Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9.5 inch pie dish. Scatter the pecans into a single layer in the bottom of the pie dish. Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the top of the pecans. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the crescent dough into a 13x9 inch rectangle. Be sure to press together any seams in the dough to form one complete piece. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the crescent roll dough leaving a half inch border around the outside. Starting at one of the shorter sides, tightly roll the crescent rolls into a log. Cut the log into 10-12 rolls. I cut the dough using a piece of unflavored dental floss. Slide the floss under the log of dough where you want to cut, grab both ends of the floss in each hand, crossing them over each other above dough. Pull it taut until the slice is cut. Continue to slide the floss along the length of the log of dough until all pieces are cut. Alternately, you can use a really sharp knife to cut them.

Place the sticky buns cut side up on top of the caramel in the pie dish, placing approximately 8 buns around the outside and 3 inside.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the buns are light golden brown and the caramel sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, and place a large plate on top of the pie dish, then quickly flip the pie dish over to invert the buns onto the plate. Spoon any caramel or pecans left in the pie dish onto the buns. If desired, sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Serve while warm. The caramel will firm up as it cools. These are best served immediately.