notamos, I know just how you feel. I moved from Hanover PA, yeah just down 94, to AZ. Five frustrating elk hunts with tag soup. If I had a bull tag, only saw cows, if I had a cow tag only saw bulls. When I had an any elk tag road hunters with their coffee can exhaust on their 3500 diesel pushed the group of elk I was working toward to the nest unit, literally. Hunting white tails is nothing like hunting elk or mule deer. I moved to WY last year, and with the help of some Colorado friend got a little confidence back after taking an okay 2 yo 4x4 mulie opening morning (after a miss from a bad case of buck fever). I learned more about western hunting on that weekend hunting with guys who hunted that area for years than I did hunting AZ for 8 years. A little friendly help goes a long way to understanding the differences between east and west hunting, white tail and elk. Try to find a friend willing to help ya out. Go with guys even if you don't have a tag, the education of seeing what does work vs what you have been doing is worth it. I understand wanting take your dad, too. My dad is 67, back in Hanover, and every January I think about how I can get him out west to hunt with me. I still haven't got my first elk yet, but this years mulie gave me back some confidence and taught me alot. Hang in there, its all you can do, its all I can do. Good luck next season.
