The very first thing you need to make peace in your mind with , is even in the very best years of elk harvest 60% of all the licensed hunters go home empty handed.
The next thing is, while it is possible to just haul off and buy a tag proceed out and kill and elk without ever having been to the area before, the probability isn't very high.
There's usually a reason for there being excess licenses left over. Access is usually the biggest problem, sometimes it might be the area is subject to migration population, and the success in that area will largely depend on if the elk moved into or out of that area ahead of or after the season opening and closing dates.
Do your research thru the various game and fish departments and follow their recommendations on which license and area might offer you the best chance of seeing an elk, then you can concentrate on what it'll take to get a shot at an elk.
