The Guided Option
If you hire an outfitter to bring you to a remote camp and a guide to show you elk, you'll depend on their knowledge of the country. But even on outfitted trips, you have a lot to say about how the hunt will proceed. First, by booking early, you can specify dates. Some elk seasons open as early as September 15, archery hunts before that. September generally gives you warm weather and a chance to bugle for elk. Few, if any, bulls have been taken, and the elk have not been spooked.

Why would anyone choose differently? Well, Bill Tucker from Idaho's Middle Fork Outfitters told me when I booked a hunt this year that the first October hunt was his most productive. The reason? September hunts were in a different unit, which yielded good success but didn't quite match that of opening week in their main hunting area. Also, September hunts were more physically demanding. Bill's lodge could be used as a base in October but was farther from the September unit. There he packed in wall tents.

Candid talks with the outfitter before his choice slots are taken can boost your odds for success. Don't assume you know which hunts are most productive, but also be aware that outfitters must pitch the hunts that are hardest to sell.

Ask about tag availability. Slim draw odds for early-season hunts in limited-entry units may nudge you toward an October trip. In some states, outfitters are allocated tags for their clients, so it benefits you and the outfitter to buy your tags directly instead of throwing your name into the draw.

As a paying customer, you have many prerogatives. Do you want to hunt from horseback or on foot? Do you like to glass or hike? What kind of bull will you settle for? Outfitters like to know preferences, even if some can't be met. You may have to ride a horse some distance just to get to camp or the basin that you'll hunt. You may have to walk places the horses can't go.

If you want a record-book bull, yours will be a hard tag to fill, but as long as you know the odds are against you and will be content to go home empty-handed, you can still have a good hunt. Plus, the guide won't waste your time hunting places or herds that hold only immature bulls. On the other hand, if you're looking for elk meat and not necessarily antlers, your guide won't risk his ponies on precipices and deadfalls to take you to the black bottom of Hell's Kitchen. Talk with your outfitter and your guide. Make sure you understand each other before the trip.

An outfitted elk hunt provides a host of options. Consider the type of hunt you seek, and book with an outfitter who will accommodate your preferences.

Gearing Up
Whether or not someone else is supplying your camp, you're wise to prepare for weather extremes in mid fall. I recall one season hunting in a T-shirt. The sun cooked us. The next year, on the same date, we climbed in sub-freezing air to find the same basin waist-deep in snow and empty of game. Winter had come to stay. Be ready for rain, snow and summer-like sunshine. You could get all three.

Elk rifles and cartridges are beyond the scope of this piece, but I'll close with a reminder to shoot a lot of rounds from hunting positions before season. Check the zero just before hunting, but not at camp. You don't want to drive all the elk within earshot to some other township. Incidentally, if you're camping on your own, pitch your tent where you'll not be conspicuous to elk, and where your activities won't push the animals away from the places that you found them while scouting. Shooting elk from your tent is the exception, not the rule, so be prepared to put in the extra effort whenever elk aren't going to come easy.