younggun243: I think a DIY elk hunt for non-residents does indeed require a substantial amount of committment and trouble. Maybe your uncle isn't prepared to make the sacrifices and suffer the pains -- both in the pocketbook and in the weary, overtaxed muscles -- that come with elk hunting. This is OK. No one says everyone needs to be an elk hunter.

Maybe your .308 will work for elk hunting if you exercise discipline on what range you shoot at elk. I will let other advise on this topic.

Back to clothes. Wool is good for the middle layer, in my opinion: your pants and your shirt. You can get good army surplus wool pants by looking around, for example on the Internet, for about $20 maybe $25 with shipping. I'm thinking about the M-51 medium weight wool pants. Similarly with wool shirts, you can find Pendleton wool shirts on the Internet for about $20 to $25. Layer these over some medium weight polypropylene or thermex long underwear and long sleeved top. You need a couple more top garments to keep warm when you stop moving or when it is particularly cold. You could get a heavy wool sweater and layer an insulated, rainproof parka over the sweater. I like to wear the Filson wool vest under an insulated, rainproof parka -- but the Filson wool vest is moderately expensive. Some people prefer synthetic fleece versus wool. I imagine that too can be entirely suitable, but I'm not sure it is better than wool and I'm not sure you can find pants for $25 shipped and tops for $25 shipped, as you can with army surplus pants and used Pendleton shirts. Don't forget a warm hat, such as a polypropylene balaclava.

My term "good boots" probably needs some further definition. These are going to cost in the neighborhood of $200. You want stout souls to protect your feet walking over rocky ground in the dark and perhaps carrying a heavy load. You want leather that goes maybe 10" or so up from your soles. It is probably a good idea to have some insulation -- maybe 400 grams of thinsulate -- in these boots to keep your feet warm when you sit in the cold for extended periods of time. I use the Meindl Perfekt Hunters which cost about $200, I think, and I have heard many other hunters use these with pleasure. There are also other good boots, but none are cheap. Wear two pairs of socks with these boots -- a thin pair of polypropylene or other "wicking" fabric on the inside and a heavy pair of wool socks on the outside.

I have used this term "wicking fabric." This means that the fabric encourages sweat or other moisture, for example rain, to migrate away from the skin, which helps keep you warm. When you are hot and sweating these wicking fabrics do not make you feel hotter; just when you cool down you feel dry and don't feel cold as you would in cotton. These garments dry quickly, for example in a tent overnight before the next day's hunt. I find wool dries pretty quicly too. Cotton is bad because it does not wick moisture away from your skin, it does not dry quickly, and it makes you feel cold when wet and loses most of its insulation value when wet.

Carry water with you everyday and drink it. You will dehydrate rapidly at altitude.

Elk hunting is generally very strenuous. Do not kid yourself about this. Cardiovascular reserves are very key. If possible, in addition to cardiovascular workouts do some stair climbing, hill climbing/running. Do deep knee squats with weights. Do "lunges." Your legs are going to get a constant workout and you will need lots of endurance to keep going for the length of the hunt. A lot of people say it is the hunters who cover the most distance on foot who are the most successful. You can plan to walk 5 to 10 miles a day in the mountains over 10,000 feet altitude every day while elk hunting. If you have never hiked at over 10,000 feet altitude you are in for a fun experience. The bad news is that you will be out of breath and have to pause frequently; the good news is that your breath comes back quickly and you can still get there moving more slowly!!! Upper body strength is useful when dealing with a dead elk, but you will need the legs every day, all day long. If you are overweight, take off the weight.

You need to have a plan to get the elk out. You generally cannot drag an elk to your pickup truck. You will need to carve up the elk at the kill site. This means either quartering the elk or skinning and deboning. If you are going to pack the elk out yourself on your back you will want to skin and debone at the kill site. Learn about how to do these things. If you are going to quarter you will need to arrange to have a packer come to retrieve your elk. You will need to have a plan to butcher your meat. You could take your meat to a local processing facility or butcher; I'm guessing this may cost about $200/elk. You can also butcher your elk yourself if you are comfortable with this operation. You need a plan. An elk isa big animal, and you don't want to be stuck improvising when you have an elk down. If you plan to pack out the elk you should obtain a stout external frame pack and perhaps some strong cotton game bags.

Most people will agree you need to have a good pair of binoculars -- maybe 8x40mm, for example Nikon Monarch for about $300. There are lots of other binoculars for lots of different prices. Probably cheaper and lower quality than the Nikon Monarchs is not a good plan. The binoculars are intended to save you the walking time and effort in the mountains.

This is all directed to equipment considerations. So far no talk about the hunting. You need to have a good hunting plan and then one or two back-up plans. Conditions can change and you may need to change your hunting plans accordingly. Think this matter through carefully.

You should try to visit your selected hunting area, for example during the summer, hiking in to look your area over for a day or two. The point is not really to "scout elk." In October during the hunting season the elk may be located somewhere different from where they are located in mid-July or early August. The point is to study the terrain and try to identify some strategic hunting spots -- for example a high point overlooking a grassy meadow bordered by thick timber with locally available water -- and understand how long it will take you to arrive at this location by maybe 5:30 AM. Think about what other hunters will be doing during hunting season. If you are close to the road, how many other hunters are going to be bumping elbows with you? Also it will be prudent to learn first hand what it is like to walk around at 10,000 feet in the mountains. If this seems like a lot of trouble, driving all the way out to the Rocky Mountains from Tennessee to do a preparatory trip, you are getting some idea of what is involved in elk hunting. It is not easy. It does require planning and some investment of time and money.

Perhaps others will post more information. Good luck. Read older posts in this and other forums. You should find a lot of good information.