I would suggest getting a very thick gauge of cable. Take it somewhere and have the ends welded together, but looped at each end. Buy one of the biggest master locks you can to lock the cable around your stand. If someone is going to take it.....they are going to have to work dang hard trying to either cut through the lock or the cable. Probably neither of which they are going to be able to do. I would suggest as you were saying, to use some type of climbing sticks and just put those up everytime you get out there.