No success for me last trip out as well. I saw lots of cows, but the kind you get BEEF from, not ELK. This time I'm gonna be high and in or bordering a wilderness area. Check out
Acme Mapper to get good aerial and topo views of the place you'll be hunting look for NORTH facing slopes or Northeast facing slopes with nice wooded benches for bedding areas. That's one thing I hear will yield good results. I've plotted out a large area and pre-marked areas I suspect elk will bed, and plan to glass them heavily and make my plan from there.
Also learn to use your calls. If you haven't watched any videos or listened to any cd's or tapes regarding it, get some and pay close attention to what you are really saying when you do call. It will make a big difference as well I believe.
Here's a link for Acme Mapper....
http://mapper.acme.com/