+1 31incher...my brothers and I have a 'blood oath' to not ever disclose our general archery elk hunting area. Just too darn hard to start over finding and developing a good, hardly used area. Not going to even mention what part of the state it is in on a public forum.
But I agree with above posters, you gotta get out and cover some ground in the backcountry. Don't expect to have easy access to elk in general areas. Get at least a few miles from roads and get away from trails and get into 'elky' areas (good feed/water, etc). Then make sure you have a good strategy for how you are going to get the meat (and maybe horns) out without wasting it. Not so easy. And you better be in shape and/or have access to horses or lots of good friends nearby.
Also, look for elk sign. You don't have to see the elk to know if it is a good area. So you could effectively accomplish this before next season if you have time to do some hiking.
After all that, if you find a good area, you have earned the right to keep it to yourself and not share it on the internet. Good luck!
P.S.
When some guys discover your great area and bring all their friends and relatives in and ruin it, guess what? You get to start all over again. FUN!!!!
