# small birds seen while pheasant hunting.



## 94NDTA

I am not too famliliar with these birds I have been seeing lately, and was curious as to what they are. I have been seeing these small birds, slightly smaller than a hen ringneck, grouped together in open fields, or shelter belts. They make a cackle of sorts, and get up faster than a pheasant. They don't have long tails, and make quick darting movements when they get up. I've never had a good look at them, and I don't want to shoot one just to see it (wouldn't be too much left either with the set up I had).

Any ideas?


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## Triple B

grouse or partridge, what color are they??


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## DustinS

Sounds to me what you are seeing is the hungarian partridge.


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## 94NDTA

They were tan. They blend in very well. I only see them when they get up.


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## jhegg

Sounds even more like Hungarian (Grey) Partridge.


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## R y a n

Sounds like a partridge...

Was this what it looked like?


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## 94NDTA

Thats what they look like. Is there a season for them? Are they good eats?


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## R y a n

94NDTA said:


> Thats what they look like. Is there a season for them? Are they good eats?


They are extremely good to cook up! I wouldn't go so far as to say equal to pheasants, but in my opinion they are pretty darn close!

I think chasing Huns before the pheasant season starts is one of the most enjoyable times you can spend in the fall outdoors. You bet there is a season for them! The season often runs parallel to the sharptail grouse season. I'm not sure of the bag limit this year. Someone will need to check for me, but it is usually between 4-5 birds.

The huns this year have really made a comback. Their numbers have been down in recent years, and it used to be quite hard to find them. They seem to go thru many peaks and valleys in population, that is closely tied to the amount of precipitation North Dakota receives in April and May. The chicks have no ability to fight off the hypothermia from dampness. It has been estimated that upwards of 50% of a brood dies each year within the first 2 weeks of hatching. However if they make it past the first month, they have one of the longest average longevities of upland game. In fact in a majority of the US they are under harvested due to their difficulty in locating in any consistent large numbers.

Partridges are also famous for being the ultimate survivalists during harsh ND winters. They have the best survival rate in wind and snow, due to the fact they group up and burrow down into snow to protect themselves. They are also known for circling tightly together with their butts all facing inwards so that they can see in every direction for approaching danger when burrowed.

Huns can be exceedingly tough to successfully hunt. They are almost always found in coveys in open terrain, and even though they rarely travel more than ¼ mile, they can be most difficult to locate. Each square yard of cover looks as good as the next, and the hunter, without a dog, should be prepared for lots of walking, covering grassy areas at midday and feeding areas during morning and evening. These birds love to run, and it is not unusual for them to run ¼ mile to the end of crop fields before flushing. The flush is often wild and out of range, especially on windy days, so if you know you are running huns ahead of you and you have a hunting partner, it is wise to try to have someone circle ahead of the birds, if possible. It's important to watch where birds land after being flushed, and always follow up. After three or four flushes, partridge normally hold quite well as a group or as singles, and you might even have to nudge a bird to get it to flush. Huns are fast runners and fast flyers and give even experienced wingshooters a challenge; snapshooting appears to produce good results. Coveys are predictable if habitat remains the same, and birds can be found year after year close to the same spot at the same times. If you mark your spots well and pay attention, you can pattern the birds and have an advantage. Winged birds run like pheasants, so you have to follow-up quickly.

We often watch a flushed covey land if possible, then hustle over to the area quickly. A flushed covey will often peep to locate each other to re-group, and if you get over to an area before they regroup, you can often have great success flushing them. On windy days they'll be just over the lee side of a small rise or sitting on the downwind side of rock piles. On hot sunny days, find short shelterbelts that have a mix of dense cover around the roots, and open dry dusty spots at the base of trees. Partridge like to have a mix of cover and if it is too heavily wooded they'll avoid it. Early in the season, you'll have partridge run to the end of strips and then sit but not bust until you arrive. If you notice your dog getting birdy along a strip, then run into the field and back to the strip... get ready.. it's likely partridges up ahead.

Good luck!

Ryan


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## KEN W

Delicious....right ther with pheasants....much better than sharps.


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## jhegg

Ken,
Even coots are better than sharpies!


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## holmsvc

jhegg said:


> Ken,
> Even coots are better than sharpies!


 :lame:


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## Crazy Horse RVN

Very fine eating, and in my humble opinion better than Pheasant.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

I love huns! Great to hunt, great to eat! I also think they are a bit better tablefare than pheasants (which I love), but I haven't seen many in the last 5-7 years........not enough to really focus my hunting on.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

I should add........ this is the first bird I ever hunted. My dad and I started hunting at the same time and we didn't have a dog. We would driver the gravel roads north of Minot (early 90's) and when a covey would fly up, we would park and start following them and shooting (not sure I ever did hit one, but my dad let me think I did! )

I guess I was a road hunter !!


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## Burly1

Huns are the cream of the upland crop! Dedicated Hun hunters wear out more shoeleather than pheasant and grouse hunters combined. Their tendancy to haunt more open cover, the heart stopping flush of the covey and excellence on the table endeared them to me at the very beginning of my upland hunting life. May the Hungarian partridge live forever in the fields of the Dakotas! Burl


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## Crazy Horse RVN

I sure wish we had these in Pennsylvania.


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## CREEMAN

We have them over here in the niagara region part of ontario our daily bag limit is 8 and the possession limit is 16 .With crownland you can hunt on.


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## Crazy Horse RVN

*How far is Ontario from Pennsylvania??? *:lol:


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