state to hunt?
Also, if you want non-gamey then doe antelope are an easy hunt with great taste.
6.5 Creedmore is sufficient for elk, even bulls. Also nice because rifles and ammo in 6.5 CM are common, but if you’re focusing on elk a bigger (and common) round like 308 or 270 might be better.
The other thing you really need are binoculars. Plan on spending at least $300-$400 for a quality pair. I like Vortex or Leupold, Maven is good too and has some good deals for Black Friday.