You are getting a lot of great advice. I've been in your boots, and burned up plenty of boot rubber hopelessly. Don't do that any more. The sooner you start hunting right the sooner you can start working towards elk.
Hunting elk is nothing like hunting deer. They are not dispersed throughout where you can just hike around and find them. If you do, good on you, but it won't be repeatable. Elk are herd animals and when you find them you find many. First thing: hunt where the elk are. To do this, forget hiking except for places to glass. Get to vantage points early and late and you will find them if they are there. Understanding elk will help tremendously. They live in dark timber in the day and are very difficult to find. In the evening they come out, generally working down from ridges towards lower ground/towards water for the night. In the morning you will catch them returning. Elk are creatures of habit. Once you locate them you will find them there again. I ambush elk--every year. Once you find where they frequent you will kill them with boring regularity. These spots are usually very difficult if on public land. Get over that if you want success. Also, get used to the idea that you will have to leave your truck hours before sunrise and get back hours after sunset. This is where knowing the area is so crucial. When you have spent enough sunrises/sunsets on the mountain you will know how the wind usually acts. You will know the best routes. You will know how the elk act.
If you end up hunting like I do (steep wilderness on foot), take this advice as well: have a plan. They are hard to get to the truck (understatement). Once I started getting elk, I found that was the easy part. The hard part is getting them out.
There are a million small details that will help you get better elk, but you will learn those once you start getting into them.
