Sure, I do this plenty every year. I have found that the TSA agents and airline staff are better versed in the current rules and regs at smaller airports than at major hubs. The TSA agents and airline staff the airport in Aberdeen are practically gunsmiths. The TSA agents and airline staff at LaGuardia have panic attacks when they even see a long case.

Regardless of who you're dealing with, my advice is to be as polite and calm with them as possible. You've already paid for a plane ticket to go on a great hunting trip and they are what is standing between you and taking your gun with you or potentially missing your flight and/or days in the field. These situations are a lot like marriage. You can be "right" or you can "get what you want."

There have absolutely been times where the airlines or the TSA agents have not been up to speed with their own rules, but since they're the ones standing between me getting somewhere quickly or finding a new flight, it's their world and I'm gonna play ball. If they say I need TSA approved locks, I buy TWO sets. If I need a lock for every hole, I have a lock for every hole. If my ammo needs to be in its original packaging OR in a package specifically made for ammo, then I leave it in the original packaging just to be safe. I've seen buddies lose their cool with the airline staff and TSA agents before, and while they may have been in the right, it doesn't help them get where they're going any quicker. So my advice is to know the rules like the back of your hand, interpret them extremely conservatively, and be as nice as you can.

Also, don't go cheap on the case. I love my pelican case and the removable foam inserts allow me to customize which guns I put in there (two shotguns, rifle/shotgun, etc.). The airtag idea is great too. I should do that.