Antelope hunted there last year and saw a couple good bucks from the road and out glassing. Not a lot of deer. Look for bitterbrush. PM me and I can try to help out
In my experience there is less pressure in the northern part of 8A as the logging roads around the reservoir can get a little busy. Never had a problem finding deer in the Bovill area. As far as strategy if they are rutting I would find an area with good sign off the road and wait it out...