I love hunting elk for the first weekend of Colorado's archery season. The elk are less suspecting after nine months of minimum human interaction. However, they are extremely quiet during this period, and the bulls are still bunched up. Find one and chances are there will be more present (keep that in mind. You may think one set of eyes when there are actually many. I cannot tell you how many stalks I've blown by failing to remember this tip). As the week progresses, the bulls may or may not begin to seperate from each other-it's different by location. You may find a bull raking and rubbing trees. It's an awesome experience to witness! The grunts, squeals, and groans are truly amazing...listen for them. Stay close to cooler regions. Carry a small thermometer and pay attention to temps. Elk will find that region on the mountain which is the coolest. They hate being hot! Look for places where natural evaporative cooling is taking place. Remember the temperatures drop six degrees for every 1000 feet you climb. During this week, it's not unusual to find elk slightly below timberline.
Hope that helps...good luck!