Shooting an arrow into a target is beyond a doubt the safest way to uncock. Shooting an old arrow into the ground is not an option where I live, too many rocks. Never ever try to uncock an xbow w/ a crank type cocker. Using a rope cocker is a breeze, once you do it a time or two. WhenI first heard of this method, allI had was an Emax [225 #] and it scared me for 6 months before I worked up enough nerve to try it. As hard as it may be to believe, it takes a lot less effort to let the string down via rope cocker than it does to draw it. Just be careful and double check everything.