The only way to be successful in elk hunting is to be PERSISTENT. You can be lucky and stumble into one here and there, but to pursue one, to kill one takes careful planning, years of research (field&book) and dedication. But to continually kill elk year in and year out, on public ground, with OTC tags, I’d say takes some real persistence above anything else. It’s too easy on day 6 when rain is pitter pattering against the tent roof and walls, all of your clothes soaked, and now both pairs of boots to just roll over and say “I aint going back out in this crap” before drifting back off into the warmth of your sleeping bag. It takes someone built a little different, to want to put that wet gear on and go get completely soaked again. All in hopes of closing the distance enough to punch your tag before time runs out. With a success rate in the single digits the past several years in Washington State have been pretty rough on the 42,000+ elk hunters that frequent the woods chasing the elusive critters. But that won’t stop them from buying that tag again next year. Just for a chance to spend a few days in the woods with the most majestic of all ungulates… That is the true success at the end of the day. Being persistent enough to find the time to get into the woods and feed your soul…