# A Different Kind of Hunt



## Johnny (Aug 20, 2015)

It is that time of year again when Florida has opened its gates
to a miscellaneous amount of summertime adventures.
#1 is for the first time in over 20 years, Black Bear is on the list.
#2 is for the annual Alligator season.
#3 is an all out war on the Coyote that is running rampant in populated areas.
#4, last, but probably the most fun is the annual PYTHON hunt down
in the Florida Everglades. If you guys from Up North ever want to try
something different - this should be on your bucket list. All you need
is a handgun or .410 shotgun and snakeproof waders. No large caliber rifles.
No tree stands, no cold weather gear, no freezing your tush off . . . 
LOL after all, your quarry is only a few feet from you and does *not* run away.
And, hopefully, you see it before it sees YOU !!
and after a fun day of sloshing through the swamp, some awesome bass fishing is available nearby.













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## GTS225 (Aug 20, 2015)

*DAMN!* :shock: That's a big snake for North America. I've heard you folks down there are having problems with "pet" pythons getting dumped in the 'glades when the owners tire of feeding them, but I didn't think it was quite that bad.

Roger


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## bobberboy (Aug 22, 2015)

I inherited from my mom what I consider to be a healthy, even though irrational fear of snakes. I wouldn't even go in the same county as a snake like that. I don't know anything about snakes but assume that one's not supposed to be in FL. Jeeze...that's gotta be a snake-and-a-half!


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## Johnny (Aug 22, 2015)

bobberboy said:


> *that one's not supposed to be in FL.*



Very correct, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 destroyed several wild animal enclosures
such as a zoo in Homestead (near Miami) that released hundreds of wild critters into
the South Florida ecosystem that are not supposed to be there. Many, such as
the giant pythons THRIVE on the wildlife in the Glades such as deer, alligators
and the smaller animals, as well as each other.
Then there are the lizards and other reptiles that are invasive. The iguana is
decimating the lower Keys . . . and the list goes on.
Last year, an 18 foot male python was captured alive, it was checked out by the vet,
microchipped and _PUT BACK_ into the Glades unharmed . . . so the University of Florida
Herpetologists could study its lifestyle (???????) it loves Sunny Florida and eats everything.
Also, a large female was killed that had 102 eggs in her body.
Yes, this is one very nasty critter for sure . . . and, it has made its way North up to
just South of Disney World . . . then it gets too cold for them to go any further North.
But SOUTH !!! is where they thrive and are destroying the small animal population.
It is too bad that there is not a bounty on these things. 
Will come back and post the results at the end of the season for this years hunt.
LOL LOL it may stir some interest from you guys Up North when you visit Disney.


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## The10Man (Aug 23, 2015)

Johnny, do you hunt the pythons in the Glades? If so, where do you go? What method of 'hunting' them have you had the best luck with? I've gone down to the Glades several times to hunt them but haven't had any luck, although I've seen many other types of snakes and got an invasive monitor lizard.


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## Johnny (Aug 23, 2015)

Welcome Aboard and congrats on nailing the monitor !!

My brother and I drove down 3 years ago and seeing the throngs
of people there and the condition of the SWAMP and the 102* temps,
we just hung around and watched for a bit - went to lunch and never went back.
Like any hunt, it depends on the hunter. I was raised in the country
so I know how to spot a Diamondback before it spots me.
BUT- these pythons are stupid HUGE and they hunt by ambush.
You will be on the ground looking like the Michelin Man in a matter of seconds.
At being almost 70 years old, I think that I am not in the best of shape to fight
off any kind of animal that grabs me. Especially something that is determined to EAT me.
If you want to partake in this year's hunt, go to the website and find out how to
register, where to check in and what guns you can use. The boundaries are double
from what they were last year. Some places actually going into the Park.
I heard that the rules have changed some since 3 years ago but there is still the
aggressive approach to decrease the numbers of the invasive predators.

My technique would be to walk stealthily through the sawgrass, listening for the birds. 
My eyes constantly scanning around me for something that does not look right.
Blackbirds try to drive off the predators by gathering in numbers and
dive bombing the intruder until it leaves. Vultures tend to fly around a fresh kill.
Pythons try to eat their kill whole. But, if it can't, it will leave it in search of something 
smaller. Also, sometimes a python will eat an alligator then the alligator regains
consciousness and claws its way out of the snakes stomach, killing it. Sometimes killing
both gator and snake. Or, deer and snake.
Just learn how to read the environment. Hunting deer from a tree stand is far far different from
hunting on foot in the Glades.
If you have ever seen a deer jump after it had been startled, just try to imagine just how
fast that python is in order to catch a full grown deer from a dead stop to "GOTCHA".
If you find a small female, you can bet your life that there are a dozen or more HUGE males
on her trail....... and they are aggressive during mating season. Just like alligators.
Next time you go, take some photos to share with us "in the recliner at home" hunters.







.


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## The10Man (Aug 23, 2015)

That's kind of the approach I've taken the last few times I've gone down there to get them. My buddies and I walked through the sawgrass and along the canals. However, you can walk for miles in the heat with little shade and not see a thing (or I should say a python). It can get pretty boring and then after a while, frustrating and exhausting. 

The last time I was down there I met some guys at the campsite who had killed a handful and had them in their coolers. They said they would just drive their trucks along the roads and sometimes the pythons would be sunning themselves on the roads absorbing the heat from asphalt (it was the month of Feb..). After that night my buddies and I decided to do the same and were able to cover a lot more ground and 'hunt' from the comfort of the air conditioned vehicle. That's how we saw the monitor, it was just hanging out on the edge of the road. 

I haven't been to the Glades recently and not sure if I'm gonna make it down there any time soon, but one of these days I'm gonna get one of those slithery beasts and have some fancy boots soon after. 

That picture is awesome!


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