it can be done without a dog... i did it for years before i finally got a dog about 4 years ago. If youre going by yourself, theres something things to keep in mind. Zigzag as others said... thats the best way to cover the most ground. Try to keep the wind in your favor, as a downwind may carry your sound and scent and make them fly early. Traveling against the wind they seem to sit much much tighter... thats just my experience anyways. If its the first week or two of the season, the birds will be sitting tight and not run usually... especially if its thick cover. Because of this, stop every forty or fifty yards or so and just stand there. This tends to make birds sitting tight nervous and usually they'll flush given enough time. If youre hunting birds that are running, try either finding really thick cover where the will be forced to sit tight, or else use blockers drivers, but keep it quiet. Yelling and shouting to other buddies doesnt help. Hope this helps.