How far west did you have to go ?
Did you drive ?
Did you butcher and bring the meat home in coolers ?
Recommendations ? Private/public.

If you have tried this, I would appreciate a few comments
about your experience. Thanks

Colorado lots of either sex units over the counter. Especially if your planning on a archery hunt, gun hunts offer less over the counter options if any at all. You can diy on public or do the semi guided or fully guided. We're doing semi guided drop camp elk, bear and mule deer if we get drawn for the deer tag.
Best advice pick a state study it find what u it's are of interest and then look at what tags are available and are they over the counter or draw. If you ain't got any anywhere now would be a good time to start putting in for draws or getting preference points.

As for meat care it takes 2-120 qt coolers to hold a boned out elk. We buy dry ice in town when we come out of the mountains and put some card board over it and then put the meat in and top it off with ice it makes the ride home fine. Boning out a elk is a pretty good job. And packing it out is a job especially without any help. A couple GOOD buddies make that job easier. Good boots and a good meat hauling pack are a must.
If you end up going diy on public biggest advice I can give you is be ready to walk and get away from the pressure. Of you ain't never been you can shop around and find a good semi or guided trip that won't break the bank and learn and then go back on your own

And we drive back and fourth usually 2 or 3 of us in the truck and we swap and drive straight through we rent a uhaul trailer to put our coolers and gear in

We drive to NW Colorado every fall. Plenty of public land. Everyone needs a pack frame to get them out of the field. If it’s a difficult pack , we debone them where they lay. If not we debone when we get them back to camp and hang the quarters up . I find it easier to debone them hanging. You can’t transport the meat home until it’s completely deboned. I would not pay what the local processors charge out there.

Or a pack designed to haul your gear and act as a meat hauler.

you better be young, strong, and in good shape if you plan to backpack an elk out of the mountains...and have a couple of strong, dumb friends. Better way is to plan ahead and have a packer bring horses and pack yer elk off the mountain.