I'm putting in for the first time this year as I drew NH last year and now can't apply for three years. I wanted my 9yo son to shoot it( I shot a 54"er in '98), big mistake. We had a nice 45"er opening night with 2 minutes of shooting light left, 4 second window in a thick clearcut and he wisely didn't shoot. We walked those mountainside clearcuts 6-11 miles a day for the entire 9 day season and never saw another good bull. Four other groups in our area also failed to score. The right zone makes a huge difference.
Most of my NH buddies that have put in for Maine faithfully have gotten drawn, however not sure on how many chances to buy without breaking the budget.