Couple of years ago I drew a late season cow elk tag in Washington. I hunted in mid & late December. Spent a couple of days finding out where they weren't.
Went lower, less snow, more feed, mixed private and public land and found LOTS of elk including some big bulls. No bull tag though!
I did get permission to hunt some private land, and the WDFW guys were helpful too. Based on my experience, I'd figure on hunting lower, and obtaining permission to hunt the private lands. I didn't need a guide, actually got phone calls from landowners telling me if the elk were on their land. Some backstrap steaks were shared with those kind folks!
Guy
