Alsatian

I don't know anything about British Columbia. Maybe others don't either. Here are a few pieces of advice for the first time elk hunter.

Elk locate at different elevations at different times of the year. You need to figure out at what elevation they are likely to be at during your hunt and hunt at that elevation. In Colorado, elk are up high -- around 11000' to 12000' or even higher -- until some heavy snows (18" or more) push them down lower on the mountain. Of course, I don't know the elevations and locations of elk in British Columbia, but I imagine the same issue applies to your elk. You might ask experienced BC hunters about this elevation versus hunting season question.

Elk tend to stay away from the roads. When you go hunting, get in away from the roads -- maybe 2-4 miles away from the roads. Of course, be mindful that if you kill an elk, you need to get the elk meat back out. That is a logistics problem you should definitely have thought about and developed an plausible solution for. Maybe you can hire a packer. Don't assume this, talk to some packers in advance, ask prices, can you afford the prices, be ready to pay a higher price than quoted when the elk is dead on the ground.

Elk in undisturbed patterns tend to be active, moving and eating, at first and last light. During daylight hours they tend to hide out in bedding areas. You want to first find where the elk are generally located. Unlike deer, elk are not uniformly distributed. You may find 20 elk in a 10 acre area, but then there may be no other elk in the surrounding 15 square miles. When you have located the elk, then you need to figure out how and when to approach them without being detected. If you know where the bed, where the eat, and what route they follow in between, you can possibly arrange to ambush them during early and late hours in this transition area.

Look for elk on long ridges, maybe especially at places where the ridge levels off and/or flattens out a bit.

Try to find some locals who are experienced elk hunters and ask advice.

What weapon are you hunting with? Are you hunting alone? What boots do you have to wear? What clothes do you plan to wear? What kind of knife do you carry?