RE: best way to secure ladder stand
A chain and lock will only keep honest people honest. If some one really wants to steal your ladder stand, all they have to do is bring a pair of bolt cutters with them and your stand is not theirs. The good news is, I have found that many people won't bother with stealing a ladder stand because they are so heavy and much harder to get out the wood quickly and unnoticed. However, you are dealing with public land, so who knows. If you have no other option than a ladder stand (climber) then you have to hang it knowing that it could be gone any day. If you make it thru the season, consider yourself lucky.