LAST EDITED ON Jan-24-08 AT 02:18PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-24-08 AT 02:15?PM (MST)
Obviously, your first choice might be CO since they have over-the-counter tags and the largest herd. If you can afford it, it would really steepen your learning curve to hire a guide your first trip. You could learn the area and hunt DIY later if on public land. In CO, put in for LE tags, and if you don't draw, hunt OTC.
I guess the most important question is "How much are you willing to spend?" You could either hunt private w/ or w/out a guide, or public land w/ a guide. Accomodations is another big question. Do you own a good enough tent, cabin, motel, ranch? It takes alot of equipment to camp and DIY, unless you really like to "rough-it." We camp on NF, but we have the truck, horse trailer, nice tent, generator, propane heaters, and lots of water. I don't know if I could "primative" it for 5 days?