Ultimate upland bird?

I love hunting pheasants. Wild pheasants in field edge cover. They aren' t the toughest to bag, but when a big rooster comes cackling up from patch of thick stuff .. that is just awesome.

I haven' t done it in years but ranging sagebrush covered hill sides in WA for chukars always got me going.

Here in the Northeast it would have to be Ruffed Grouse. They make you work pretty hard for it.