I've done it before and probably will again. I've hung stands and taken all the steps outfrom the bottom 12 feet. I then will hide a set of climbing sticks in a blowdown or something on the route into the stand. Hanging a 12 foot section of a stack'em stick is a piece of cake in the dark and then have the screw ins the last few feet. Cuts down on the yahoos that might use your stand. A determined thief will still get it if he wants it. I've also brushed in and hid my climber many nights but only when I was coming back the next AM