Over the long haul, wild pheasant populations in the Rocky Mountain states rise and fall depending upon quality habitat -- or the lack thereof. Given healthy habitat and lots of it, pheasant populations rebound quickly on the heels of all but the worst disasters.

To be sure, prime pheasant habitat exists on some public lands -- national wildlife refuges, wildlife management areas, waterfowl production areas and more -- across the Intermountain West. But the bulk of the best pheasant habitat is found on private lands.

Access then, is your key to enjoying consistent hunting success. In other words, no matter how many roosters there are anywhere this fall, you need to get at them to score.

Beyond owning your own spread, there are several ways in the "New West" to gain access to hunting pheasants on private land:

Pay (Not an option for me, but you may feel differently);

Knock on ranch doors and beg permission; or

Strike up a relationship with a landowner.

In 2006, ferreting out and nurturing relationships with those landowners who do allow pheasant hunting may be the most important item a hunter can bring to the table.

To protect valuable resources, hunters need to show landowners courtesy, appreciation and above all, respect. In particular, you should:

Obtain written permission as required. Not only is it the law, but one trespass violation is often all it takes to lock gates down for everyone, and for good.

Close all gates. Ranchers have enough problems with loose livestock.

Stay on established roads and off wet ones, if driving onto the property is allowed.

Pick up your empties. Pack out not only what you pack in, but also what others have left behind.

Watch your line of fire. No pheasant is worth a wounded farm animal, family pet -- or, heaven forbid, a human being. Property owners also don't appreciate shot-sprayed buildings or farm implements.

Dress appropriately. Commando garb has no place in the pheasant fields.

Go out of your way to thank your host. Hunting private lands is a privilege, not a right. Make sure the landowner knows how much you appreciate that privilege. Bearing gifts is perhaps the surest way to gain a return invitation.

But when even your best attempts to access private property for pheasant hunting go awry, there's another way to get with the bird-hunting programs found in the Rocky Mountain states.

A host of wonderfully successful -- and free -- programs for accessing private hunting lands are found in three of the region's leading pheasant-hunting states: Montana's Block Management (with 8.5 million acres), Idaho's Access Yes! (with 1.2 million acres) and Colorado's Walk-In Access (160,000 acres).

Last season, in fact, I used Montana's Block Management program where we hunted about 25 prime private rooster spots and spent not one dime for access. We simply parked the truck, signed in, loosed the dogs and raised our guns. A real bargain, as I'm sure you'll agree.

But finding a place to hunt pheasants in the Intermountain West is just the beginning of the tasks associated with pheasant hunting.

Your next step is to develop a hunt strategy -- a plan of attack, if you will. Careful planning equates to enjoyable hunts, not only on opening weekend, but even on the last day of season, as well. In other words, know your quarry.

For starters, wily cockbirds still kicking on the last day of the season are far different critters than the foolish, often young-of-the-year cocks that make for such easy gunning on the morning of opening day.