theft proofing a stand.
 

how do you guys theft proof your stands. last year some A**hole stole the ladder and 10 dollar a peice straps i had on my stand. :s8:
I will be hunting the same area this year and am wanting to go with a stand. But worry of course about feeding the thefts. I was thinking bolt in place of the quick clips cable lock the ladder section to section the lock it to the stand then the stand to the tree. Last year they did not get my stand it was locked to the tree just the ladder. But it cost me half my hunting season.
I thought about welding the ladder sections togather as to make it one peice. but that will make some troubleing times walking in the the stand site. Which i could do nice clean path not to many curves in it. What worrys me about cableing them togather is the fact they could just fold it up take it then cut the cable later.
What are you thoughs. Also any tips on what bolt i could use. I am thinking something total odd ball size and head. SO as to make it harder then just a set of sockets.

Well no matter what you do - you can not make it fool proof.

I lock all my stands using heavy chain and a good Master lock. Least that ways I make it difficult.
I chain the main part around the tree at top and then cable lock the whole ladder together. Actually the ladder cable is a gun lock cable that once cut a siren goes off! :)

I was given that siren gun lock cable.

JW

im goin to tell u this, if a theft wants somthing they will get it

Use detachable steps and lock it in with stainless steel cable. If they go to the trouble to get it then they need it worse than I do:s3:

Dan

Unfortunately, the only way to theft proof your stand is to take it home with you. There are plenty of things you can do to deter "most", but if they truly want it, they can probably get it. I hate a theif....scum of the earth. Good luck.

i have a on occasion took the ladder down(if it's removable) and hid it under leaves or fallen trees(u can chain it there), and not being such an i soar! give it a shot its worked for me!

Unfortunately this is the truth. I work for a hunting outfitter, and over the years we have tried to deter thieves from stealing what isn't theirs. What worked best was when we pulled the stands at the end of the season. When we reached the point we were in several states it wasn't economically practical for us to have someone pull stands and then replace them prior to each season. We have over 1000 hanging now. Because it is a business, we have them insured and write off anything that is stolen.

In the past we have also used bike cables with padlocks, but a $30 pair of bolt cutters (that anyone can buy) will get them a new stand. We also tried pulling the climbing sticks, but if they carry their own in, they have a new stand. Maybe what JW said, a cable that has an alarm. But if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it really make any noise? My best suggestion for you would be a combination bike lock cable. The cable is harder to cut and the combination lock is built onto the cable, so there is no lock that can be cut.

I use ladder stands almost exclusively... a few hang ons. I too, have had just the ladder stolen and the padlocked seat section was still there. What I do now is besides a big chaing section and padlocks, I have replaced the clips with bolts on one side. Makes no sense to do both sides b/c if they have a wrench with them it won't be a problem anyway.

NOW, what else I do is I use a dremel tool and grind my name and phone number on the second section step at eye level. Letting someone know who it belongs to somehow keeps them more honest. In fact grind your name/phone # in each each section. That way way in the future you may come across it or the thief may put it up on someones land and the landowner may call you to complain and you might get it back.

My dad has told me this since I was a little kid putting locks on things that I own, and he would say "A LOCK ONLY KEEPS A HONEST PERSON HONEST, A THIEF IS A THIEF AND THEY WILL FIND A WAY TO STEAL ANYTHING"...

I use a cable that can be bought at walmart and such and run it through a part of the stand that cannot be taken apart.(like the flooring of the stand or something that cannot be unbolted) Then padlock it. Then for people to steal it they will need to bring some bolt cutters and cut the actual coiled metal cable that locks the stand to the tree. Usually, people will only steal soemthing if its an easy steal. Hope that helps.