[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by LAFwUs

An open bounty on them, could/may/might totally destroy the entire population over time.

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

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

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.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

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.

[Boomer]

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

Boomer

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by michael g.

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.

some crew from brownwood just signed up

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by LAFwUs

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!

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.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

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.

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

Biggest?
Maddest?
Longest?
Most?

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by johnn

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.

she might need a bigger boat

[Berwin]

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.

[airstreamingypsy]

Originally Posted by LAFwUs

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.

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.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

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

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.

[jimschlaefer]

Originally Posted by LAFwUs

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!

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.

[WingedFoot78]

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

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by jimschlaefer

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.

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.

[Boomer]

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!)