Having gone through knee and now shoulder re-hab after surgery, I would second that. It also helps to be in as good of shape as possible before the surgery.
The advice to find a surgeon who does a lot of the same procedures and has been doing them for years is good. And if the surgeon is not concerned about your continued elk hunting, that's telling because as a rule, they tend to be very conservative on both the pace of your re-hab and the activities they "approve" for you.
