I don't agree this is a private land game, but it could seem that way if you aren't being successful right away. Once you learn a couple different units and figure out where the elk are, they are usually there every year or close to the same area. Some states have more easily accessed public land than others, but there is still plenty of good DIY hunting on public land or private land that is open to the public. Drawing tags in those units can be difficult and expensive for non residents, which is why a lot of us who live out here don't hunt out of state. But the hunting is available and can be very productive if you put the time in to learn how and where to go. We hunt public land exclusively and I have harvested and elk 7 out of the last 10 years, mostly on spike only tags. Which can really be a downer when you see a huge 6x6 or bigger walking by like he owns the place several years in a row....
The camping set up, retrieval , and other logistics can be overcome but can get expensive for the initial investment. We probably have $2- $3 invested in our tents, cook set up, and other items we take to camp to make our lives comfortable for a week, but it can be done for substantially less if this is something you don't do every year.
When it comes right down to it, for a guy who is planning their first hunt out of state it makes a lot of sense to look for a guided hunt just to learn what to do and not to do. There are some pretty inexpensive guided hunts in cull units where they want some cows removed or low scoring bulls removed from the herd. Accommodations are usually supplied or available as part of the package and retrieval of your game is handled by the outfitter. A little time on the computer will help you sort some of this out, then the planning really begins...
Good luck, it is definitely worth it when you get your first elk on the ground...
Bob
Do you sleep under Harbor Freight tarps and cook in used soup cans to keep the cost that low?
