We hunted north of that - in Zone 49 - for several decades - the area that you are drawn for - expect some parts like open farm land - sections of it - then other areas miles and miles of tall bush, swamp, muskeg. As above - you are looking at hundreds, if not thousands of square miles - not going to drive up from Moose Jaw and shoot an elk - although you likely will, because it happens. Our experience is that an elk herd will cross a river in early morning dark - can hear them splashing - then on foot, we followed tracks into mid-day in light snow through swamp, bush, meadows - still no sign of beds or slowing - the buggers must easy do 15 miles between where they feed at night and bed down during the day - at least in the heavier bush that we were in - south of Hudson Bay town. And, as mentioned by my mentors more than once up there, and proven by a "deer hunter" from the South - if you have a crack at a suitable elk - keep firing until there are four legs pointing horizontal - even with a fatal single shot, most of us can lose an elk in that bush - is not like deer hunting at all!!!
I got my first elk - a cow - on that September open season - with 165 grain 308 Win. Several hours tracking to find it. Was actually hit too far back - through rear of lung and the liver - needed a finishing shot. My next two - one was a bull (either ### season) and one was a cow - with 225 grain 338 Win Mag - deader than door nail where they dropped - turned out to be much closer shots than the first one - so I would suggest be armed and ready for 50 feet to as far as you would shoot to kill such an animal.
As well - at least have a plan for the meat if you do get one? My first cow was about 325 pounds - hanging at abattoir - skinned, gutted and no head. My Dad got a good bull that weighed over 600 pounds in same configuration - so is not big like big moose is, but is most definitely more than the good white tail and mule deers that we have taken. If you travel for hundreds of miles to hunting spot, and are not using an outfitter who has that sorted out - put some thought into "what if I get one?" - field dressing, cooling, hanging, skinning, butchering, etc.
For that matter, if doing the hunt on your own, put some thought into how would you recover it from where it fell? - might be one or 10 miles through swamp, etc. - that is even considering that you can find it again after walking out to get assistance, in a strange-to-you area. I did not for the first one - but had blazed a trail through bush from dead critter to a trail - then out to our camp area, where a guy was gracious enough to go back in and drag the thing out with his quad - we were just NOT prepared for success!!! (after years of nothing!!) At least for the second one, we had already made arrangements with a guy up there to skid anything out, that we might get. Our last trips up there were with our own quad, which we had to enlist help (a second quad with a winch tied to mine) - to yard that big fellow that my Dad got, out of a river - up a 6 foot vertical bank, and then onto a grassy trail that led back to where we could get the pickup truck - then to get that big SOB into the truck box from laying on the ground.
