Become familiar with it BEFORE you start hunting with it. If possible, try to climb as many differnt shaped trees and types of trees as possible. I say this because some tree get more slinder as you go up and some don't, in which if you don't compensate for the slinderness 25 ft. up (or how far you want to climb) then the bottom of you stand will be slanted downwards. Also, look for softer bark trees in your area. If at all possible, I try to find Ash Trees, as they as the softest bark and most slip resistant trees in my area. So.....if you practice before you hunt on a wide variety of trees and know which ones your climber/you "prefers" then you can go out into the woods with full confidence.