One of the problems with elk is that unless you draw a tag for a decent trophy area, hunting public land is a crap-shoot, especially if you're looking for "just a decent 6-point bull," as many first-time hunters put it, since they know they probably won't kill a B&C the first time out.
Probably because of the Internet and hunting magazines, they think any area offers a chance at a good bull if they just work hard. But they apparently don't look at overall success rates, especially on public land, where it can be great elk country but if the weather fails to cooperate it can also suck.
Yeah, there are ways to have a good chance "a decent 6-point bull," but the surest way is to pay closer to $10,000 than $5000 for a guided hunt on private land. And right there you're talking an African safari. The second-surest way is to draw a tag for a good trophy area, but even that doesn't always work out.
There are no guarantees in most African hunting either, but the numbers of animals over there have always been a LOT higher than elk density on typical National Forests in the Rockies.
