Timberline:
I have never hunted without a dog. I have hunted a lot of times where the dog was 30 yards to my left and a pheasant flushed 10 yards to my right. Was it because of the dog casting back and forth that made the bird flush? Maybe, maybe not. I've had good luck just wandering large patches of CRP following the dog, trying to stick to areas that looked 'different' than the rest of the field. You can put birds up by yourself I'm sure, just how many is a question.
The WIHA's are going to be packed. We typically get to hunt private ground, but opening weekend this year is off for us, so we'll be part of the crowd on the WIHA's, will hit the private ground later in the year. If you get there at 5am you might be able to claim a field to yourself, but after the first couple of hours most of the fields will have had hunters in them. I've also heard of single guys with a dog going into a half section of CRP that an army has just walked. The single guy goes slow, follows the dog, and comes out with birds.
You might also just get lucky and find a group that invites you to join them.
Good Luck.
