I also hunt public land and I leave my climber in the woods, if I'm going to hunt the same area, when I go back for lunch. But Irarely leave it over night.

Yea i learned that lesson a few times

I do two things, I leave it attached to the bottom of the tree and try to camoflage it by sticking sapplings or fallen limbs around it or I take it off the tree and stash it in a tree top and cover it with leaves. It just depends on where I am hunting.

I hunt on public land as well and come the 1st of Sept. I'm out there putting my stands up like everyone else and thats where they stay until the end of the season.
All of my climbing sticks and treestands have my name and address etched in them and I always lock them with a cable locks , one for the top and one for the bottom.
If someone wants to steal them that bad , they'ergonna have to work for it.
I might move one some time in mid season but when I do it will be lock - up again until I'm ready to take it home.

man, how do they cut those cable locks?? i had a really nice one by krytanite(spelling). i know there was a problem with the lock and being able to pick it with a heated BIC PEN!! can the average person cut one

The private land areas I hunt, I leave them up all year around. When I hunt public, it's usually just for 3-5 days at a time. In that case I usually hunt it everyday, and leave it upsince I'm there to hunt it.

Plus, most of my stands aren't worth stealing....

I take Lone Wolf climbing sticks and either my Lone Wolf Alpha hangon or my Millenium Hangon and either of these setups are so easy to set up and tear down that I setup and take down everytime I enter or leave the woods. I never hunt the same place either with this type of hunting. Bloodbro turned me onto this type of mobile hunting. Deer can't figure your hunting pattern out as there is no pattern. HCH

Yes I leave mine in a Florida swamp..I have an alligator guarding it for me.

I sometimes leave it at the base of a tree on private land if its going to be a short time or if i'm coming back tomorrow .I have been fortunate that i hann't had one stolen yet