Hunting success also depends on hunting pressure. While more public hunting areas are added to Minnesota's landscape, less CRP on private property is sure to push some hunters who relied on this cover into wildlife management areas where pheasants concentrate. This is likely to push the birds into marginal cover that is not being pressured but may not be accessible if it's on private property. Hunters whose programs consist of public-hunting land may find fewer birds after the first couple of weeks of the season.

Some of my favorite pheasant hunting happens on waterfowl production areas, those big ponds surrounded by a buffer of cattails that can hold a few roosters also. I have noticed, however, more pressure on these areas too.

I have a habit of picking up empty shell casings as I make my way around a wetland or through a slough, and the past few years have provided about three times the usual. I will say that too many hunters are using cheap loads for pheasants. It's amazing to me how many low-brass target loads I pick up compared with the high-brass hunting loads. There are also way too many hunters using small shot because they can buy a box of target loads in a seven or eight shot much cheaper than a four-shot magnum load. But then if these hunters are missing birds because they can't get ahead of them, that just means more for me.

I will add that even with the heavier hunting pressure, I've noticed hunting has been nothing short of phenomenal the past few years. I didn't attend a hunt in 2006 or 2007 where every hunter couldn't have claimed their two-bird limit if they had been able to hit their target.

It is likely that hunters will initially sense that this year's hunting compares with the previous few years. With the great carryover from winter, there will be a decent hatch and these birds will migrate to the available cover when the crops come out. Since there is less cover than what is left will concentrate the available birds. Hunters that have access to private property may have less cover options because their grass from previous years is now cropland, but whatever cover is left will be holding birds.

Those that utilize public land may discover birds looking for prime habitat in the thick grasslands of the WMAs, and while they may get kicked out by hunters into nearby plowed fields, they'll make their way back in short order. When it's all they have, it's what they'll use.

A pattern has existed the past few years. The first few weeks hunters took to the fields, they were disappointed not to see more birds. Standing crops provided cover and those pheasants could stay ahead of the dogs. Then the crops came out and the hunters still in the game enjoyed some great hunting.

The late-season hunters really fared well the past few years, as the quality cover provided by the wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas held birds all winter long.

All indicators point to another season similar to the past few, but there may be a noticeable slight decline beginning. Enjoy it while you can because, according to Haroldson, "If the decline in habitat continues like it is, the numbers of pheasants could drop noticeably in future years. So, over the next few years unless something changes with the CRP, you can expect that a lot of habitat disappears and that means fewer birds in the long run."