The Hungarian partridge, perdix perdix, is also known as the gray partridge. Like the pheasant, it is not native to Wisconsin. Originating in Czechoslovakia, 5000 gray partridges were introduced from 1908 to 1929, by Colonel Gustav Pabst, on his farm in Waukesha County. Private parties and the State Conservation Department did more introductions in subsequent years, and the birds adapted well and continued to expand their range for the next 30 years. It is better suited than most game birds to live in areas that are intensively farmed or bitter cold, and thus does not have to compete with native species such as bobwhite quail and prairie chickens. Today, huns are distributed throughout Wisconsin's southern counties, as well as in the northeast in Oconto and Door counties, and scattered populations can also be found in St Croix, Pierce, Barron and Dunn counties. The highest densities can be found in the "lake to lake" region formed by Brown, Calumet and Manitowoc counties, and it is believed that there are approximately 80,000 Hungarian partridge in the state today.
Relatively small in size, the adult Hungarian partridge averages 12-14 inches in length and weighs nearly one pound. They have short, round wings and a short, dark, chestnut-brown tail. The body feathers are brown and gray, and the male's flanks are barred in chestnut and white, and the gray breast has a distinctive horseshoe-shaped chestnut patch on the lower portion. Females have a smaller chest patch or lack one altogether, and the body feathers are paler. Huns are alert, wary birds that can most often be found in "coveys". The covey rises together, when flushed, running and regrouping all the while trying to escape.
Hungarian partridge begin pairing in the winter, often in January, and in March, males begin crowing with their "rusty gate" call, especially in the mornings and evenings. Males fly and peck at each other in a sort of ritualized fighting, and eventually one male leaves the area while the victor stays to try and attract a female. Courtship of the partridge is a slow process, with both sexes performing numerous displays including circling, neck stretching, and running with the head lowered. Often, huns pair off and then change mates again before pair bond formation is established. After mating, the pair will stay together until the beginning of the next breeding season. This kind of pairing is called "loose pairing". The male stands guard while the hen builds the nest, usually beginning in April. The nest is normally found in ditch banks, fencerows, along roadsides or railway easements, or in grasses in open country. Late nesters might opt for sites in hay, alfalfa or grain fields. The female starts by scraping out a shallow hollow in the grass, fills in this depression with dead herbaceous materials, and finally lines the nest with finer grasses. She lays one egg per day until her clutch of 10-20 olive-colored eggs is complete, and she is solely responsible for incubation. The hen covers the nest with grass and leaves when she leaves to feed, and both parents tend to the chicks, taking them to feed on primarily insects and also some vegetation. Fifty percent of the brood may be lost during the first two weeks, but after about two months, the young are able to fly, and they normally stay with their parents through fall, in a covey of 10-15 birds.
Gray partridge eat mainly weed seeds, green leafy plants and cultivated grains. Young partridge eat almost exclusively insects like crickets and grasshoppers, but these foods make up only about 10% of the adults diet. During spring and early summer, huns feed mostly on green leafy material of small plants like dandelions, small grains and assorted grasses, and in the summer and fall, they feed mainly on weed seeds of plants like foxtail, wild buckwheat and knotweed. Cultivated grains are also a primary source of food in the summer and fall, and crops like wheat, rye, corn, oats and barley can make up over 1/3 of the birds diet. In many areas, crop leftovers or field stubble, mostly corn, constitute nearly all of the winter food supply.
Hungarian partridge prefers habitat of open, grassy areas in a cool, dry climate. Unlike some game birds, intense agricultural development actually helps their numbers, and they thrive in areas where 65 percent of the land is farmed. Small, heavily cultivated farms of 100 acres are ideal for partridge population, and an abundance of fencerows, shelterbelts and natural roadside cover is necessary for escape routes, nesting, resting and winter cover. Preferred nesting areas include grasslands, hay and grain fields, and especially alfalfa fields, and most nests are located within 100 yards of the edges of these fields. Heavily wooded areas are almost always avoided. These birds are so hardy, little needs to be done except to provide basic cover. Huns are able to survive severe winters in relatively open, unprotected areas of minimal cover, and they roost in depressions in the snow or "snow roost" by burrowing into the snow. They normally only leave these winter roosts during the warmest parts of the day to fly to fields to feed. During warmer days, the partridge are most active in the morning and late afternoon, loafing in cover during the midday. Their movement is very limited, usually less than ¼ mile, however winter may necessitate flights of as much as ½ mile, and they remain on the uplands the entire year. Coveys, rarely exceeding 15 birds, feed and roost together, and break up only during the breeding season. Hungarians have relatively low mortality rates compared to other upland game birds. There is limited predation by red and gray foxes, owls and some species of hawks, and some birds die from diseases and parasites such as lice, ticks, fleas, mites, tularemia and avian pox, but all of these seem to have very little effect on total population. Most mortality is in young chicks and eggs, with predators like raccoons, opossums, mink, weasels and skunks taking their toll and cold weather and heavy rainfall taking more.
Because of the Hungarian partridge's restricted range and their preference for private lands, the birds are often under-harvested, with as few as 18,000 hunters annually taking part in partridge hunting in Wisconsin. Private landowners can do a lot, for relatively little cost, to promote good gray partridge habitat. Birds require "travel lanes" along fencerows and roadside ditches, and elimination of grazing and burning in these areas will promote population. Farmers can also delay the cutting and mowing of hay until after the chicks have matured.
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. A lightweight gun with screw-in chokes and number 6 or 7 ½ shells works fine. The chokes can be interchanged with modified or full choke for busting up coveys, while improved cylinder is great for singles shooting.
Relatively small in size, the adult Hungarian partridge averages 12-14 inches in length and weighs nearly one pound. They have short, round wings and a short, dark, chestnut-brown tail. The body feathers are brown and gray, and the male's flanks are barred in chestnut and white, and the gray breast has a distinctive horseshoe-shaped chestnut patch on the lower portion. Females have a smaller chest patch or lack one altogether, and the body feathers are paler. Huns are alert, wary birds that can most often be found in "coveys". The covey rises together, when flushed, running and regrouping all the while trying to escape.
Hungarian partridge begin pairing in the winter, often in January, and in March, males begin crowing with their "rusty gate" call, especially in the mornings and evenings. Males fly and peck at each other in a sort of ritualized fighting, and eventually one male leaves the area while the victor stays to try and attract a female. Courtship of the partridge is a slow process, with both sexes performing numerous displays including circling, neck stretching, and running with the head lowered. Often, huns pair off and then change mates again before pair bond formation is established. After mating, the pair will stay together until the beginning of the next breeding season. This kind of pairing is called "loose pairing". The male stands guard while the hen builds the nest, usually beginning in April. The nest is normally found in ditch banks, fencerows, along roadsides or railway easements, or in grasses in open country. Late nesters might opt for sites in hay, alfalfa or grain fields. The female starts by scraping out a shallow hollow in the grass, fills in this depression with dead herbaceous materials, and finally lines the nest with finer grasses. She lays one egg per day until her clutch of 10-20 olive-colored eggs is complete, and she is solely responsible for incubation. The hen covers the nest with grass and leaves when she leaves to feed, and both parents tend to the chicks, taking them to feed on primarily insects and also some vegetation. Fifty percent of the brood may be lost during the first two weeks, but after about two months, the young are able to fly, and they normally stay with their parents through fall, in a covey of 10-15 birds.
Gray partridge eat mainly weed seeds, green leafy plants and cultivated grains. Young partridge eat almost exclusively insects like crickets and grasshoppers, but these foods make up only about 10% of the adults diet. During spring and early summer, huns feed mostly on green leafy material of small plants like dandelions, small grains and assorted grasses, and in the summer and fall, they feed mainly on weed seeds of plants like foxtail, wild buckwheat and knotweed. Cultivated grains are also a primary source of food in the summer and fall, and crops like wheat, rye, corn, oats and barley can make up over 1/3 of the birds diet. In many areas, crop leftovers or field stubble, mostly corn, constitute nearly all of the winter food supply.
Hungarian partridge prefers habitat of open, grassy areas in a cool, dry climate. Unlike some game birds, intense agricultural development actually helps their numbers, and they thrive in areas where 65 percent of the land is farmed. Small, heavily cultivated farms of 100 acres are ideal for partridge population, and an abundance of fencerows, shelterbelts and natural roadside cover is necessary for escape routes, nesting, resting and winter cover. Preferred nesting areas include grasslands, hay and grain fields, and especially alfalfa fields, and most nests are located within 100 yards of the edges of these fields. Heavily wooded areas are almost always avoided. These birds are so hardy, little needs to be done except to provide basic cover. Huns are able to survive severe winters in relatively open, unprotected areas of minimal cover, and they roost in depressions in the snow or "snow roost" by burrowing into the snow. They normally only leave these winter roosts during the warmest parts of the day to fly to fields to feed. During warmer days, the partridge are most active in the morning and late afternoon, loafing in cover during the midday. Their movement is very limited, usually less than ¼ mile, however winter may necessitate flights of as much as ½ mile, and they remain on the uplands the entire year. Coveys, rarely exceeding 15 birds, feed and roost together, and break up only during the breeding season. Hungarians have relatively low mortality rates compared to other upland game birds. There is limited predation by red and gray foxes, owls and some species of hawks, and some birds die from diseases and parasites such as lice, ticks, fleas, mites, tularemia and avian pox, but all of these seem to have very little effect on total population. Most mortality is in young chicks and eggs, with predators like raccoons, opossums, mink, weasels and skunks taking their toll and cold weather and heavy rainfall taking more.
Because of the Hungarian partridge's restricted range and their preference for private lands, the birds are often under-harvested, with as few as 18,000 hunters annually taking part in partridge hunting in Wisconsin. Private landowners can do a lot, for relatively little cost, to promote good gray partridge habitat. Birds require "travel lanes" along fencerows and roadside ditches, and elimination of grazing and burning in these areas will promote population. Farmers can also delay the cutting and mowing of hay until after the chicks have matured.
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. A lightweight gun with screw-in chokes and number 6 or 7 ½ shells works fine. The chokes can be interchanged with modified or full choke for busting up coveys, while improved cylinder is great for singles shooting.