Alaska is the correct answer, but you said lower 48.
NW Wyoming. You can hunt all of Wyoming and your just around the corner from ID and MT. 5-6 hrs from Colorado and Utah. Easy choice.
A 44 will work fine for bears as long as its not a long shot. If I was doing a guided hunt for bears I'd go to Maine. I know its a lot farther from SC, but the bear hunting up there is awesome and the country is beautiful. Many of those lodges run around 100% every year on shot opportunity...
You'll be fine man. If you put in the effort like you say you are your odds for success are better than the average hunter. Get after it hard you'll find success.
Maven B.2 . Fantastic binos. The only binos I've ever looked through that were better were swaros and they were barely better. They also have awesome customer service and a great warranty.
I think you just need a good spotter (60X) depending on the type of details you hope to view. Ive looked at elk from a few miles away with a 45x spotter plenty of times and been able to see them well. Also, in a telescope the image is normally upside down or mirrored.
Scent control products are one of the biggest gimmicks in the hunting world. In the past I've done all the scent free stuff and used the scent killer etc. Now I wash my clothes in Gain. I pay attention to the wind religiously. If the wind in wrong I don't go to that area. I don't care what...