Oso said it best. DonV also knows of 52 , very well as he has killed two nice bulls with his bow and a real nice bull with his smoke pole , and he's from OH or IL or IN , BUT non the less he knows the unit better than many locals.
As for 52 having many elk , yep it does, some 6000+ were the counts .Is there big bulls , yep, but what is big to you may not be big to others. You will see a 280-300 inch bull with cows in 52 where as in the Gila its not likely to see many cows with this size bull once the rut really picks up. My experiance with a huge majority of hunters is they do not know the difference between a 280inch bull vs. a 330. I've been with guys who see a 280-290 inch bull and think they are looking at a 320 bull.Now there are alot of rag horn bulls killed in this unit , but again , its because there is alot of rag horn bulls.There are still bigger 320 -340 bulls killed every year , but many are not heard of or posted on sites.Unit 52 is a great elk unit , it has all sorts of country , from sage brush bowls and flats , to oak brush filled hills to aspen meadows. Its got elk country of many flavors and enough elk to fill it all. If a guy is concerned about Boone & Crocket scores , than this probably isn't the unit that best fits that bill. But if a person is looking for an elk unit with very good oppertunity to hunt beautiful country , see lots of elk , some deer ,antelope and ,maybe a bear or 2 , and even drop a line up in Hopewell , than 52 is just that.Bow hunters paradise , just leave the inches out and hunt and enjoy....Bar far , my favorite unit.....Larry