I use API stands and one day I went to one of my stand sites and discovered that my stand was missing. I left it unlocked because in 30 years of bow hunting in Vt I never had any problem like that. I went to Aubuchon hardware and got a 6' 3/8" double eye aircraft type cable, painted it brown and pass it around the tree, through the verticle part of the stand and lock it to the ratchet hole with a long shank sesimee combo lock through the locking pin hole in the ratchet handle. No problems since.