It really boils down to two options.

Option#1

Hire a less expensive outfitter and possibly kill a elk, maybe even a really nice elk. Maybe you hunt with the same cheaper outfitter for a few years, maybe you kill a nice bull or maybe you don't. Just maybe you'll spend $15,000 on mediocre bulls or maybe you kill a really nice bull and call it done.

Hire a expensive private land outfitter for the $15,000 and kill a really nice bull or maybe you don't kill one at all (have heard this rumor before). But maybe your dream elk is one and done and you can be like the rest of us and just hunt them DIY because you like it.

Option #2

You go totally DIY. Maybe you do your research and get lucky on finding your spot the first year out and kill a really nice bull. Then over the next lifetime of hunting you have a spot that normally takes elk. Or you can be like some that hunt year after year and nothing.

Check this out. Colorado on a good year averages 11% to 17% across the board on elk tags sold vs number of elk harvested. That's not that good of odds no matter who you are. You really have to put in your work in elk hunting and forget about pipe dreams.

Not to brag on myself but I have averaged above 60% on personal elk harvest over 30 years that includes bow, muzzle loader and rifle. And here's what it takes to get it done.

BE IN SHAPE.
Know the Area like the back of your hand.
Know how the Elk use the area and where they are in different seasons, weather, and pressure.
Know your limits and throw the limits out the window.
Be willing to let everything walk if you only want a big bull.
Kill the first legal bull you see if you want to be successful year after year.
Be able to shoot 500 yards with a rifle, 150 yards with a muzzle loader and 50 yards with a bow. Also be able to make quick shots in the trees and offhand shots at reasonable ranges.
Be able to climb that 300 yards and control your breathing to make that 20 second shot window. If you get that 20 second window at all.
Know your equipment.
Simple things like turn your scope down when leaving the open and going into the trees.
Know when it's time to stop stalking the elk and let them make their move.

I've ran em down, rode them down and harassed elk all my life with clients and by myself.

I hunt alone when doing it for myself. And when the time comes I have played the shot process over and over in my mind. Mentally and Physically you have to be ready. To be a lifetime successful elk hunter you have to get mean dog mad.

Or.......... you can just find that special little canyon with a nice little trail going through it where the elk travel from one spot to the next sit down break out the thermos enjoy the scenery and wait it out. This is what I recommend because most don't have the time to learn about elk hunting doing it a one week out of the year. 5 to 7 days in one spot watching has a lot higher success rate than running all over trying to find an elk. Chances are something will walk right by you.