I forget what the saying I've heard is, but something like 10% of the elk hunters take 90% of the elk year to year...
Personally my success rate is quite low, I think I'm running about 25% myself...but on almost every hunt I've ever been on I could have taken an animal.
I suspect this quote is a bit too simplified, ie there are hunters who take the 1st legal animal they see and probably tend to be more successful than others.