If you have an any elk tag then take the first legal elk you can which will probably be a cow. An adult cow will weigh 400 plus pounds and is a lot easier to handle as a first elk than a 600 pound bull is.
Get good binos, not decent binos. Wear broken in boots and use a weapon you are familiar with. Brand new stuff is not a good idea. Place you shot correctly. Elk are not really hard to kill with good shot placement but a gut shot elk can be a nightmare