Welcome to the fire. It appears to me that you've done your homework and have realistic expectations. You seem to already know that elk hunting percentages are lower than deer in most states. Lots of people DIY elk hunt in Colorado and some with consistently good results. You seem to recognize the importance of physical conditioning but there is no way to prepare for the altitude. The best advice I can give you about that is to stay hydrated and if you drink alcohol do it very sparingly. I had some guys up working on a fire a few years ago and I kept telling them they weren't drinking enough water. We ended up sending two of them to the ER for IV's. What I didn't know was how much beer there were knocking back every night. We're coming up on the deadline for license drawings, you might want to consider applying for a cow tag. You may not have a chance in hell of drawing, but you will gain a preference point you can use in future years. I wish you good luck and I can't speak to the units your considering, I've never hunted in them. There are lots of us here who can help you with general questions and will be happy to help. CH
P.S. Aussie Gun Writer's advice is spot on. All scouting will do is allow you to see the country, not bad thing, but don't expect what you find as far as critter's to be the same when the sun rises on opening day, it'll be a new world.
Last edited by chickasaw_hunter; 03/22/15.
