It was a 4 year process for me to plan my first western elk hunt which took place this October. As this was my first experience western hunting, I went with a guide on public land hunting the Coeur d'Alene National Forest in Northern Idaho. I made sure I set myself up with the most realistic hunting experience as I plan to do DIY in the future. Fortunately I had a pretty good guide who had me into elk every day of the hunt. After a couple of close encounters, I was able to connect on day 4 of the hunt. Not a trophy bull but I certainly worked my ass off and invested a ton of time and energy planning this, not to mention the 33 hour drive each way.