EKM

Red,

I only worked with thedetails ofyour story that were provided("lay bare all hunting within a 1000 square miles........ "). Faced with "elements" that did not seem to add up, yourresponse to inquiry seemed to be to pull a hard left turn andlaunch off to the far side of ludicrous.... rather than pull it togeher.... that bodes poorly for your position.
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Cache,

Well, two routes:

Fast and Direct:
First: Find and joinan experienced DIY groupthat encourages atv use, there appear to be some.

Second: Utilize an outfitter that encourages atv's, there appear to be some.

If those are unsatisfactory and you are going to do it DYI, then while it isn't that complicated,it doesrequire work and won't don't happen by accident....

School Of Hard Knocks:
First,go tothe CDOW web site and work the statistics and make the phone calls to the local gov't managers to identify the best places to hunt per your hunt parameters.

Second,reference the "ATV okay" info provided above.

Third, mapthe "ATV okay"areas on a GMU map.

Fourth, overlay the "best places to hunt" ontothe same GMUmap.

Fifth: Apply in the areas where the twozones (atv's permitted areasand desired hunting areas)overlap.

Then comes the real challenge:
Check to see if your hunting partner is still on board.
Check to see if your hunting partner's wife/girl friend/significant otheris still on board.
Get your equipment together.
Get your money together (dedicated accounts would be a good idea.... guess you could ding it onto a credit card.... irritates the wife though).

Repeat monthly thru the spring, summer, and into the fall.
Come October, if the wheels are still on, then....
Go.

Good Luck.

PS: Personal recommendation, skip the mule deer, focus on the elk, work back in at least 4 miles from nearest road, scout in advance of opening dayand gps your strategy accordingly, travel in the dark both ways to and from camp so you can huntfrom "can't see to can't see" thus capturing the two most productive times of day, dawn and dusk, on stand and in the prime hunting area.... and ....
move as quietly as possibleat all times.

But hey, that is just me.

cacheriver

I appreciate all the help. Didn't mean to stir up the ATV controversy. We use them here legally for transporting game and to keep from tearing our trucks up. We don't hunt off of them and ride them all the way to our stands. We hunt a wilderness area in the ozarks that is over 17,000 acres and we are only allowed to ride on 2 roads but those roads are rough and tough on our trucks. I am not afraid of humping the miles to hunt but am not experienced with elk,both hunting them or the ability to get them out of the woods. I'm just guessing but I think it would be quite a task.

RedRiverHntr

My momma always says Ludicrous is as ludicrous does!!! Justifying my position would be fruitless when consensus is, regrettably, unattainable. Only went the other way in order to counter the effects of the "other" side. Atv's don't kill elk, guns do! (???)

Cache.....go and enjoy! Proper preperation and proper attitude will prevail.
Best single advice I have ever received about elk hunting you probably are already aware of as a deer hunter......
Take notice and play the wind....always!

Especially when trying to slip up behind a herd of elk on your Polaris 600!!! O sure, the "Stealth" exhaust device will quieten you down considerably, but those elk can smell gas fumes for miles. So make sure you ride into them from down wind!!!!

Good luck and report back when you have made your choice/trek/etc.....