What kind of stand did you buy? As long as you go hunting thats all that matters. You may want to try it without a stand first. It would stink carrying a stand all the way in and then not seeing anything. At least if you are hunting from the ground you can get up and move. 95% of the time I hunt from the ground. Once you find a good spot then take your stand in and set it up. I hunted public land for 5 years before I found a spot worthy of putting a stand there and it was far enough off the beaten path I could leave it for the week I was hunting there. Also, it was my first 5 years hunting so hopefully it won't take you that long to find a good spot!