Dart368, there are LOTS of other things you will need to consider before tackling this adventure. Standing over a dead elk is no time to wonder what you need to complete the task.
Lots of essential items, knives, something to sharpen them with (or a havalon with a real knife for backup) it's also no place to learn your one knife will dull before you are done.
Headlamps are huge dealing with downed game at night. It only took one time processing a bull by myself in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth to realize how important it is to forget a headlamp.
Especially elk hunting, stay aware of how far you are from your rig or camp, it is hot often times during elk season, you need to hunt within your means, by that I mean killing it, processing and packing, getting the meat cooled in a timely fashion before it spoils.
It takes a lot of work to get an elk out of the woods, especially solo when it's 80 degrees. I have packed quite a few bulls out by myself, and even a mile from the rig, depending on terrain, it can take all day and then some.
I'm not trying to scare you away from it, quite the opposite, I just want to make sure you are prepared. I had no hunters in my family, or mentors, and I have always pretty much hunted solo.
It's far from impossible, and gets easier every time, but there is a learning curve, and it can all be figured out on the fly, as long as you keep it realistic.
It's all easy stuff, it's a straight up caveman activity, don't over think it, but try to gather as much basic knowledge as possible, the rest comes with days spent in the woods.
Hunting has to be the coolest form of recreation a person can participate in, you never quit learning, it never gets so easy it's boring, we can always challenge ourselves, and there is no better way.
