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!