Mezera is excited about this area of the state as well. These areas are a good example of pheasant stamp money that is well spent.

"Polk and the surrounding counties really stand out," she said. "They continually produce a lot of pheasants. Counties within the pheasant management zones also will probably be the pheasant hunters' best bet."

WINTER CONDITIONS
While knowing where to go is important, you also have to pay attention to your equipment. Last winter, I went on a winter pheasant hunt at the Eastman Club near Edgerton. We had a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and a bright sun, but temperatures were below freezing. I did a good job of dressing in layers and keeping my hands warm with a few Hot Hands stuck in my gloves, but I didn't plan for everything.

We stepped out into the field and flushed a pheasant almost immediately. I raised my gun and shot right away -- a miss, of course. I tend to miss those first shots until I get my adrenaline under control.

So I prepared for the second bird. Again, I missed the first shot, but was ready for a follow-up shot -- except that my shotgun wouldn't fire. The lubricating oil was nearly frozen. My gun recycled, but at a speed akin to a 7-year-old who has been asked to clean his room. Needless to say, it was nowhere near fast enough to get off a second shot. I knew what the problem was, but I was in denial. I couldn't believe that my laziness was going to cost me a special winter hunt.

Luckily, another member of our hunting party had a Browning Gold Hunter that he let me borrow, and I was able to finish the hunt. I was very lucky. This year I know won't make the same mistake. My shotgun is a regular workhorse, but after months and months of hunting, every firearm needs a little tender loving care. I have since found that they make special lubricants for cold weather, and this year I'll clean my gun and change out the oil in mid-November so that I'm ready for late-season grouse, pheasant and rabbit hunting. Keeping your gear in working order should be a top priority, right behind safety. Then you won't have to wonder if your gun will perform.

CONCLUSION
So when you go out to hunt this winter, remember to focus on good habitat. Even if that habitat didn't have pheasants in October and November, the birds should be there in December. Thick grassland and good cover will act as a magnet as the snow gets deeper. Start on public lands that have been actively managed for grasslands. Then try to get permission to hunt private lands and CRP lands. Both provide winter refuge for birds.

Your mission in December is to find the habitat, and you'll find the birds. With many hunters changing out their hunting gear for ice-fishing rods, you won't have the competition that you did in October either, and after you get those first December roosters, you'll never put your shotgun away in November ever again.

(Editor's note: Listen to "Outdoors with Dan Small and Judy Nugent" on your local radio station or at Lake-Link.com, keyword: radio.)