The Hungarian partridge, also referred to as a “Hun” or “gray partridge,” is a popular game bird species found in grassland and agricultural habitats in both the northern United States and southern Canada. A member of the pheasant family, Perdix perdix is a thrilling game bird that many gun dog owners love to pursue.

What some don’t realize is that the Hungarian partridge is a non-native species imported into the United States and Canada, primarily from Hungary and Czechoslovakia, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. While not as popular as another import, the ring-necked pheasant, Huns still have plenty of followers who love hunting them over both pointing and flushing dogs.

Hungarian Partridge Range

A grassland bird, the Hungarian partridge’s range in the United States reaches as far east as Wisconsin, and westward all the way over to the western portions of Oregon and Washington. The birds are found as far south as southern Nebraska, northern Missouri, and the central portions of Nevada. States that have extensive Hungarian partridge range include Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.

North of the border, the birds are abundant in the southern half of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, along with a small portion of southern British Columbia. The bird’s Canadian range also incorporates a small swath of southern Ontario and Quebec. 

Hungarian Partridge Biology and Habitat 

The Hungarian partridge is often described as a “portly” or “plump” game bird typically between the size of a robin and crow. For comparison in the game bird world, it’s not as large as a ring-necked pheasant but bigger than a bobwhite quail. It is gray on top, with a rusty face, tail and streaks down the side, along with a dark belly patch. 

Both male and female Huns are similar in size, reaching about 11.75 to 13 inches in length. The average Hun weighs about one pound, give or take a few ounces, and their wingspans are about 21 to 22 inches.

Huns primarily eat greens and seeds picked up from the ground. Agricultural crops are among their favorites with corn, wheat, barley, and oats making up a common part of their diet. Seeds from wild plants like sunflower, foxtail, ragweed, and Russian thistle are also important food sources. Huns often eat insects during the summer months, and young Huns eat mostly insects during their first few weeks of life.

Males court females in May and June by standing upright and puffing out their chest feathers to display their dark brown patch. Hungarian partridges typically nest on the ground in fields or along hedgerows. Females lay large clutches of eggs, typically around a dozen, but up to 20 or more in some cases have been observed. Eggs are incubated by the female for 23 to 25 days before hatching, and chicks can feed themselves and make short flights in about two weeks.

Hunting the Hungarian Partridge

Like most of the quail species, Hungarian partridge form groups called coveys, which can range from four or five birds to well over a couple dozen.

Huns are most commonly found around intensively managed farmlands where grain crops are the primary focus. The birds forage in and around agricultural fields most frequently at dawn and dusk. Unlike some other species that head for the thick stuff to loaf during the mid-day, Huns will often rest in open cover or even in short crop stubble during the day. Those wanting to put their gun dogs to the test and put a few birds in the bag are wise to concentrate on agricultural crop areas with adjacent grasslands. 

As with most wildlife species, Hungarian partridges are frequently found along cover edges where one habitat type meets another. For Huns, this is most likely agricultural grain crops abutting pasture or grasslands, so hunters should begin most hunts by turning their dogs loose in such areas. While Huns will often hold well for pointing dogs early in the season, by late season, pressured birds tend to flush well out of gun range. A big-running pointing dog is an asset when targeting the gray partridge, as lots of ground must be covered in open prairie and crop fields to locate them. Hunters using flushing breeds also have success by concentrating on smaller areas like corners and edges.

Season dates vary throughout the Hungarian partridge’s range, often corresponding with seasons for pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, and chukar. Seasons generally open in early- to mid-September, and close late January, or even into the middle of February in some western states.

Even though Huns are somewhat larger than the bobwhite, just about any gauge shotgun is sufficient to kill these birds. Since walks can be long when pursuing Huns, some hunters prefer a 20 or even 28 gauge for the ease of carry. Later in the season when birds get a little wilder, 20- or 12-gauge shotguns are useful for taking the birds at a little longer range. Number 7.5 shot is just about perfect in most situations, although those hunting for pheasants regularly kill Huns with the number 5s and 6s that are often used for the tougher ring-necked pheasants.

Status of the Hungarian Partridge

The global breeding population of the Hungarian partridge is estimated at about 13 million birds, but that includes the species native range in Eurasia. Considered a species of “low concern” in the United States, farming practices have eliminated Huns in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio where they were once common, and numbers elsewhere in the U.S. have gradually fallen about two percent per year from 1966 to 2015.

As with any species of game bird, always check the regulations in the area you intend to hunt before heading afield on a Hungarian partridge hunt. This will ensure you do your part in proper management of the species, as well as keep you out of trouble with the law.