TV - Alaska Bear Hunting

P

Picher

New member
Last weekend, I watched a TV guided Black and Brown Bear hunt in Alaska and was surprised that the client tried to shoot a nice black bear, but he didn't have a round chambered...CLICK!!! The bear, only about 80 yards away, looked at him as he racked the bolt, then ran off. (The guide seemed sympathetic, and didn't cuss out the guy, at least on camera.)

I felt bad for the guy who missed the opportunity, but if it were me, I certainly wouldn't have been running around in bear country with an empty chamber.

Fortunately, he did end up filling his brown bear tag later.
 
in the state of vermont you may chamber a round while walking through the woods and or at your stand.as long as your 10 feet away from the road you parked you vehicle at when you gun is loaded and the first round chambered.i dont know about alaska the fish and game dept. is very very strict,they make the massachusetts enviremental police look easy going and laid back
 
This can be a hotly debated topic. In many places it is customary for a round not to be chambered until you see game. This is more commonly seen in Western states and Alaska. Many guides will not take a client hunting and allow them to have a chambered round.

In other places, especially with Eastern hunters, the practice is to load the chamber as soon as you step into the woods.

I can see both sides. In many parts of the west the terrain can be challenging and dangerous. You cannot possibly get off a shot anyway and a fall could result in a discharge. Game is usually spotted at longer ranges with plenty of time to get a round chambered after getting on solid footing.

In most of the east, you often never see game until it is within feet. Hunting with an unloaded gun would be a waste of time.

I typically load up, but it is a good practice to unload the chamber if the terrain is dangerous, climbing over fences or into treestands etc.
 
There's no way I'd go into dangerous bear country without a loaded gun...either a shotgun or rifle. Other western game areas...no problem carrying an empty gun. (They don't make a handgun/cartridge big enough for a grizzly, at least for me to be comfortable with it.)

I'm a former hunter safety instructor, firearms instructor and rangemaster, as well as competitive rifle, shotgun, and handgun shooter. When crossing slippery or otherwise dangerous footing, I typically lift the rifle bolt, or break open a shotgun. My gun muzzle is never waived past anyone or anything that would be harmed by an accidental discharge. No fingers are on triggers unless ready to shoot.

When taking youngsters and novices into the woods, every chamber is empty until ready to sit in a stand, including mine. You never know when some Newbie might walk in front of a muzzle when you're looking in another direction.
 
I'm not disagreeing with you. My routine is very similar. Just pointing out that customs are different in many places. I've seen some hotly debated threads on this topic with many hunters taking a hard line against hunting with a loaded chamber. Even in big bear country, at least until the final stalk.
 
I've clicked on an empty chamber a few times but never for bag game. usually I forget to rack the bolt on a 22 or something small while out squirrel and bird hunting but I never forget to chamber a round for big game. I really can't fault a person for making that mistake, but if someone is paying bookou bucks for a guided hunt you would think that a bullet in the chamber would be the least they could check to make sure it was successful.
 
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