The Kingdom’s youth are gearing up for bird-hunting with the migration season of quails, Aldakhal and Elsafara birds setting in.

Many practiced their hobby of migratory bird-hunting throughout the country, especially in the coastal and wild parts of the Kingdom, during the last days of the summer vacation.

Ahmed Al-Juhani, a bird hunter, says that the bird migration season attracts a lot of young people. Yanbu and the West coast up to Daba witness a large turnout of enthusiastic hunters from all regions of the Kingdom.

“Aldakhal, which are small migratory birds, can be seen during this time. A lot of young people go out in search of them because they are said to be a tasty breed of bird,” says Al-Juhani.

The Elsafara breed of birds can be seen on Tamarisk trees, olive and pomegranate trees or in lake-filled areas, says Raaid Al-Enasi.

The birds smell water from a distance and come to drink, only to find snipers awaiting them.

Shops selling hunting guns are extremely popular among enthusiastic hunters due to the stability of prices. Stable prices are attributed to the availability of large quantities of such guns in the market and are sold to hunters above the age of 18 who have secured permits to use them.

Ahmed Osman, a supervisor at a hunting shop in Jeddah, says that the prices of pneumatic guns are fixed, stressing on the diversity of pneumatic guns in terms of weight and size, as well as speed of the bullet and country of origin.

A Spanish gun costs about SR1,250.

German guns made of fiber range from SR750 to SR1,100 and a German gun made of wood ranges from SR1,200 to SR1,950, he said, adding that Spanish guns are the most popular among buyers because of their reasonable prices and durability.

Chinese guns have also recently hit the market and resemble German guns but are made of wood, which is lighter in weight. These guns are priced much lower, ranging from about SR400 to about SR1,000.