I don't know if 44 is the same way... But in 43 (and many other zones) there are both "migratory" and "resident" elk herds. The migratory herds you have to catch heading from high to low ground with timing based on the weather. The resident herds make regular rotations from ranch land up into dark timber and back down, across 2-3 day periods. Elk can deal with a LOT more snow than deer. As long as you can walk through it, they can to - and will, to escape hunter pressure. (Even private ranches have pressure.) A good bet is always to find timber pockets, draws, and gullies with cover, and "work them."