VikingsGuy
Well-known member
As I mentioned earlier, are you guys unloaded when hunting with shotguns? Ducks, upland birds, squirrels, whatever. If you are waiting until a bird is coming in to put one in the chamber, you certainly have my respect. But the vast majority of shotgun hunters don't do that. I'd guess most of these rifle accidents are close enough range that a shotgun could've done the work just as well.
Reposting my remarks to this question raised much earlier in this post string:
Not saying I have the answers, but here are my reasons:
- There really is no other way to hunt upland so I take additional risk to participate in that sport, but I view it as unnecessary risk when rifle hunting so why take it
- Where we pheasant and grouse hunt the terrain is a flatter and more stable/friendly than broken up western rocky terrain
- I find upland hunting less distracting with fewer gadgets - no binos, no spotters, no big backpacks, all of that make it easier to focus on muzzle awareness
- Also, I find myself more focused on where my gun is when I upland hunt as it is relevant to getting a good swing, whereas when walking with a rifle I tend to focus more down range and footing
- Beyond 10-15 yards, shotgun blast with bird shot is not a deadly as rifle round so safer for those around me
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