Plan on doing an OR elk hunt myself this fall--my first, possibly my last, but danged if I'm not going to give it my all. There are places other than CO to hunt, where the elevations aren't so bad and it's easier to get a tag. I can't afford it, but I've always managed to pay my bills one way or another. I went on a moose hunt I couldn't afford several years ago. I don't miss the money, and the memories are with me from now on.
The way I see it, if I live to be an old man, I don't want to drive folks nuts talking about what I wished I'd done--I want to drive them nuts talking about what I DID do!
Chad