Colorado has several different types of elk hunts:

Ranching for Wildlife private land -- The landowner and the game department agree to limit the harvest, and in turn the state allows hunting over a long period, including September rifle hunts and late season hunts.
Regular private land -- Hunting is generally good for small to medium-size bulls
Limited-permit public units -- Hunting quality varies from good to very good. You need many preference points (18 or more) to hunt the best areas. You get preference points only by applying unsuccessfully in the annual tag drawing. In some areas you can buy a landowner voucher directly from a landowner to bypass the drawing. These tags are expensive in the top areas.
General public units -- Hunting can be good for small to medium-size bulls and fair for big bulls. Hunting pressure is usually heavy. The best hunting is usually during the first season, for which you must draw a permit. The late seasons can be excellent if the weather is conducive.
High-fenced game preserves -- High quality bulls on ranches varying in size from small to very large. Prices for 300 to 400-class bulls are usually far less than one would pay to hunt where you have an excellent chance of killing a free-roaming bull of equal size.

Montana produces a lot of elk every year, but hunter success is generally low on public land hunts. There are a few public units that offer superb hunting because all tags are limited by the state, but it's virtually impossible for a non-resident to get a tag. Many first-time elk hunters book a wilderness hunt in Montana. They're usually happy witht he experience but disappointed with the results because hunter success is low, and elk sightings are rare because the animals are hunted hard, the terrain is steep, and the cover is typically dense. Bowhunters can do well in some areas. We favor private ranchland with limited hunting pressure or an outfitter who concentrates on a non-wilderness area where there isn't as hunting pressure as usual.

Nevada elk are big with a lot of bulls in the 330 to 380 class, but it's extremely difficult to draw a tag. Landowner permits are available in some zones.

New Mexico limits all resident and non-resident tags and does not allow hunters to shoot spikes. You can draw a tag or buy a landonwer voucher, which allows you to bypass the permit lottery. It is difficult to draw a tag in the better units, especially for first rifle seasons. It's easier to draw a tag for most bow or muzzleloader hunts or later rifle hunts. It's also much easier to draw a tag if you apply for a guided hunt with an outfitter because 12% of all tags are reserved for outfitters' customers. outfitters to lease private land. The best units in New Mexico occasionally produce bulls scoring 360 to 400 B&C points, but most hunters in those units end up taking bulls that score 270 to 320, even in the best areas. You can buy a landowner permit that allows you to hunt an entire unit, or you can book a hunt on a private ranch that has its own ranch-only permits. Most of the private land hunts in New Mexico produce a high success rate on 5x5 and 6x6 bulls with most of the animals scoring in the 270 to 315 class.

Utah has a wide variety of elk hunting. The best hunting takes place on private ranchland that is managed for quality hunting as well as on prime public units where tags are severely limited by the state. No state has produced as many truly large bull elk as Utah has in the past 10 years, and most of those have come from well-managed public land. The state wants to reduce the average age of bulls killed in these units, so we expect the trophy quality to drop someday. But for now trophy quality is unsurprassed. Some units produce bulls scoring over 300 B&C points for virtually every hunter; others are even better, so hunters looking for 350 or bigger bulls have a realistic chance of scoring. It is extremely difficult to draw the bet tags. Other areas are a bit easier to draw, and you still have a fine chance of seeing bulls in the 320 to 350 class. Public land hunts are very reasonably priced if you can draw a tag. In some cases landowner permits or conservation tags are available for sale or in auctions. Be prepared to spend top dollar for these tags, but prices vary according to the quality of the unit, season dates, and where and when they tags are sold. Private land hunts vary greatly in price, according to hunter success and trophy quality. All the hunts we book are for wild, free-roaming elk, unrestrained by game-proof fences, but success is virtually 100% on the more expensive hunts because hunting pressure is light, and in many cases you can hunt during the rut with a rifle. The less expensive private land hunts usually produce lower success rates and smaller bulls.

Wyoming has good hunting on private and public land. The biggest bulls are usually taken in zones where tags are extremely limited. You can increase your chances of drawing by accumulating preference points. There are no transferable landowner tags. A percentage of tags are issued in a so-called special drawing, which means nothing more than you pay more to apply. Usually the odds of getting a tag in the special drawing are higher but not always. In general elk zones you'll usually draw a tag your first year in the special drawing and your second year in the regular drawing. Outfitters in general zones produce good success on 5x5 and 6x6 bulls with exceptional bulls scoring over 300 B&C. Your chances of taking a truly big bull are best if you draw a limited-entry tag and then hunt a private ranch within that zone. Start accumulating your preference points if you want such a hunt.

Elk preserves. All the hunts described above are for free-roaming elk, unencumbered by game-proof fences. The very best areas are managed so well that your chances of taking a big bull are virtually 100 percent. To hunt the top areas, you need either luck in drawing a lottery tag or enough cash to buy a landowner or conservation permit. An alternative is to book a trip to an elk preserve. The larger preserves cover several square miles of mountainous terrain and sometimes offer a challenge, particularly to archers. If you shoot a rifle, you'll seldom have trouble finding the bull you want. Safari Club International accepts trophies taken on preserves of a minimum size, but that size is not large because it accepts trophies taken from a 370-acre preserve in Quebec. If you want to simulate a more realistic hunting experience, don't book a trip to a preserve of less than 2,000 acres. Here are details on a 2,500-acre preserve in Idaho.

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