As a good bout of bad weather will concentrate birds in the best cover available, that's a promising time to be hunting -- especially when you know exactly where that cover's located! Photo by Mark Kayser.

Are you frustrated by the lack of pheasants in your back yard? Do you dream about traveling to some magical pheasant wonderland like those you read about and see on TV outdoors shows?

Quit dreaming. These destinations only have one major advantage over your backyard pheasant parcel: more pheasants. There are dozens of reasons for pheasant densities to drop or even crash. Weather, loss of habitat, hunting pressure, farming practices, predators and other factors can have a negative impact on localized populations, but you don't have to experience a flush of 50 birds or more to enjoy a high-quality pheasant hunt.

In fact, hunting the wonderland spots can even be anticlimactic: Who wants to end a hunt quickly, especially if you've invested years in polishing the demeanor of your pointer or retriever? Have you ever taken a look at the daily limit of most good pheasant states? It's two, maybe three birds a day, and in the flurry of a big flush, you can shoot a limit in seconds with a pump or autoloading shotgun. Through homework and networking, you'll find that even marginal states can produce daily limits with more than enough excitement to replace an extensive -- and possibly expensive -- road trip.

Most of our states sustain huntable populations of pheasants. Proper game management sustains the populations, but the federal Conservation Reserve Program kicked populations into high gear, especially in the 1990s. The program boosts wildlife populations by returning millions of acres of highly erodible land to a native state. That's your first clue to finding pheasants in low-density settings.

Because pheasant densities in these regions may be fewer than 10 pheasants per square mile, contact with state natural resource agencies is necessary. Many states produce pheasant density maps, giving you the first clue to a hunting hotspot. From there, contact with a local conservation officer can narrow your options even further. After that, you'll need to network, and the best place to start is with family and friends. From there, expand your interviews to include contact with farmers, rural mail carriers, utility repairmen and even school bus drivers. These folks live their lives in pheasant country. They know where birds congregate along gravel roads and where birds retreat to roost as the sun sets.

Why do the ringnecks hang out along the gravel roads in pheasant country? Often, the best habitat for them is in the ditches that cannot be farmed. Plus, pheasants require a daily dose of grit that comes in the form of gravel along back roads. Late in the summer, hens and their broods often seek gravel roads in the morning to escape the dew of dense roosting cover and they warm themselves in the rising sun. The folks driving these roads get a firsthand look at these locations during dawn and dusk when pheasants frequent roadsides.

After you pinpoint several potential public or private parcels that appear to hold pheasants you need to formulate a plan for success. Low-density pheasant parcels require a different approach than the mega fields holding dozens of pheasants in the pheasant wonderlands of the nation.

SMALL GROUPS
Your first order of business: Downsize your hunting group. Most of the parcels holding pheasants will be relatively small, some less than 10 acres in size, so you won't be driving pheasants in the way that hunters farther west do; in fact, two or three hunters are more than enough to attack low-density hotspots. A small group can not only sneak in more quietly but also shoot fewer pheasants to fill limits. You simply don't need an army for success on small plots.

Before you step into a low-density parcel, you need to take an analytical view of the cover and surrounding terrain to plan a strategy for success. First, look beyond your target cover and locate the next parcel of habitat that escapees will flee to if they evade your shot pattern.

This is important, even if it is on the neighbor's property. You need to recognize the natural escape route the birds will take and cut them off. Pheasants are strong flyers, but only for short distances. They'll ditch into cover a half mile away instead of trying to fly a mile or more. Plus, if the next available cover is on your side of the fence, you have the makings for another ambush.