diff --git a/moto/s3/responses.py b/moto/s3/responses.py
index a1d5757c8..ec1361cb8 100644
--- a/moto/s3/responses.py
+++ b/moto/s3/responses.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ from moto.core.responses import _TemplateEnvironmentMixin
 from moto.s3bucket_path.utils import bucket_name_from_url as bucketpath_bucket_name_from_url, parse_key_name as bucketpath_parse_key_name, is_delete_keys as bucketpath_is_delete_keys
 
 
-from .exceptions import BucketAlreadyExists, S3ClientError, MissingKey, InvalidPartOrder
+from .exceptions import BucketAlreadyExists, S3ClientError, MissingBucket, MissingKey, InvalidPartOrder
 from .models import s3_backend, get_canned_acl, FakeGrantee, FakeGrant, FakeAcl, FakeKey, FakeTagging, FakeTagSet, FakeTag
 from .utils import bucket_name_from_url, metadata_from_headers
 from xml.dom import minidom
@@ -155,7 +155,14 @@ class ResponseObject(_TemplateEnvironmentMixin):
                 "Method {0} has not been impelemented in the S3 backend yet".format(method))
 
     def _bucket_response_head(self, bucket_name, headers):
-        self.backend.get_bucket(bucket_name)
+        try:
+            self.backend.get_bucket(bucket_name)
+        except MissingBucket:
+            # Unless we do this, boto3 does not raise ClientError on
+            # HEAD (which the real API responds with), and instead
+            # raises NoSuchBucket, leading to inconsistency in
+            # error response between real and mocked responses.
+            return 404, {}, "Not Found"
         return 200, {}, ""
 
     def _bucket_response_get(self, bucket_name, querystring, headers):
diff --git a/tests/test_s3/test_s3.py b/tests/test_s3/test_s3.py
index 6e6b999ce..26b25dd9a 100644
--- a/tests/test_s3/test_s3.py
+++ b/tests/test_s3/test_s3.py
@@ -1250,6 +1250,31 @@ def test_boto3_head_object():
     e.exception.response['Error']['Code'].should.equal('404')
 
 
+@mock_s3
+def test_boto3_bucket_deletion():
+    cli = boto3.client('s3', region_name='us-east-1')
+    cli.create_bucket(Bucket="foobar")
+
+    cli.put_object(Bucket="foobar", Key="the-key", Body="some value")
+
+    # Try to delete a bucket that still has keys
+    cli.delete_bucket.when.called_with(Bucket="foobar").should.throw(
+        cli.exceptions.ClientError,
+        ('An error occurred (BucketNotEmpty) when calling the DeleteBucket operation: '
+         'The bucket you tried to delete is not empty'))
+
+    cli.delete_object(Bucket="foobar", Key="the-key")
+    cli.delete_bucket(Bucket="foobar")
+
+    # Get non-existing bucket
+    cli.head_bucket.when.called_with(Bucket="foobar").should.throw(
+        cli.exceptions.ClientError,
+        "An error occurred (404) when calling the HeadBucket operation: Not Found")
+
+    # Delete non-existing bucket
+    cli.delete_bucket.when.called_with(Bucket="foobar").should.throw(cli.exceptions.NoSuchBucket)
+
+
 @mock_s3
 def test_boto3_get_object():
     s3 = boto3.resource('s3', region_name='us-east-1')
@@ -1560,4 +1585,3 @@ TEST_XML = """\
     </ns0:RoutingRules>
 </ns0:WebsiteConfiguration>
 """
-