So November in the southern Minnesota pheasant range is going to provide two hunting scenarios. That first couple of weeks of the month is when most of the pheasant hunters are going to be in the field, and according to Pesek, that's perfect timing because the last two weeks of the month the hunting can get tougher with fewer but smarter birds being the rule.

"A lot of hunters used to go down south and road-hunt when there was a lot of fence cover for the birds," said Pesek. "It was never my style of hunting, but a lot of hunters could get a limit of early birds just driving around and watching for pheasants in the ditches. Not anymore. It's gotten tough to road-hunt because there's no cover on the fences and all the ditches are mowed in the fall. The pheasants want some cover, so they head for the public hunting lands that have been groomed for bird cover, and they find CRP and spots on private land where there is good cover.

"With the early birds, you can whistle more because those pheasants aren't familiar with that sound, and they'll hold," continued Pesek. "But after a couple of weeks of pressure, the pheasants that are left have been educated and they won't give you an easy shot like you had after they concentrated in the cover after the crops went out. You can't make too many mistakes and get birds once those pheasants are conditioned."

What are those mistakes?

"You never want your dogs out first," Kruse said. "The dogs should be the last thing you tend to before hitting the field. The echo of a door is a sure sign to those birds that some dogs are soon to be chasing them. The later in the season you get, the more important it is to look at the little things that you do that will spook birds, but why train those birds in early season? Talking loudly, slamming doors, just making loud noises in general is going to put those birds on high alert. There are too many factors in the bird's favor to add some more to it."

And what about the dogs? Some hunters are always maintaining tight control over their dogs no matter what the seasonal conditions, while other hunters let their dogs control the hunt right from the start.

"Later in the season, you let the dog control the hunt," Kruse said. "Early in the season, you'll have more hunters and more dogs, and then you have to control the hunt. Hunters have to stay in line, know where the posters are and where the dogs are, so you control the dogs and you control the hunt. Late-season hunting might be fewer hunters in the party, and the smart roosters are not going to let you get close to them. Those late-season birds will run until they're out of range, and then flush. So in a situation like that, letting the dog go after a bird, within limits, can be a better situation."