As an Eastern whitetail hunter transplanted to Colorado I will tell you what I went through during my first couple of seasons trying to adjust to elk hunting.

1. Elk are mobile. They can and will cover FAR more range than a typical whitetail deer. Everything out west is going to seemlarger. You have to be willing to get off the roads and cover some miles if you want to really have a good chanceat a bull.

2. You will be intimidated by the amount of huntable territory. Get good topos of the unit you will be hunting and find the pack/hiking trails. Use these pack trails to get away from roads and ATV trails. They will give you some security and make traveleasier. They will also allow you to arrange for a packer if you so choose. GET AWAY FROM ATV TRAILS.

3. Elk are herd animals. They leave LOTS of sign. If you are not seeing LOTS of very fresh sign, keep moving. If you are used to whitetail hunting you will be stunned by the amount of sign elk can leave. However, 2 day old sign may have been left by elk that are now 6 miles away. This is IMPORTANT. Old elk sign without fresh sign means little on a 7 day hunt.

4. Elk like whitetails will go underground in response to hunting pressure. For elk this often means steep, evergreen covered, north facing slopes. They will go where most hunters won't. Go to the same places.

5. Water is a more important factor in general, for elk than for eastern whitetails. Find heavy cover, water and fresh elk sign and you are in an area worth hunting.

6. DoNOT waste time sitting on beautiful open parks if you are hunting pressured elk. They will not be there during shooting light.

7. Believe you can find and kill a bull. It is not magic, but takes more work than whitetails back east.Come ready to work hard. Really hard.

8. Have a plan for getting your elk out. This isimportant because you can't be worrying about "how in the heck you are going toget an elk out of there". Buy a lightweight pack frame (Cabelas Alaskan?) and wear it while hunting. Travel light but do not neglect the things you will need to break down and pack out your elk.

9. GOOD boots. GOOD socks. If you buy new boots and don't break them in you will be very sorry. You will be hiking your butt off if you are hunting right.

10. GOOD binoculars. Glassing is the one thing that can save you miles of hiking.

11. Leave the elk bugle call at home. You will be hunting after the rut and bugling will just run the elk off. Carry a cow call as it might come in handy to reassure elk if they hear you but can't see you, or to stop a bull for a shot.

12. Get in shape. Nothing will prepare you for altitude except altitude but you need to be in good shape. Buy Gingo Biloba tablets. Start taking them 2 days before you arrive and take them morning and evening during you whole hunt.This may not work for everyone but saved me duing my fisrt two seasons.

There is LOTS to learn about elk, but if you are willing toreally work. To hunt smart and hike in further than the lazier, less smart hunters you CAN kill a bull and have one of the greatest hunts of you life.

I am a rank amateur compared to many guys, but I followed the above advice and killed my first bull, second morning of my first ever elk hunt. I packed in a small camp on my back 4 miles from the nearest ATV trail. I saw 1 hunter, 6 Bighorns, 4 mule deer bucks, 11 cow elk and 1 bull. Just like i dreamed it would be as a boy.

Good luck and have fun!!