THE 'THREE S' RULE
Educated birds require a fundamentally different approach and mindset than those so often displayed by the over-energized opening-day gang. When the going gets tough, it's time to adopt the Three S Rule: shut up, slow down and scour the cover.

The shutting-up part should be self-evident, but rarely is when the hunting party numbers more than two. When the mere sound of a closing car door causes pheasants to start flushing in the next county, you should get the hint that it's time to be quiet. I'm not suggesting that you have to stalk birds as you would stalk big game, but minimizing unnecessary noise can be a huge help.

Slowing down is vital in hunting super-wary birds. You make less noise that way, and you're less likely to pull a crazy legs act and blaze past tight-holding birds -- or drive running birds out of gun range. In fact, by working slowly and pausing frequently in a stop-and-go pattern, you can often unnerve birds into flushing that would otherwise have held tight.

Work slowly and thoroughly, scouring every bit of cover that might hold birds. Examples include islands of weeds or brush left standing in crop fields, hedgerows, roadside ditches and thick cover along banks and shorelines of ponds or streams.

Of course, knowing where to look for birds is vital. The best hunting is usually in areas where feed and cover are plentiful. It also helps to remember daily movement patterns. Early in the day, birds are in or near roosting cover. By mid-morning, they move to feed, preferably on such crops as soybeans, milo and corn. They move into nearby loafing cover in the early afternoon, and return to roosting sites at the approach of sunset.

HANDLING WILD FLUSHERS
Wild-flushing birds present a special challenge. Working slowly and quietly may help you get within range before they flush, as will approaching with the sun at your back, making you harder to see. If that circumstance coincides with having the wind in your face, take advantage of it -- not because you are defeating the birds' rather shabby noses but because hunting into the wind can help dogs detect birds before the birds detect you.

If you still can't close within gun range of birds before they flush, consider splitting your hunting party and approaching from opposite directions. Of course, make certain everyone understands their proper zones of fire and the absolute need to refrain from shooting at low-flying birds.

When working solo, watch flushing birds closely and mark where they land. Some will immediately run for the state border, but others will head for the nearest cover to rest, especially after a long flight.

When all else fails, there's still one secret weapon at your disposal. It's called Hevi-Shot, and it's manufactured by Remington. One of the newest forms of non-toxic shot, Hevi-Shot is 10 percent denser than lead, and individual pellets are somewhat pear-shaped, rather than round. As a result, the stuff patterns wonderfully, hits harder, and reaches out farther than traditional lead shot. It's definitely the way to go when hunting pheasants in areas where the use of non-toxic shot is mandatory.

RUNNING DOWN RUNNERS
The best way to deal with running birds is to make them run out of options.

In the big crop fields of the Midwest, that's often done by the use of large drives employing small armies of hunters marching abreast through the fields. Blockers are stationed at the ends of the fields, and flankers are employed to keep birds from slipping out the sides of the field ahead of the drivers. Executed properly, the strategy forces running birds to flush when they near the blockers. Blockers often enjoy the bulk of the shooting, so hunters rotate positions on subsequent drives. A key to success is having enough hunters advancing on line to keep birds from curling back through the drivers.