Mitch,

I'm a Maine native so I can verify that you will need a seatbelt at least if you are hunting in August or September. The bugs are pretty bad here. I've heard many people use a Therma Cell to keep the bugs away. This may be a small price to pay if you wish to hunt in peace.

Are you heading out in 2004? If not you may want to bump up your trip. Antis were collecting signatures to try and get a referendum on the ballot in 2004 to ban hunting bears w/ bait and hounds. I may be wrong but I believe they got enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot. I don't think it will fly in Maine but who knows as the state is getting over run with out of staters(urban Sprawl) most of these new "imports" have no idea what a bear problem is and are likely to vote to ban such hunting practices.[:@]