Free: Contests & Raffles.
If you're just looking for the experience, got the last week of sept first week oct in muzzy season. They will be most vocal at that time. Drive around before light and after dark to locate areas where they are staged up. Then go in and try your hand at the whole thing. It's quite a bit of fun
If you are not calling in season, some WDFW officers could cite you for harassing the elk.
I'm with Vandeman. I'd be too concerned about screwing something up for a hunter who is actually hunting. Especially in a premier unit that a guy has waited 10-15-20 years to draw a tag for. The last thing that guy needs is a non-hunter in there blasting away on a bugle tube teaching the elk what a person sounds like. Go and sit and listen and enjoy the sounds, but leave the calls at home.
Though nothing illegal about it, I personally would not go into a unit open to hunting and try to call elk. Elk can become educated and call wary to human calls. Guys wait years for the CHANCE to draw some of these tags so last thing I would want to do is to be in there possibly negatively effecting their chances. Not saying you can't go in and just listen/enjoy the sounds of fall but I would shy away from calling myself. Again, this is just my own personal opinion and to each their own.
Yeah probably should just ask everyone to stay home if there is a special permit hunt going on.