RE: hot spots for pheasants
Mark, find a dog. You may be walking right by the birds and not know it. I'll be hunting south of you in Montana late this week and part of next, probably 90 miles south of Regina. Corporate wheat and CRP. The wheat has been cut in some places and not in others.
I don't know much about Saskatoon or the areas around it but if it is wheat and CRP you can hunt similarly. Find spotsof wheat that have been cut that have a waterway in them. Hunt the waterway bottom to top or visaversa dependingon the wind. If you don't have dogs you might need to make a lot of noise to scare the birds into flushing. More times than not at the end of the waterway you'll get some birds up so walk the whole piece. Don't start in the middle or finish without walking all the way to the end of cover.
Cattails will usually hold birds as well. I also like terraces. Zig zag them and when you get to the top make sure you cover the whole crest, you may find huns. North East Montana is spotty this year but the fellow I'm meeting has had some good days. Check Montana Fish wildlife and parks website section 6. They have distribution counts and an Atlas of public lands. Out of staters pay $132 to license up, worth every penny. I have to travel every year for Pheasant. Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Let me know what you find in Saskatoon and you might see me there next year. If I come you won't need a dog. There will be between 8 and 16 shorthairs to choose from. Good LUck.
PS I travel fom Kentucky, I know you are closer to the birds than me so get out and find em!