First couple of trips I made were with an experienced rifle hunter that had never bowhunted. The first elk lesson I got was that they aren't in the same places in September as they are in mid October. His spots didn't hold a lot of elk in the rut. But his experience in camping in the mountains and his stories of 15 seasons in the elk woods were invaluable. Other lessons learned were by trial and error, but that was half the fun. Knowing that I've taken two trophy (to me) animals with my bow without paying for a guided trip is pretty satisfying. I would suggest tagging along with someone who has been to the mountains at least once. Like others have said, the gear you already have will work. Add a GPS and a good map and you're set. If you don't have a $500 tent, use your $80 tent and put a $20 tarp over it to keep out the weather. Get your cardio up and be proficient with broadheads to at least 50 yards. I wouldn't shoot that far at a whitetail, but your aiming at a basketball on an elk, not a softball. And elk tend to not be wired as tight as a dang Texas deer, so they don't usually duck, jump, twist or spin at the shot if they are not spooked already. If you're thinking about it, put in for a Colorado preference point by April 5th. Save a couple of points for a better unit, but go buy an OTC (over the counter) tag and hunt those units until you get drawn. The practice and lessons you learn will help, plus you might get lucky. There are many OTC units with 18-20% success rates. I will bet many of the unsuccessful just didn't try, or pay attention.
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