My first elk hunting trip to northwestCO in 2004, I stayed at a lodge type place with maybe a dozen other hunters with varried experiance. They were hunting public ground and between the group, only had one nice buck. I was there for a private land cow elk hunt. Met a darn nice guide/landowner, had a great time and got my cow the second day. I've been back twice since and want to go again. Now, maybe this isn't what you mean by a trophy, but that cow sure was - is a trophy to me! Me coming from Iowa by myself and expecting to get a 6x6 bull is nonsense, so in my case, a guide is the only way to go. Jim