Ya'll ain't nearly as stupid as these guys here are claiming....

asrealasitgets.net/for...#Post51018

Painful,

Glad you brought that to our attention. And welcome to the forums.

Hey Wilds, how about you leave the membership on this board alone. The majority of us feel like we are part of a big extended family, and you have to continue to come here to stir the pot and have the nerve to go out and post on other boards, insulting and derogatory posts about us to make you feel better.

Dallan and anyone else who may like to know what was posted, if that thread on the other site "mysteriously" disappears, let me know. I got a copy of it.

Dimitri