Follow the sign. Elk leave a tremendous amount of sign from tracks and droppings to rubs and wallows. Deer also leave similar sign. Every animal needs water so that would be areas to check for sign such as creeks, springs, and lake/pond edges.
I carry a Canon 6D with a 70-300mm lens. Wish I had a larger lens, but this works ok out to 400 yards or so. Editing the photos later can help if you crop and zoom in a bit.