Except for one bull I killed on a fly in Alaskan hunt, I think the last 6 elk I have killed were packed out to a main, graveled road that a Prius could easily drive down and park on the side of, or at a trailhead.
Even before that, I can think of only one elk I have ever killed that I had to drive down a road that I needed 4wd and decent clearance to get to, to save me from packing it another mile or so. Higher clearance and chains may come in handy if you're hunting late season, snowed in areas I guess.
If you're hunting private ranches or have a hard draw desert kind of tag where rutted up two tracks are common then a high clearance rig could be useful, but for normal general season elk hunts in the mountains I just have not seen the need for pickups, jeeps or ATVs/UTVs other than having bed space for bloody critters. There are always exceptions (and I know some), but in many forest service areas the only roads you're allowed to drive are the main, maintained roads. Some areas have trails restricted to 50" wide or smaller ATVs where normal vehicles are not allowed, so a pickup wouldn't help you there anyway.
Maybe things are different in other states or how others hunt, but in MT, ID and WY this has been my experience.
