I grew up in prescott, about 60miles or so south of unit 8 and have been hunting that area since the 50's. I also have a bull elk tag starting the day after thanksgiving in that same area. The next week, the first week in december is my ex son in laws cow elk tag, same area. I have hunted that area during the day at that time of the year literally in a t shirt, and in 2000 killed an elk in there where with the snow, wind chill factor, i bet it was 20 below zero. I will be hunting just accross the freeway from there in 7 thursday for elk and the night temps are in the 30's. You can get ANY kind of weather, and when it is wet the liche mud as i call it is "special." Eight runs from the top of bill williams mountain, which is high up, to lower altitudes. I think most congregrate on the FR 108 which is the bill williams loop road around the mountain. There has been continuous human activity in the area since september. Camped up there a few weeks ago it looked like a freeway on fr108 with all the vehicles.
The animals have a habit of concregating where the people are not, at least as to the bigger bulls. And, there ARE some really big bulls in that unit. On the other hand, a few weeks ago a friend shot a cow about five minutes from camp and right off of FR108. The elk was at the processor by ten a.m. I have some definite areas of the unit in mind for my bull elk, ask me after the last week in november and i would share, but not right now. As to the ground, varies from very thick overgrown ponderosa pine up on the mountain, to the south you run into juniper. In some ways pray for snow and cold. It tends to drive them down into the meadows and flats. There was a fire just a couple of weeks ago just to the west and south of the freeway on the edge of williams.
In 2000 i had a herd of elk literally run over me to get away from other hunters. Scored about 7am opening day. Son in law did the same thing next day. And some years can't seem to find the darn things. I have also seen herds of 40or so animals at a time. There use to be an old bull up there that was pretty smart. He wouldn't panic, and his cows would surround him, and they would literally walk to a private ranch where no hunting was allowed. Never figured out how he convinced the girls to cover his bacon that way.
