yes the pressure is ridiculous in that area.  there and hudson bay are why the can res draw system was created.  in both places, there is one road into the forest and every vehicle has to use that one so it appears that there are zillions of hunters.  the bottleneck of traffic magnifies the situation making it appear worse than it is, but yes there are tons of hunters there.  from alberta, meadow lake is basically the first real town you get to, and on the east, same for hudson bay coming from manitoba.  that said, the area does produce some giants every year, but if early season is what you are after, i would head more toward the central part of the province.  good luck whatever you decide.