Donald, there really are no hard and fast rules as far as where you will find them. An area I used to hunt held a good many elk at 7500 to 8000, even though there was a lot of high country surrounding. The key was that it was a quiet area that did not attract summer recreationists. The higher country had trails and easy access. Neither did it draw hunters since it is not "elk country".
This is just my opinion, but I think a lot of elk hunters, especially new hunters are conditioned to rely on their ears. Just because they are not sounding off, does not mean they aren't there. Try calling cold with a cow in heat sound. Expect them to come sneaking in silently.