But the vast majority of hunting is during those first two days. Hunting is usually in large groups, with a line of hunters and dogs working through grain fields or along brushy fence lines, flushing some pheasants and pushing others toward a line of blocking hunters at the end of the field. Pheasants will often run ahead instead of flushing, until they see the blockers. The end of a drive, when dozens of cackling long-tailed roosters may flush at once, is one of the most exciting moments in hunting. The birds love grain fields adjacent to brushy cover and watering spots like ponds or irrigation pivots.
Pheasants are dependent on moisture, especially during the nesting season.
That's why irrigated country will usually have more birds. Deaf Smith, Hansford and Ochiltree counties traditionally have the highest populations of pheasants in the state. Here pheasant densities exceed the long-term average for the Panhandle. However, in a wet year, pheasant numbers can increase in counties with marginal pheasant habitat. In 1999, counties with significant population increases, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife surveys, included Deaf Smith, Randall, Bailey, Hale, Gray and Floyd.