In the very northern 1/3 of the unit, near Valle, there are no elk, at least not in the daytime. When you get there, you will see why. It's flatter than a truckers ass, with ankle high grass. Antelope country.
Just south of there, where the flat prairie starts to rise and the cedars start to get thick, the elk hunting starts.
IMO, the cedar country bulls get a little less pressure, but you will have a hard time finding anyplace without a road in the entire unit. It's not a backpackers or wilderness hunt, but there are a buttload of elk. When they are really bugling, your head will be spinning trying to figure out which one sounds like the biggest. When they are not, it's best to get up high and hunt them like deer, with optics and spot and stalk or in a blind at water or a trail from feed to bed.
They give alot of bull rifle tags in the unit, but it's a meat hunt. Most all of the rifle tag holders tag small, immature bulls that are running with the big herds in winter. The big ones are loners that hold up in nasty P/J thickets and steep north slopes. There are no canyons to speak of, but there are a few big hills and numerous smaller cones. You don't have to be a marathoner to hunt this unit.
The rifle hunt is 80% road hunters, another 10% never get more than 1/4 mile from the truck, and 10% (mostly local) have their bull picked out and kill him opening morning. That leaves the smart ones to grow old.
The big ones in 7W are taken during the archery season. There can be bugle shy, so sharpen up your cow calling and call sparingly.
EVERY water tank has a road leading to it. How do you think they got the dozer in there to dig it? It's cattle country, with ranch roads, powerline roads, gas line roads, two tracks, paved roads, gravel roads, etc, etc, etc. There is some posted land, but very little.
All of AZ for that matter, except for a few rugged spots and the wilderness areas, is roaded.
I'm sure someone else can chime in, but that is my experience with the unit.
