Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Gray Partridge (Hungarian) hunting in Iowa

Huh, I didn’t even know they had them there…. Looks like I’ll be hunting them though.

I hope they taste good.. this is going to be a first for me.

I have zero clue on hunting them, but have a Brittany, and a 5 month old Drahthaar that is just a heck of a lot of fun - should be a good time.
I really need to get my DD broken in soon.

I try to tell people that nw Iowa is a desert and no one can fathom it until they visit. The only thing we have here is jobs.

Huns tend to do well in dry conditions, even droughts, which is one reason why they are more common in the western Dakotas and eastern Montana up into Canada. The 80s and into the 90s it was a bit drier than today which helped put bird numbers into a huntable range in MN and IA. The last time I found enough Huns to specifically target in IA was about 1998 in the NE part of the state. It was about then I last saw Huns in the adjacent parts of MN too.

Best odds of finding Huns is in the Dakotas and Canada. I have found the greatest numbers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan but the western Dakotas and eastern Montana are often not far behind. Western and northwestern MN has areas where one can have decent odds of putting up a covey or two but there can be a long ways between areas.

The exasperating part of these birds is they like to spend their time in short cover which makes them rather skittish. Think cover short enough that if the bird stood up tall it could see over the tops of whatever it is hiding in. That is why they are so often found in cut wheat, oat, or barley fields as well as recently cut hay and cattle pastures. A covey will often hold for a pointing dog if the dog doesn't crowd them but they often flush outside of gun range when walked up. Mark where the birds go and walk up those that head toward "heavier" cover as they may hold until you get in gun range.

If you find Huns around fencelines, windrows and such they may let you get within shotgun range but that type of cover is increasingly rare, especially where one finds row crops like corn and soybeans. This is where most hunters find Huns as the hunters are typically looking for pheasants and Huns are an incidental opportunity.

Hun numbers and range have decreased a lot over the last few decades. It used to be common to take well over 30 birds a season across several states and provinces but now hard hunting will get a fortunate person half that number, if they concentrate in prime areas.

Very nice! They are wonderful game birds. I miss them.