These units are good examples of units that need to be scouted in order to consistently do well. They take dedication. Pound ground there during the summer finding hangouts (where elk will go when pressured) and you could do well. Elk that are very visible in these units during the summer, however, tend to shut up and hole up come the first few days of the season. Plenty of elk there, they are just very difficult to hunt, especially if you just show up on opening day. Some hunters get lucky. Hell, even a blind squirrel picks up a nut every now and then, but not consistently.
If you live close by and have the time to devote to these areas, begin now making yourself into a machine. Get out some maps and narrow down areas to those areas that are roadless and take some doing to get into, and which also scream elk country. Eat, sleep, and breath shooting your bow and scouting. Take your bow with you scouting during the summer and shoot stumps with blunts to practice form in a natural setting and range estimation (how many guys get to use their range finder in a bowhunting situation?). Find wallows and rubs and other signs of rutting behavior. These areas may be in heavily timbered areas near springs/seeps that area benchy, cool, and moist. Learn what the wind does in these areas. Go to these areas as often as you can. Don't let a day go by that you don't think about shooting an elk in one of holes you found scouting. Practice calling in the woods, in the house, in the car, etc, etc, etc . . .
If this sounds like your cup of tea, your success there will be much higher than the DOW stats suggest.