The pheasants are somewhat isolated by nearby pasturelands, said Priebe, but the birds are there, along with the deer, quail and turkeys.

Rolling Thunder is accessible from Union Street and 80th Avenue. The 200 acres on the west side of 80th Avenue are still in a completely natural state, having not been plowed since the land was purchased and set aside by the board.

"January hunting means the birds are going to be skittish," said Buchberger. "Birds are bunched up this time of the year. You might not see but three or four during the morning, and after lunch come onto about 30 birds in one spot. A team effort works really well this time of year. The hunter with the dog will want to walk a strip of cover while the shooter stands about three-quarters of the way down. The dog will push the birds, and they'll run right towards the stationary hunter. He can get some good shots this way, but safety is always the first consideration."

Buchberger recommends looking for a spot off the beaten path later in the season, and this area certainly qualifies. Don't be afraid to walk clear to the back border to hunt the edge of the property. You don't want to be hunting right off the parking area, because the birds won't be that close to the noise.

For additional information contact the Warren County Conservation Board at (515) 961-6169 or the Red Rock WMA at (515) 961-0716.

NEAL SMITH NWR
That famous line from Field of Dreams -- "If you build it, they will come" -- certainly holds true at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of acres of wildflowers and native prairie grasses including switchgrass, big and little bluestem and Indian grasses have been cultivated. As a matter of fact, most of the refuge consists of excellent pheasant habitat and holds large numbers of birds. Nearly all of it is open to public hunting.

A good bird dog is almost a necessity in the 8- to 10-foot-high grass, though much of it can be lying on the ground if the weather has been severe or the snow heavy.

The word "refuge" tends to scare hunters off, but apprehensiveness is uncalled-for. Bird hunters with a dog or in a group can shoot several birds a day when conditions are right.

Pheasants keep to a routine, just as the rest of us do. In the morning hunters may find them along roads or other areas where the birds can pick up some gravel. By midmorning the birds are in the heaviest cover they can find. It's in thick grass, ditches, marshes and other impenetrable stuff that birds will rest or hide until late afternoon. And it's when the birds are moving from one type of cover or food source to another that they're the most vulnerable.