Loaded or Unloaded Rifle when Dark

[Omega]

But I do put it on before I ascend.

Well, most times.

 

[ImThere]

The beauty of being a concealed permit holder. Legally allowed to carry it concealed or open and fully loaded day or night. This is my new rig. Makes it easy to get when mamma bear has me on my back about to rip my throat open. Boom! Six in the chest and one in the head for good measure. Yes, it's a 7 shot .357 magnum.

View attachment 199140

Pretty sure that's completely legal permit or not.

 

[Snake]

Is it illegal for you to carry you primary weapon in the woods loaded ? ....I think not maybe not the best policy but legal .

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

First, my rifles do not have a round in the chamber when I climb into or out of my ladder stand, and my MZ does not have a cap on it. That said - and I'm going to take a lot of heat for this - I ALWAYS carry my gun into the stand over my shoulder instead of pulling it up with a rope. Over my shoulder (usually crossways diagonally across my back) the barrel is beyond/above my head. If I fall and somehow the gun goes off, the muzzle is beyond my body and pointed away. If I drop a rifle being pulled up by a rope, possible the gun hits butt first and goes off with the barrel pointed right at me up in the stand.

I know pulling up a rifle by a rope is pounded into our heads for safety, but in my opinion, that is a lot less safe than over my shoulder.

That is how i do it to.

 

[backyardtndeer]

My semi autos get charged after I walk off my front porch. I try to be was quiet as possible getting to and into my stands, I don't want to rack a round into my gun in the stand. I used to load my bolt guns after I got in the stand.

I climb my ladders with my gun slung over my shoulder.

 

[oldmanelrod]

TWRA Hunting guide states under Prohibited Acts:



I'd rather have my magazine loaded before walking in instead of loading later than 30 minutes after sunrise while at my hunting spot. I'm worried about noise and dropping ammo in the dirt. I don't have a removable magazine.

This can be interpreted as we can't even be in the woods with a rifle and ammunition outside of legal shooting hours, or more likely, rifles or handguns that are not loaded are not considered "with centerfire ammunition" even if the hunter is in possession of the ammunition. Is anyone concerned about this?

At times, I've walked in with my magazine loaded and chamber empty but have never been checked by a wildlife officer to know what their take is on this. I suspect I'm not the only one and suspect that most people are loaded and chambered up once at their stand before legal shooting hours.

There are so many poorly written and unclear parts of the TWRA hunting gu

I

TWRA Hunting guide states under Prohibited Acts:



I'd rather have my magazine loaded before walking in instead of loading later than 30 minutes after sunrise while at my hunting spot. I'm worried about noise and dropping ammo in the dirt. I don't have a removable magazine.

This can be interpreted as we can't even be in the woods with a rifle and ammunition outside of legal shooting hours, or more likely, rifles or handguns that are not loaded are not considered "with centerfire ammunition" even if the hunter is in possession of the ammunition. Is anyone concerned about this?

At times, I've walked in with my magazine loaded and chamber empty but have never been checked by a wildlife officer to know what their take is on this. I suspect I'm not the only one and suspect that most people are loaded and chambered up once at their stand before legal shooting hours.

There are so many poorly written and unclear parts of the TWRA hunting guide.

I try to be as safe as I can and travel day or night and travel without a round in the chamber. Yes it has cost me a buck or two when I forgot to chamber a round. But when you get to the bottom line it is better to be safe than sorry. Lots of stumbles, trips and falls that could contribute to an accident discharge.

 

[THE DUKE]

Always loaded when I leave the truck.

 

[Rackseeker]

I always load mine when I get out of the truck if I'm hunting alone but I decock the firing pin until I get in my stand. If someone is with me and we walk in a ways together I don't load until we split up.

 

[Bell3wv]

Too many bears where I hunt so my mag stays loaded when I am walking in the dark. I'll pay the fine if checked.

I'm more worried about poaching, drug-dealing outlaws and tweakers around the hunting property.

 

[recurve60#]

Fairly certain with open carry and concealed carry its a mute point if you went to court.

 

[TNCanoer]

I never chamber a round until I'm in the blind and I clear my rifle when I leave but my magazine is always loaded during deer season.

 

[Lone Hunter]

How many of you climb a tree with a loaded rifle?

I load magazine and chamber as soon as I leave the truck. When I get to tree stand I unload the chamber and keep magazine loaded. This is a bolt action and when I'm set in tree I will then load the chamber. I do this because of some wild dogs and coyotes that we had a problem with. I do not climb a tree with a loaded rifle.

 

[deerhunter10]

First, my rifles do not have a round in the chamber when I climb into or out of my ladder stand, and my MZ does not have a cap on it. That said - and I'm going to take a lot of heat for this - I ALWAYS carry my gun into the stand over my shoulder instead of pulling it up with a rope. Over my shoulder (usually crossways diagonally across my back) the barrel is beyond/above my head. If I fall and somehow the gun goes off, the muzzle is beyond my body and pointed away. If I drop a rifle being pulled up by a rope, possible the gun hits butt first and goes off with the barrel pointed right at me up in the stand.

I know pulling up a rifle by a rope is pounded into our heads for safety, but in my opinion, that is a lot less safe than over my shoulder.

I'll take the heat with it to. I do the same. Had a rope break (a new one) and it dropped. Learned my lesson.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I'm always locked and loaded regardless. But when pulling up on my rope , I always make sure my muzzle is facing down

 

[gatodoc]

I don't chamber until I'm in the stand. Sometimes I have a loaded sidearm sometimes not. I just feel safer that way…

 

[knightrider]

Leave the truck with one in the chamber, clear chamber and pull it up barrel down, load chamber and hunt, clear chamber let down barrel up get down load chamber and go to the truck

 

[Methane]

I had a rope break and watched my bow drop 20 feet to the frozen ground. Prefer to sling rifle across back when climbing into a ladder stand, chamber empty.

 

[Lt.Dan]

So is it a rope breaking or a knot slipping? I can't fathom a rope breaking lifting a <10lb. load up a tree. Unless the rope was so frayed it would be obvious that it should not be used. Just curious about this "breaking rope" thing.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I know someone that loads his rifle at the truck and leaves his rifles safety off . He'll argue with you that hes in the right. Dumbest person i know too

Had the nephew-in-law do that once. And he had his finger on the trigger while walking through the woods. Gun went off. Luckily he didn't kill himself or anyone else. I wonder if it's the same person. I can't imagine 2 people being that dumb.

 

[AT Hiker]

Key takeaway after reading this thread; there are several grown men afraid of the dark on this forum