Before the snows hit elk food is plentiful. There are lots of grasses, back in the trees. They love mushrooms. They'll eat the bark off of Aspen (must be like candy to them). I've seen Aspen stands that had every tree scraped right at elk head hieght. Very cool looking.
I prowl north facing slopes that I know elk are in from spotting fresh sign, tracks, or even the occational glimpse. Find water that has tracks and especially wallows that are being used.
Elk are NOT whitetails. Just because they are at X-Y-Z one day doesn't mean they are ever there again. They might be, but no guarantees. Just look at the millions of square mile they have as their home. And when they take a step, it's 3 or 4 deer staeps so they cover 3 or 4 times the ground evry step. The old timers will tell you, "The elk are where you find them". Smart asses!
Best advice, get up high and glass and glass and glass. And if you see them, watch and take note of what time, where they come from, and where they go, and how long it takes them. Then watch them later that day or next to establish a pattern. Then you can set up for an
ambush . . . if they're there the following day. And if you don't see anything, nove over to another drainage and repeat. You find out where they are hanging out, then you pray to the elk gods that you get in on them and one is a nice trophy . . . or meat in the freezer.
You can't walk enough. Finding fresh sign, a bench on a north facing slope, FRESH rubs, or maybe even a bedding area and you at least know you are in elk. The rest is mostly luck. I mean, you hear stories like, "I walked outside my tent and there he was!", or "We pulled up, got out, and BAM!, 27 elk crossed right in front of us." It happens that way. You need to believe you will see elk
EVERY MINUTE YOU ARE OUTSIDE. When I'm walking the dark timber, I'll take 5-6 steps and stop and glass. Those suckers can be right there and you'd never see them unless you glass. The glint of an antler tip, a patch of color that just doesn't look right, or an ear twitching, might be all you see before the ground errupts and they are gone! Stay all day in the woods. Bring a lunch, water, and take a nap when you want. I don't understand guys that hunt two hours in the morning, go back to camp for lunch/nap/BS and go home skunked. The elk are there all day, and don't just eat and sleep. They could be up and moving at any time.
Generally speaking elk ar out in the open meadows feeding at night, then move to bedding areas. But they get up, go to water, wallow, play, then bed again, and eat. Remember, the elk will have likely split up by rifle season because the primary rut will be over and you'll either find bachelor groups, or cow/ calf/spike groups. They won't be together. Might be near, but not together.
What an open ended subject! I love it! I will be elk hunting starting this Saturday, Sept 1st. Archery season here in S.E. Wyoming.
I assume you are rifle hunting and hope that you have practiced long shots, up to 300 yards or more if you can. And know your balistics. Good optics and an 800+ yard range finder is valuable equiptment.
Good elk reading at this site:
http://members.tripod.com/~elkhunter2/index.html
Good luck and good hunting.