I put up a stand this year that I had to cross a fairly major creek to get in and out of. The water had been up since the end of the season and yesterday was the first shot I had at getting over there.
With about 3 1/2 feet of snow I am in hip boots and snowshoes. The top of the snow is crusted over and underneath is sugar snow, kinda rough going. I punch through crossing a beaver dam and get a shoe stuck, struggle to get out of that, punch through a few more times..... Finally I reach the river and abandon the snowshoes. The water is knee deep, and ripping along. Finding a spot to climb the ice shelf was a challange and now I am puching through with every step. I am getting snow inside my hip boots, and I am starting to render pretty good. Only a couple hundered yards but straight up to a bench. Needless to say by the time I get to the tree I am slightly winded.
I gaze up at the set up and to my horror I see the cable lock..........................AAAHHHH THE KEYYY!!! :readit:
Great way to spend the morning.
It's harder and heavier, but chain is the best way to go. Not many dirtbags carry a hacksaw or bolt cutters thru the woods. Back when I used tree stands, any that I left would be chained with a master combination lock.
+1 on chain. As a firefighter I must say most cables, unless made of treated or special steel are laughable. I have seen many a bolt cutter dulled by a high quality/treated steel chain. Then again, pretty much all locks/chains etc are defeatable with right tools and time. Good thing is most woods thieves don't carry a K12 saw around LOL.
I've had about a dozen stands stolen by magggots over the past several years and now use a heavy chain and commercial master lock. I haven't lost any yet but with cordless saws all I still worry. Jim