I was introduced to this concept on a hunt several years back. It was late in the season, and the pheasants were tense. My friend outlined his strategy far from the pheasant cover, using diagrams sketched on the ground. As our group of five departed, I immediately realized that we were hunting with the wind at our back. I assumed that my buddy was in a hurry and had overlooked that particular factor, but I would later learn it was Stage 1 of a progressive hunt.

After two blockers slipped silently into position at the end of the field, the remainder commenced to push the row crops, with a walker on each side providing a wing to keep birds from slipping out the side. Retrievers pushed the pheasants from the cover measuring less than 100 yards in length and a couple of roosters fell to this ambush. Several more escaped, wildly flushing from the sides, only to disappear over a hillside.

After regrouping, my friend explained our next move. Since the birds were in poor cover, we needed to surround it -- and quietly, or we'd risk bumping the pheasants before we arrived. Fifteen minutes later, our small group used commando finesse to encircle the cover, and, on cue, the retrievers went to work. Our group soon enjoyed the flushing activity and the spoils of a successful hunt by sidestepping the hotspots.

You don't really need a large group to surround the small cover found in most fringe zones. Two or three hunters can find success, but it takes an analytical review of the cover and surrounding terrain to be smug at the end of the day.

First, look beyond your target cover and locate the next parcel of habitat that escapees will flee to if they escape your shot pattern. This is important, even if it's on the neighbor's property. You need to recognize the natural escape routes the birds will take and cut them off.

Pheasants are strong flyers, but only for short distances. They'll ditch into cover a half-mile away instead of trying to fly across a section. Plus, if the next available cover is on your side of the fence, you have the makings of another ambush.

Second, scout the perimeter of the cover. Does it provide any natural blocking features that can prevent pheasants from escaping without flushing? A deep gorge, harvested crops, a lake or even a road can stop pheasants cold. When you get to the end of such a setup, slow down and let your dog and the nervous nature of the pheasants work in your favor. If you stop in the last 10 yards or so of cover, the pheasants should naturally flush from self-inflicted tension.

If you find yourself alone, you can still push a few birds during a sidestep hunt, but you have to use tactics that make you appear more than a one-man band. A strip-cover tactic I learned during solo hunts as a teen requires one hunter and, if one is available, a dog. Pheasants often seek these strips of cover, but easily escape by running full speed ahead.