Brian Dhuey, a DNR research scientist, agreed.

"Most wild birds made it through the winter in pretty good shape," he said. "We had above-average temperatures and below-average snowfall during January, and spring conditions were favorable for survival."

LOOK FOR HABITAT
Knowing that pheasants are in the area doesn't guarantee a successful hunt, because not all lands hold excellent pheasant habitat. You'll need to know what to look for to increase your odds at getting a rooster.

"When hunting pheasants in December, hunt the heavy grass cover," Buenzow said. "Whether on public or private land, this habitat will hold the most birds. Early in the season, pheasants are driven out of this kind of habitat, but as the snow gets deeper and deeper, they migrate back to the best habitat. The deeper the snow the better. The best would be 20 to 24 inches of snow like we had back in 2000. At times, this habitat can be very hard to hunt because of the deep grass. I've used snowshoes and skis, yet even these don't work really well in heavy snow cover. Use felt Pac boots and go slowly."

In December, you should also focus on food sources, preferably food patches in or near heavy grassland cover. Pheasants eat waste grain, corn, soybeans and ragweed seeds. As more and more farmers are forced to plow every acre to make a profit, suitable pheasant habitat has been in decline. If you don't have a wild place to hunt, target field edges, fencerows and weedy corn fields to find the most roosters. The best spot would be tall grasses with a food plot in the center. DNR professionals have managed sections of their lands for just this kind of habitat, and many hunters are starting to reap the benefit of this management. With a good percentage of pheasant stamp money going into continued habitat work, the future is bright for a sustained wild population.

WHERE TO GO Good pheasant habitat exists mainly in the southern and west-central parts of Wisconsin. There are good pockets of wild birds in the southern and east-central areas of our state -- if you know where to look. The northern third of the Badger State is mostly forestland and not suitable to pheasants.

"We did not have the correct conditions for a long enough time period to run flush counts last winter, but there were reports of lots of pheasant sightings over the winter and spring," said Missy Sparrow, private lands wildlife biologist for the DNR. "Crow counts show about the same population as last year." "Good wild release areas are the south side of the Sheboygan Marsh in

Sheboygan County," Sparrow said. "Also try near Belgium and Fredonia townships in Ozaukee County."

Eric Lobner, a DNR biologist, agreed.