Make $20,000 Hunting Pythons
 

I see Florida has a contest and open season on Pythons this month with $20,000
for first prize.

I'm thinking, Why?

If there's so many Pythons taking over the Everglades, why don't the state give out
cash for each one caught year around. :shrug:

Better question----What does getting swallowed whole by a 30 foot python insurance cost???:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Very valid point.
Id suggest it could have something to do with keeping a certain number of them within the natural eco-system. An open bounty on them, could/may/might totally destroy the entire population over time.
Think of it similar to deer season, or other similar seasons that allow control over the population without wiping them all out.
It could also have something to do with not wanting to pay a "per-head" bounty, which can be exploited.
There was a fisherman in TN. I think it was, that made a fulltime job of catching and turning in the invasive carp, that had a $5. per head bounty on them.
He is reported to have pulled in some $65,000 a year, fishing all day! and that was just one guy, there were plenty of others doing it as well!

Python hunting is legal all year round and there are a few full time hunters.
This is a contest to bring in attention. The problem seems to be that while they've caught 13,000 or so pythons over the years, there are estimated to be somewhere between 30,000 and 300,000. So I'd think it's a lost cause.

I did sign my wife up for the hunt, but... well that's another story.

Florida’s Python Challenge begins: 450 snake hunters compete for $10k prize.

Pythons are an invasive species. The state would like nothing more than to totally eradicate them. They’re right up there with wild hogs. No license needed. No bag limit.

Does she need a helper? My wife would love to do so but might have to tell her first.:mmmm:

Have a good recipe? A friend says they taste like chicken/

Python Pot Pie sounds delicious!

Here is a video on how to prepare cheese grits and python, pretty much South Carolina style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtSS_aR09B4

The State DOES give out cash for pythons year round. Professional hunters are hired and paid an hourly wage, plus a bonus per foot for any longer than 4 feet.

The contest this month allows non-professionals to also be involved, and to boost the total pythons removed from the environment. You still need to register, and to view a video to learn the difference between pythons and native snakes.

They thought & applied the very same theory regarding wolf populations in certain regions in other states (like Yellowstone NP & areas of WA state for examples), that was until they went ahead with total eradication.
That then quickly lead to over-population of animals like elk & deer, which then decimated grazing lands. Said elk/deer growing in numbers, began to migrate off controlled grazing areas and push into places they should not have ever been in, causing havoc there, including damaging Ag & farm lands. This all, also lead to negative effects on beaver populations and so on down the food chain it went...
Once a species, particularly a predator species, is introduced into an area, be that by mistake/mishap, or intentionally as a means to control another population, other species adapt to its presences and impact and nature tries to find balance. Post eradication can then have a serious, reverse ecological water-fall effect.
This is proven time & again.
Look at even what unseasonal precipitation did in Australia, and the mice plague of 2021 that resulted from just added rain.
That said, I couldn't care less about TX hogs or FL pythons TBH, but totally removing either of them at this point, (if that's even possible) would undoubtedly create other, perhaps unforeseen, issues.

Very interesting did see a fascinating video about lack of wolves out west and the unintended consequences. Somehow we always think we are smarter than mother nature

The reintroduction of grey wolves to Yellowstone brought back a healthy ecosystem.

On the other hand invasive species can have devastating effects.

"Effects on Australia's ecology[edit]

Since their introduction from Europe in the 19th century, the effect of rabbits on the ecology of Australia has been devastating. They are suspected of being the most significant known factor in species loss in Australia.[12] Rabbits are believed to have had an immense impact on the abundance of natural resource availability, primarily concerning overgrazing. The rabbits would first deplete the natural pasture vegetation, and would then resort to consuming woody vegetation, which included small shrubs, and the leaves and bark of trees.[13] The extent of plant species' loss is unknown at this time, though rabbits are known to often kill young trees in orchards, forests, and on properties by ringbarking them.[11]

Rabbits are also responsible for serious erosion problems, as they eat native plants, leaving the topsoil exposed and vulnerable to sheet, gully, and wind erosion. The removal of this topsoil is devastating to the land, as it takes many hundreds of years to regenerate."

From: Rabbits in Australia - Wikipedia

"The long-term effects of toads on the Australian environment are difficult to determine, but some effects include "the depletion of native species that die eating cane toads; the poisoning of pets and humans; depletion of native fauna preyed on by cane toads; and reduced prey populations for native insectivores, such as skinks."

From: Cane toads in Australia - Wikipedia

Hawaii has lost many native species to invasive species. Invasive Animals - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Had no idea that cute little bunny rabbits can be so harmful, guess someone will be eating lots of them

Reminds me of a song.

https://youtu.be/Xd0cX1dogtk

"why 'doesn't' the state"? They do. Dig a bit deeper and you'd know they pay out for every single python(boa) caught. sheesh!

Would this be a bad thing?
Seems like Pythons have overtaken the everglades and destroying all rodents and birds.

Wild boar is delicious. What I'm not understanding is why there isn't a glut on the market in the area for it. There are plenty of them, and supposedly plenty of people who have firearms and are so proud of having them - they should put them to use, maybe make a profit in the wild boar meat business.

I don’t care for the taste or smell of wild boar. But a fattened up bar hog is good eating.

Carl Hiaasen’s latest novel, a satire titled Squeeze Me, has Florida’s python problem as part of its storyline.

Boomer

The full monty
 

some crew from brownwood just signed up

Burmese pythons are an invasive species. We WANT all of them in the wild to be destroyed. They disrupt a “healthy ecosystem.” These are all pet snakes released into the wild, or their descendants.

$20,000 first prize for...what?

Biggest?
Maddest?
Longest?
Most?

Hey quint
 

she might need a bigger boat

We moved down here from Virginia where the Snakehead fish was taking over. They are ugly as sin but taste delicious from what I've heard.

Here's the deal about Burmese Pythons. They are not native to Florida. They should not be here, and removing them will not cause unforeseen issues. Pythons are literally killing everything in the Everglades, leaving them alone will create issues.

I've had it both ways. The meat can be tainted by improper field dressing and skinning. But a properly-prepared meal of wild boar can be absolutely delicious.

Much of the "wild" taste can be eliminated by soaking the meat overnight in milk. Mom preferred buttermilk. I remember as a young man growing up in Northern MN. Deer hunting was big up there but we stayed away from the old mossy-horned bucks, much preferring yearling bucks or (when legal) does. But even with the older bucks (so tough that you had to "grind the gravy" according to dad) the wild taste could be completely eliminated with the milk treatment.

Pythons are an invasive species
 

Pythons are an invasive species, never meant to be on this continent to begin with. Total eradication should be the goal and should be met.

Aren't they trying to eliminate the invasive species? The pythons are not part of the ecossystem.

Interesting how a species comes to a new place and so easily takes over. God or bad. Horses came here and are thought to be a good thing.

This mess is the result of another duh factor........
 

I don't get the $20,000 prize either, but from what I have read and heard, something better be done, quickly and officially.

This is yet another problem brought to us by people who have no sense, and for whatever reason think they need pythons as pets. Then when those snakes they bring in get too big, too long, too much, they release them into the wild.

The Boomer Generation has been called "The Pig in the Python" because our generation was the biggest ever and affected so many changes -- and we still do.

Marketing studies boomers as our needs change.....as we work our way through.......just like the pig in the python.......(shudder).......

TV itself markets to "The Pig in the Python" -- although they are showing signs of looking at the generation that follows us.

But I think maybe somebody needs to get ahead of these invasive pythons and get rid of them -- before we start finding boomers in the pythons.

Carl Hiaasen had fun with this in his latest book "Squeeze Me" but the very real, big hungry snake situation was part of his inspiration for the plot.

Boomer (EEK!)

also, the invasive carp in TN. are unlikely to kill a small child or small dog like a Florida python possibly could. The carp are just a threat to other more desirable fish species by eating their eggs. It is also UNLIKELY that ANY amount of hunting pressure could cause the extinction of pythons in Florida. The pythons would have too many places to hide and there are too many of them. I wonder if the hunters can SELL the python meat?

I imagine there might be a market for python meat. I'm sure there would be for their skins.

"Pythons have beautiful, extremely durable skins that lend themselves to diverse applications. Long valued for their elegance and durability, Rojé Exotic Leathers stocks over 150 unique colors and finishes in the U.S. as well as 2000 skin in crust awaiting your production order in both front cut and back cut. A common misconception, as portrayed by various animal rights activist groups, suggest that all python skins are hunted and killed alive only for their skin, this is not at all true. Anyone that has ever traveled throughout Asia will know this and possibly have eaten BBQ python on a stick. Skins are culled from the wild each year and traded with strict quotas." (Roje' exotics).

But has an "invasive species" EVER been eradicated? And even more to the point, don't ALL species (including Homo sapiens) start out as invasive? Back home, the invasive species du jour was the Asian Carp, four species actually, bighead carp, black carp, grass carp, and silver carp. The MN DNR bemoaned their existence, warning of dire consequences if they were allowed to proliferate. They grew swiftly, and large (some can reach 100 lbs.) ; they have the disconcerting habit of jumping in panic at the sound of a boat propeller and there were instances of people being struck by them. They were going to destroy the sport fishing, etc. etc. So the war was on. All to little or no avail; often the fry are carried from lake to lake in the feathers of water birds, and the critters, particularly the silver carp, can easily jump barricades.

Then, it was discovered that even Asian Carp had their uses. Redneck fishing contests were held where boats whose occupants held long-handled landing nets would cruise up and down areas of lakes and rivers known to contain silver carp. They'd jump in panic and the net-people would snatch them out of the air. Great fun. They were also delicious, and being plant and bottom-feeders their flesh contained remarkably little mercury. They're part of the landscape now in many areas, and the resident species seem to have adjusted quite well for the most part.

Wild boar often live in swampy areas of Florida where hunters do NOT like to walk for fear of poisonous snakes, alligators, and sinkholes. They often need to be hunted with specially trained dogs and special heavy-duty military-grade off-road vehicles or swamp buggies. They can be very dangerous and aggressive while having razor-sharp fangs and hoofs. And they often weigh 300 to 400 lbs. Wild animals can be unpredictable.......I came close to being charged by a doe DEER that was protecting a buck.

Yesss, there is so much swamp land here in Florida, it would be impossible to rid all of them. They're probably 5 or more born for every one captured..

:bowdown:

Same story with the Lionfish taking over our waters

And then?
 

What do they do with them once caught?

Cook them?

We see wild boar quite frequently on 301 north of the turnpike. One day, there was one laying on its side on the shoulder of the road. Looked quite dead and baking in the hot sun.

They have even been known to kill gators and die in the process, along with the gator. I imagine there are people who think this is good but it is throwing off the balance of nature and killing of native animals. I wish people would stop putting them in the Everglades.