When those sorta's and maybe's turn in to "for sure" and "definately"
then we'll talk. Why should anyone take your question seriously when you aren't.

You need to narrow down your options. Maybe colorado, maybe idaho, maybe, maybe, maybe. You need to think some of this out on your own. There is excellent hunting in colorado. There is also excellent hunting in idaho,montana, wyoming, utah,new mexico, arizona etc. The better units will be tough to draw obviously. Unitsthat are easy to draw generallyare either prodominantly private land or so rough and rugged that it is very hard to hunt. Thats just the way it is.There aren't any magical units out there thatwe can tell you about.Besidesif their was a unit that held huge bulls that was over the counter and had good access the last thing I would do is blab about it on the internet.

I would say thatColorado would be your best bet for a beginners DIY hunt. Find a place with some decent access and just go out and try. If you narrow down your options there are some colorado folks on here that couldsteer you in the right direction.

Cost estimation: anywhere from $1000 to $5,000 per person. Lets start with the basics

DistancetoRifle Colorado (because its a cool name) from Cleveland Tn.= 1502 miles. Estimate 15MPG= 100 gallons each way= 200 gal. roundtrip @2.59/gal= $518/3 = $173

Figure $20 per day per person for food, for 7 days= $140

Nonresident bull elk license = $501 per person

Will you camp, or stay in a hotel? Hotel =$75 per night x 7 night =525/3= $175. If you camp you will need good equipment.

For far I've spent $989 of your money on the bare minimum neccesities and assumed that you have proper gear. From here the numbers just keep climbing.