Sorry to hear that your killing trip turned into a hunting trip. Elk hunting is not the same as whitetail hunting. Other then the fact that you carry a weapon, ware orange and camouflage, there aren't too many similarities. If you try to hunt elk like whitetail, you won't be sussesful. You really need to do your homework with elk to learn their habbits, the habitat, terrain, and the area you are hunting.If your buddy haddone his homework better, it wouldn't have been a surprise to you guys when you got there that the elk had moved long ago. Elk will move miles because of conditions and/or pressure. Understanding the animal you are hunting is about 60% IMO and being in the right place at the right time is 40% IMO of hunting. If you want to pay $4000-$12000 and go on a guided hunt, you can increase your odds because you are paying someone for doingtheir homework, at least you hope they did. If you hunt public land unguided, you need to do your own homework and pay your dues.

Please share a few things with us. I would like to hear about these things to get a better understanding of your trip.
1) How many miles were you walking a day looking for elk?

2) How far off was the closest road to where you were hunting?

3) At what elevation were you hunting?

4) How many different spots did you try? When I say spots, I mean you hunted on foot one day then drove to a different place the next.

5) Were you "road hunting"?

I've only been at this for 2 years and I got my first bull in second riffle season. We hunted the last half of the season. Guys were leaving as we were getting there. They had been hunting low, had not seen anything, and actually the elk were still high, even with a foot of snow. I have no idea how many hours I have spent researching elk, the area I hunted, and the terrain. I know guys that been at it for 5 years and have not got one yet so I feel very blessed tokilled one. I met one guy last year at it for 12 years and has not got one.To blame the DOW for bad information is an excuse. That's why it's called hunting and not killing. Those guys are very honest about the information they put out and if they said that most of the heard survived, they would know. If you tried to hunt them where they were when there was 3 feet of snow, that is probably the area they will return to when there is 3 feet of snow again. There are winter ranges, summer ranges, and then the places they go to get away from hunting pressure. Your not the first guy to spend $500 on a tag and go back home upset. Good luck with the whitetail and here if you try again. Please answer the questions above so we can better understand how you were hunting.