Western WA OTC elk is an interesting one. I think you need to look at for filling a tag vs taking a mature bull, are you being weapon specific, and are you married to a particular area.
The guys I know who are successful with rifle (not me), scout and have several bulls located before opening day, then they glass then up and seal it within the 1st/2nd day. There are also guys that hunt in large groups and systematically pick apart areas as a team and push the elk into each other.
Archery and muzzy hunters (this is me), have the ability to use calling to locate (early season), which is the greatest advantage IMO. I like to constantly be on the move until I find elk that are talking- sometimes hiking, mountain biking, boating, or anyway to separate myself from the masses. I try to not get married to an area, I've hunted upwards of 6 GMU's in one season, just depends on where I'm getting into elk.
I looked at the 3-year season setting cycle to choose archery vs muzzy since they are rotating dates. This year archery was Sept 6-18 (crappy dates), muzzy Oct. 4-10 (ok dates). 2026 should be archery Sept 12-24 (good dates) and muzzy Oct 3-9 (better dates).
I'd recommend getting into muzzy or archery, learning how to call, and developing another 6-10 locations to hunt. Don't be afraid to venture into different GMU's, be ready to put miles on your vehicle and your body. I like to hike/bike at night and locate, that way I can decide to stay and hunt an area or move on and be at a new spot before daylight. There are elk in almost every GMU, some are just a tougher hunt then others.
