I've never spooked anything from cocking a hammer(flintlock, caplock, revolver, shotgun,). Even if the animal notices the sound they won't usually asociate that sound with danger unless they have seen you move. They may however look your direction so get your gun up before cocking. As far as cocking before shooting I don't feel this is a good idea. A cocked revolver is just as ready to fire as any other gun that does not have the safety on. The consequences of accidentally pulling the trigger, dropping the gun, falling out of the tree, ect. far outweigh the chances of and the consequences of waiting to cock. I hope I don't offend anyone with this post but I feel very strongly about safety.