MY suggestion would be contact the game warden in that area and ask him your questions about where and when and WHY
I would spend some time on googl;e earth looking at things on places you can hunt, looking for places that have green vegetation and or water.
and from theer do some time in person scouting them!
as for equipment
its about just like any other hunt, amount of gear one wants to have is some times more personal than needed
but good optic's get my vote,
and not knowing what type of hunting you plan to do, makes adding more harder
as big difference in what all is needed in ,different types of hunts
a s in say,
spot and stalk,
stand hunting,
or sitting in a blind for hours
all require different gear to be happy for most folks!
but basic gear appropriate for temps at time of hunt is all that is needed , real easy to over think things and or feel a need to carry a lot of gadgets and extra's that seldom ever leave the pack