You are on the right track if you want the best chances of harvesting an elk on a do it yourself hunt. Colorado has more elk than any other place in the world.

If you want an either sex tag or a cow tag you will have to buy a left over tag when they go on sale in August and you or a represenative must be at the DOW office to purchase these tags. Most of the state is over the counter for bulls and on such short notice this is probably your best bet.

The White River National Forest heard is the largest in the state. There are a lot of elk there (50,000+). Both North and South of I-70. Start researching this national forrest as there plenty of places you can put together a very successful hunt there.