diff --git a/django_filters/__init__.py b/django_filters/__init__.py
index 9d57b0fb2..815074a7e 100644
--- a/django_filters/__init__.py
+++ b/django_filters/__init__.py
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 # flake8: noqa
 from __future__ import absolute_import
+
+import pkgutil
+
 from .constants import STRICTNESS
 from .filterset import FilterSet
 from .filters import *
 
 # We make the `rest_framework` module available without an additional import.
-#   If DRF is not installed we simply set None.
-try:
+#   If DRF is not installed, no-op.
+if pkgutil.find_loader('rest_framework') is not None:
     from . import rest_framework
-except ImportError:
-    rest_framework = None
+del pkgutil
 
 __version__ = '1.0.4'