Yes, sled has had reverse creep if there is such a thing.
I've been there 7 of the last 9 years, but I filed for divorce after the 2023 season. I loved that unit, my first year it was Jurassic park. I left early the 1st weekend because I didn't want to shoot one and screw up my later vacation. Each year has gotten a little bit worse but was always doable.
In 2023 I should have killed 2 bulls but I've evidently forgotten how to kill them. Very few herds, both bigger ones were on pvt. Very little bugling, I suspect because of the lack of established herds. We covered miles and would get a bugle but usually a single and he'd bugle once or twice. We looked at each other multiple times in late September and ask wtf is going on..
The other odd thing, that I had not seen till this year.... Have you ever moved in on a bugling bull, gotten to about 50-70 yards, and had 4 different hunters pop out of the brush as you moved around? Nobody made a sound, and nobody knew the others were there. It happened twice, the second time, it was 5 hunters within 100 yards of the bull.
I talked to a guy who's party has hunted the last cp years and that's their MO, move in on a bugling bull and deal with all the others doing the same thing. Not my style and not something I'm going to do.
This year, people left the big TMA and moved to the forest because the TMA was so bad.
I drew AZ unit 1 in 2013, my first year in Sled was better.