maine runs 98% or thereabouts on hunter success on blackbear for residents and non-residents. other states are MUCH lower.
one thing to consider is that, overall, the bears are smaller in maine because there are so many.
i'll have about $600 in my trip to oregon next spring, and had about $1500 in it last spring because my wife turned it into a family vacation.
i like hunting the west coast. you don't have to be board sitting over a bait can all day.