I think the biggest hurdle for most folks going from east to west to hunt is getting there. What I mean by that is many people including myself say "that's a dream hunt of mine" but never pull the trigger and go. Once you start doing it, it gets easier each year as you gain more experience.
That said having done it a few times my advice to you is the following:
1. If you can drive do it! Driving, while it takes a little time makes life easier and cheaper because you can literally throw everything and the kitchen sink in your truck. I head out from KY every year in my Tundra with a topper and live out of my truck for 18 days.
2. If this is your first trip out west regardless of how much "E scouting" you have done I would plan to camp at or near your truck and not commit to a deep backpack style hunt. A couple of reasons for this, its your first year so you're going to want to learn the area in the unit your hunting and it's far easier to be mobile and adjust plans with a motor vs your feet and a pack. That said, take a pack and pack a few miles into an area for a night or two but be prepared to roll out if you arent seeing any sign or getting any action.
3. Be flexible have a few different areas picked out that you want to check out. This one can be trickey becasue you may choose areas in different parts of the state or different units. I have been tempted to do the same but after sticking to my guns and hunting the same to adjoining units in Colorado, I've been a part of taking three elk in three years. We're three for three where we hunt and it's because we're learning the unit so if an area that was hot last year sucks this year we have multiple other areas that we can get into to check out with out spending hours driving there and hiking in.
Here is an article that I wrote last year, hopefully, it can be of some help to you. If you have any questions after that please ask away and I'll do my best to answer them!
I’m a self-taught bow hunter with a passion for elk hunting. The first time I heard the bugle of a bull elk echo out of my computer speakers, I knew I had to go and experience it in person.
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Good luck,
Mike