a buddy just came back from a "day hunt"
he was their three days and while he was in camp he was required to store his rifle in an unlocked "gun cabinet" in the cook house.  he ask if he could store it in his locked gun case under the bed cover of his truck.  he was told NO! and if he didn't like the rules he could leave right then. (without his $600.00 deposit).  $200 per day for the guide, food and lodge, plus kill fees.  he was told when he was not out hunting he had to keep his side arm locked in the truck.  

he thought this was a great idea until after dinner when they opened the free bar and everyone started drinking.  some of the other hunters got drunk and started a yelling match.  he went to his truck and got his pistol before going to bed just before it came to blows.

it kind of pissed me off because you will almost never find me without a pistol and I won't let someone I don't know have access to my guns.  let alone leave them in the cook house in an unlocked cabinet.

You brought up two reasons for the policy in your post.  I have been on numerous dayhunts and have seen gunhandling that would chill the blood of a cigar store Indian.  A lot of these guys know nothing about guns and could care less about gun safety.  These guys are always drinking.  I used to day hunt on a lease where at least two of the guys who came every year were drunk by sunup.  I can appreciate that a responsible person does not want their gun taken from them, but when you are in a bunk house with some of the people that show up at these places, I can't think of a safe alternative.
If this really chaps your buddies weenie, he can get a gang of responsible hunters togerther and take the whole place for the weekend.  These mixed party hunts ususally turn out to be mixed nuts hunts.

I have to agree that there are so many idiots that go on hunts like these that the people running the place need policies like that to protect themselves and the clients.  When you go to their establishment, they don't know you from Adam, and, of course, everyone thinks they are an expert and can handle keeping their firearm.  The drinking and fighting preclude the safe carry of firearms.