I also hunt all private land and did not lock them up,until not one but two stands have been stolen from two different spots,two years in a row, so now I put at least three locks on every stand.Think about It,you can buy three locks for 15$ and how much are your stands?Im sure they are more than 50 bucks apiece so get the locks and you won't have to worry!Or you'll find out the hard way like I did!