Arizona or New Mexico? Bear hunting.

[brycejohnson]

I’m wanting to take a trip to either Arizona or New Mexico this fall and harvest a bear. I’ve got the dog power but I don’t know the country in either state and don’t want to take a week off work and buy a tag and drive across the country and have trouble getting on bears. I went to New Mexico a couple years back and did end up finally rigging and treeing a bear but I just winged the whole trip and never rigged another bear and saw very little bear sign. I attributed to me just not knowing the country and not living there and being able to do any scouting before I arrived. So my question is: which state would you recommend and why? And where can I go and be able to get into bears?
I was possibly planning to go mid to late October.
Thanks!