How to Safely Decock a Wicked Ridge Crossbow

The Short Version

• Identify your bow system first: Look at your stock to see if your Wicked Ridge model includes the built-in ACUdraw De-Cock crank system or uses a traditional cocking aid like a rope sled.
• If you have ACUdraw De-Cock: Remove the arrow, insert the crank handle, turn it forward slightly to relieve pressure, press the release button, and backwind the handle down under full control.
• If you have a standard model: Do not attempt to let the string down by hand or with a crank; you must safely shoot a designated discharge arrow into soft ground or a portable target.
• Never use risky shortcuts: Never dry-fire the bow, never try to let the string down using a manual rope cocker, and never touch the string while disengaging the trigger safety.

Check Your Bow Model Before Touching the String

Wicked Ridge crossbows fall into two distinct mechanical groups when it comes to unloading. Newer models equipped with the ACUdraw De-Cock system feature an internal clutch and gear assembly built specifically to let tension off the bowstring safely. Older models, as well as baseline versions equipped with standard ACUdraw cranks, ACUrope aids, or basic rope sleds, use traditional trigger boxes that cannot be mechanically wound down once cocked.

Trying to force an older crank backward will strip internal gears or send the handle spinning violently against your fingers. Before you do anything at the end of a hunt, take five seconds to inspect your stock and verify exactly what mechanism you are holding.

• Look for the de-cock button: Models with built-in decocking features have an ambidextrous push button or lever located near the receiver on the buttstock, clearly marked for decocking.
• Inspect the gear housing: An ACUdraw De-Cock unit has an internal braking clutch that lets you stop backwinding at any point without the handle spinning free.
• Check your cocking sled: If your bow uses loose nylon cords with a plastic sled that you pull manually by hand, your bow does not have a mechanical decocking system.
• Confirm the label: Check the model name printed on the bow barrel or stock against your original user manual to ensure it features the built-in de-cock feature. Modern hunters who value the convenience of mechanical unloading often look for crossbow models with safe de-cocking setups because they eliminate the need to carry separate discharge equipment.

Step-by-Step: Decocking with the ACUdraw De-Cock System

If your Wicked Ridge model features the ACUdraw De-Cock system, you can safely bring the bowstring back to its resting position without firing a shot. This process takes less than a minute, but it requires your complete attention and a firm grip on the handle.

1. Remove the loaded hunting arrow: Take the live arrow completely off the flight rail before touching the cocking handle. Place the arrow securely back in your hip or bow quiver so the sharp broadhead cannot cut you or damage your bowstring during the process.
2. Insert the crank handle securely: Slide the square drive of the crank handle fully into the receiver hole on the side of the stock. Make sure the handle clicks or seats firmly into place so it cannot slip loose while under tension.
3. Relieve the trigger latch pressure: Turn the crank handle forward (clockwise) roughly a quarter to a half turn. You will feel the handle take on the full pull weight, which is the muscular effort required to hold the drawn bowstring, pulling the string slightly off the trigger latch claws.
4. Depress the de-cock release button: Keep steady forward pressure on the crank handle with your dominant hand. With your other hand, push and hold the de-cock release button on the stock. This disengages the trigger catch and transfers the bow tension completely over to the internal braking system.
5. Backwind the handle in a controlled circle: While holding the release button, begin turning the crank handle backward (counter-clockwise) in smooth, steady rotations. Keep a firm grip on the handle grip throughout the entire motion. If your hand slips, the internal brake will stop the string from dry-firing, but you should never rely on the brake alone.
6. Lower the cocking claw to the resting position: Continue backwinding until the string reaches its resting position against the rubber string stops. Once the string is completely slack, release the button, remove the handle, and clip the cocking claw back into its designated storage slot on the stock.

Step-by-Step: Decocking Standard Models with a Discharge Arrow

If your Wicked Ridge bow does not have the ACUdraw De-Cock mechanism, there is only one safe way to uncock it: shooting an arrow into an approved backstop. Traditional crossbow latches lock into place under hundreds of pounds of pressure, and attempting to pry the latch open while holding the string will lead to severe injury.

Many hunters carry a dedicated discharge bolt for this exact purpose. A discharge bolt is a heavy, durable arrow fitted with a blunt field point or a specialized discharge tip designed solely to dump kinetic energy into the ground or a target bag.

1. Remove your primary hunting bolt: Safely take your broadhead-tipped hunting arrow off the rail and return it to your quiver. Never use a valuable hunting arrow or a razor-sharp broadhead to unload your bow into the ground.
2. Flex-check your discharge arrow: Perform a quick check by flex-testing carbon arrows before loading them. Bend the arrow shaft gently between your hands while listening closely for any cracking or splintering sounds that indicate structural weakness.
3. Load the discharge arrow onto the rail: Lay the discharge arrow into the barrel channel, sliding it backward until the nock sits firmly against the bowstring. Verify that the odd-colored fletching vane sits down in the rail groove so the arrow seats completely under the arrow retention spring.
4. Choose a safe backstop: Aim into soft, stone-free dirt, an open sand embankment, or a portable foam discharge target. Never shoot into hard-packed gravel, frozen ground, or live tree trunks, as the arrow can splinter or skip back toward you.
5. Clear your limbs and fingers: Check that your limbs have clear wheel-to-wheel length clearance from tree stands, branches, or blind walls. Keep your support hand firmly on the front grip with your fingers tucked safely below the safety wings on the barrel.
6. Disengage the safety and squeeze the trigger: Push the safety switch forward to the fire position, settle your aiming point safely downward, and pull the trigger smoothly. Retrieve your discharge bolt, clean the soil from the shaft, and check the nock for damage before storing it away.

Dangerous Shortcuts That Ruin Bows and Cause Injuries

When the sun goes down and you are tired after hours in a tree stand, taking a shortcut might feel tempting. However, crossbow strings hold immense kinetic energy, and skipping proper procedures can destroy your bow limbs or break bones in your hands.

The single most destructive mistake is a dry fire. A dry fire happens when a bow is triggered without an arrow loaded on the rail. When no arrow is present, the energy has nowhere to go except straight back into the limbs, cams, and axles. A dry fire can shatter composite limbs, bend axles, snap strings, and fling sharp fragments directly at your face. Never touch the trigger of a cocked crossbow without a properly seated arrow loaded on the rail, unless you are actively operating an approved mechanical de-cocking clutch.

Another dangerous mistake is attempting to use a standard rope cocking sled to let the string down manually. Some shooters try to hook the rope sled onto a cocked string, hold the plastic handles, pull the trigger, and ease the string forward by hand. This almost always ends in disaster. Crossbow pull weights regularly exceed 150 to 180 pounds. That force will easily rip plastic T-handles straight out of your grip, snapping your fingers, whipping cords across your forearms, and violently dry-firing the bow.

Never place your bare hands or gloves directly on the bowstring to ease it forward. The grip-to-string distance closes in milliseconds, and human grip strength cannot overcome the draw weight of modern limbs. If you find yourself in the field without a discharge arrow or a portable target, you must wait until you reach a safe location where you can fire an arrow safely rather than improvising with your hands.

Hunters who spend long hours in compact hunting spaces like ground blinds often look at purpose-built gear like compact options built for tight blinds to ensure they have the proper clearances and mechanisms to handle their equipment safely without wrestling with high draw pressures in cramped quarters.

Field Safety Checks Before Packing Your Crossbow

Once your Wicked Ridge crossbow is uncocked, perform a rapid inspection before sliding it into a soft case or loading it into your vehicle. Checking your equipment at the end of every trip prevents surprises the next time you head into the woods.

• Inspect the center serving: Look at the protective thread wrapped around the center of the bowstring where the latch claws and cocking sled make contact. If the serving thread is separated, frayed, or showing exposed inner string fibers, the string needs immediate rewaxing or replacement.
• Examine limbs and cams: Run your eyes along the top and bottom surfaces of both limbs to check for hairline cracks, splinters, or chips. Look at the cams to ensure the timing cables sit squarely in their tracks without leaning or slipping off the tracks.
• Check for loose screws: Vibration from shooting and walking through brush can loosen scope mount screws, quiver brackets, or foot stirrup bolts. Give each component a gentle wiggle by hand to verify everything remains tight.
• Confirm trigger safety reset: Verify that the trigger latch mechanism is in its resting state and that the safety mechanism moves freely between safe and fire positions without gritty resistance from dirt or moisture.
• Address complex damage at a pro shop: If you spot cracked limbs, bent axles, or severe cable wear, do not attempt to clamp the bow in a home workshop vise. Take the crossbow to an archery pro shop bow press where technicians have the proper equipment to compress the limbs safely without damaging the riser.

FAQs

Can I leave my Wicked Ridge crossbow cocked overnight during a hunt?

You should never leave your crossbow cocked overnight or for extended periods when you are not actively hunting. Leaving the limbs under full pull weight for hours causes unnecessary limb fatigue and stretches synthetic string fibers. Make it a strict habit to decock the bow at the end of every shooting session or hunting day.

Why won't the ACUdraw De-Cock button push in when I try to uncock?

The de-cock button will not disengage if the full string tension is still resting directly against the internal trigger latch. You must crank the handle forward a quarter to half turn to relieve that pressure before pressing the button. Once the handle takes up the pull weight, the button will press down smoothly without force.

Can I shoot a standard field tip arrow into the dirt to unload my crossbow?

You can shoot a standard arrow into clean, soft soil, but you risk damaging the arrow if it strikes hidden rocks, gravel, or thick tree roots. It is far better to use a dedicated, heavy discharge arrow with a blunt tip, or keep a small, portable foam discharge target in your vehicle to protect your arrows from breaking.

What should I do if the crank handle slips out of my hand while decocking?

If your hand slips off the handle on an ACUdraw De-Cock model, the internal clutch brake will catch the tension automatically and stop the handle from free-spinning. Do not attempt to grab the spinning handle mid-air; let the internal brake stop the system completely, regrip the handle securely, and resume your controlled backwind.