Kb42: I'm not sure you got the kind of answers you were looking for. It is helpful in seeking recommendations like this to narrow down the field. There is a better chance of getting fuller answers if some parameters are first decided upon and made clear.
Private land elk hunts may run $10,000 to $20,000 per hunter. I would assume this is not your hunt or you wouldn't be asking for guidance from the likes of us plebians on this web site. So you want to hunt public land.
Bow hunting elk is a somewhat specialized recreational activity. It requires a high level of skill with a bow. It usually involves very physical hunting -- as a great deal of ground in rough country is covered. I'm going to assume if you were a bow hunter you would know it and would have said so in your query. I'm guessing you are a rifle elk hunter.
I would also assume that (1) you don't have preference points you have accumulated in prior years of elk permit drawings and (2) that you definitely want to hunt fall of 2018 and not 10 years later after you have accumulated 10 preference points to hunt a premium trophy quality unit. The state that has the highest number of permits issued is Colorado. I recommend you apply in Colorado.
You will have to decide which of several Colorado rifle seasons you might want to hunt in. Can I recommend the first Colorado rifle season? This hunt typically occurs mid-October when weather has a good chance of still being pleasant. If you are lucky, the bulls may still be bugling. You will further have to select what game management unit (GMU) to hunt in. I recommend you try to figure out on-line what unit you can apply for first rifle season with a 100% chance of draw success. In doing this, you will need to make sure that the GMU you apply in has (1) public land and (2) has relatively high country (10,000 foot elevation to 12,000+ foot elevation) because the elk at this time are often just below treeline.
When you have chosen one or two or three GMUs that you MAY wish to apply in, then you might wish to learn what outfitters operate in those GMUs. Most outfitters will operate in only one or maybe two GMUs, I would guess.
So that is my advice to you. You are free to ignore it or to follow other advice. Colorado first rifle season in a GMU with public land between 10000 foot and 12500 foot elevation that has a 100% drawing probability without any accumulated preference points. That really narrows the field down quite a bit.