2-3 miles and 1600 miles UP to the truck? You (and hopefully your buddy(s)) better be a tough SOB if you're going to pack elk. Not saying it can't be done, but eat your wheaties (literally - keep lots of high carb/protein food in your truck and eat lots between meat trips), and be ready to lose some serious weight.
If you were local, though, I'd be bugging the hell out of you to join you! If you make it hard, you'll lose ALL of the duffers. I cannot imagine how much untapped hunting there is in Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, NM, Idaho, and Utah for someone willing to do what you're talking about. This from a Washington guy who has seen precisely zero people from other hunting parties in the last three seasons. I don't know for sure, but I bet general season mule deer hunter density in WA is pretty damn high compared to elsewhere in the rockies.
Nothing really special to add on the equipment. You can simplify your life maybe by not cooking. Or, go in-between and just bring a canteen cup. Use a campfire at night to cook Lipton Noodles or something similar. Hot food is great. What's really nice is to brown some hamburger, spread on a cookie sheet, dry in the oven at fairly low temperature, and bring some hamburger helper. I don't give a rat's ass about packing in food - I'm going to eat it, and whatever I pack out is going to weigh far more than having good food. It's the gear weight that kills you. No need to freeze dry - bring dense, lightly packaged, efficient food. Tuna in foil bags, jerky, last year's deer sausage, heavy bagels, cream cheese, ry krisp, good nutty gorp, peanut butter, dried fruit, etc. all jump to mind. Don't short-change yourself on food, but only bring what you will eat. No need to suffer.
Buy a good lightweight tarp (check out Campmor) and sleep under that - if you're smart about setup location (thick timber), you'll be in fat city, for way less than what a tent weighs.
Distance is not the killer on backpack hunts, within reason. Elevation drop will rip up your feet and beat on your knees. Last year's deer came out 9 miles and 5000+ vertical feet. I'll be thinking hard about doing that again...and I had help! 9 miles and 2000 feet would be pretty reasonable.
I'm trying to think of a mathematical formula of what would be a reasonable backpack deer hunt, weighing distance against elevation. Let's consider only the distance to your camp.
First thought: keep the product of trips back x horizontal walked distance x elevation x elevation under 100k. Let's try it, assuming two trips:
Short and high: 3 miles off the road, 4000' up to camp: 2x3x4x4 = 96k - seemingly reasonable (but strenuous) hunt.
Medium: 5 miles, 3000' up: 2x5x3x3 = 90k - seems okay
Long: 8 miles, 2500' up to camp: 2x8x2.5x2.5 = 100k - don't hunt too far from camp!
Adjust formula as needed for number of trips.
Any other thoughts?