I would check on the states with the best prices for out of state tags. You may also want to try a guided hunt if this is your first time. As far as gear goes, I use the same gear here in Oregon to hunt elk that I used to hunt whitetail deer in PA and TX all my life. Good quality weather proof clothing is a must. I also carry a pack with knives, saws and game bags for quartering the big animals up. Where we hunt you are not allowed to use atv's, so we have to pack everything out. A good .270 or larger caliber rifle will do fine for elk. For moose, I would start with one of the .30 calibers. Pick something you are comfortable with and shoot it alot. When I first moved to Oregon I was lost when it came to elk. I didn't know anybody. I tried to hunt myself the first year and had no clue what to do if I got one the big animals. I found some friends that hunted elk their whole lives and they showed me the ropes. Now I have no problem going out alone. Though it is definately easier with more than one person.

If I were going to hunt moose and/or elk, I would use a .270 or larger caliber. I think that a 30.06 would be ideal because it is very versatile. It will adequately harvest any big game animal in North America. Some hunters believe that the .270 will do the same; however, the 30.06 caliber is more versatile as far as bullet selection is concerned. In looking for a place to hunt moose and/or elk, I would research the price of tags if money is a concern. One of the easiest ways to do your research easily, efficiently and quickly is by googling on the internet. My motto is, "google everything". I would like to wish you the best in this endeavor.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has worked hard on a long series of informative articles and videos called elk hunting university that cover in depth most aspects of elk hunting and even as important how to research which tag to draw.

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/ElkHuntingUniversity/EHULessons/Page...

Be aware out of state tags run over five hundred dollars as I remember. Also about one out of five people are successful. They aren't whitetails. It might be worth your while to go out during the summer and scout the area you wish to hunt, and also spend time where the elk are even if it's not where you are going to hunt. You need to learn what they smell like, what they sound like, how they think, what they think, etc.

While you are working on getting a couple elk you can put in for your moose tags because it will be a long long wait. The good part about moose is that even if it takes a lifetime to draw success rates are often around %100. Please don't shoot a moose thinking it'a an elk, that's considered bad form.

I would put in for an elk tag one year then if I don't get one i would put in for the moose it would be an awsome hunting experience.