This might be a bit gruesome, but why not shoot the snakes the on site? That seems way easier and faster than physically wrestling dangerous snakes sometimes bigger than yourself, throwing them in your truck, and shooting them in your garage. Is it just the solemnity? The chance of missing and it escaping and the difficulty of wrestling with a gun?
One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
41–50 of 161 posts
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#42Great article! That said, the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years. In the comparative blink of an eye, that intricate system has been upended. ...that doesn't sound so bad, when you put it like that. This is part of a bigger philosophical stance of mine: maybe the best course of action isn't "preserve nature exactly as we found it forever"? I definitely see the utility in…
Controlling invasive species is not just some sentimental thing about preserving the purity of nature. Invasive species can massively destabilize an ecosystem- wiping out huge numbers of other species, and destroying natural resources humans depend on for economic livelihood. It is hard to predict the severity of the end point, so best to head it off as aggressively and early as possible.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#43> the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years.
Typo? Creationism? That seems like a very short period of time.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
A wonderful work of late Terry Pratchett comes to mind: “We got a bit carried away,” said Moist. “We were a bit too creative in our thinking. We encouraged mongooses to breed in the posting boxes to keep down the snakes…” Lord Vetinari said nothing. “Er… which, admittedly, we introduced into the letter boxes to reduce the number of toads…” Lord Vetinari repeated himself. “Er… which, it’s true, staff put in the postin…
The Simpsons did it first: https://youtu.be/3f5viRoaZNw?si=YcVu452gEypmYn6Q&t=72
Old nursery rhyme precedes them all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_an_Old_Lady_Who_Swal...
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#45> the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years. Typo? Creationism? That seems like a very short period of time.
Thats when the sea receded, so its "only" 5,000 years old after all.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
A single shot is unlikely to kill, and in these areas a snake can very quickly disappear into water or foliage. I doubt drones or night vision would help much for similar reasons - the issue lies as much in being able to reach the snakes as it does in being able to locate them. The Everglades are incredibly thick, a snake will easily outpace and hide from a human outside of roads. It does seem like there should be a…
> A single shot is unlikely to kill That's why they make guns that can load more than one bullet at a time. Also, maybe use a higher caliber bullet. Lot's of asinine pro-gun enthusiastic responses available for Florida man to retort with.
Python heads aren't exactly large and they are nocturnal. If it were easiest to just shoot them dead, that's exactly what they would be doing.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#47> the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years. Typo? Creationism? That seems like a very short period of time.
https://www.everglades.org/early-formation/
>Only about 5000 years ago did South Florida’s climate take on its current sub-tropical and monsoonal character of dry winters followed by hot moist summers with large amounts of rain (on average 50-60 inches per year), as seas that surround it on three sides warm and evaporate.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#48> the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years. Typo? Creationism? That seems like a very short period of time.
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Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#49Great article! That said, the Everglades and its web of life as we know it have existed for five thousand years. In the comparative blink of an eye, that intricate system has been upended. ...that doesn't sound so bad, when you put it like that. This is part of a bigger philosophical stance of mine: maybe the best course of action isn't "preserve nature exactly as we found it forever"? I definitely see the utility in…
Controlling invasive species is not just some sentimental thing about preserving the purity of nature. Invasive species can massively destabilize an ecosystem- wiping out huge numbers of other species, and destroying natural resources humans depend on for economic livelihood. It is hard to predict the severity of the end point, so best to head it off as aggressively and early as possible.
I'm not necessarily opposed to eradicating invasive species, but natural ecosystems are seldom stable. Populations boom and crash all the time for other reasons.
Re: One of Florida's most lethal python hunters
#50This might be a bit gruesome, but why not shoot the snakes the on site? That seems way easier and faster than physically wrestling dangerous snakes sometimes bigger than yourself, throwing them in your truck, and shooting them in your garage. Is it just the solemnity? The chance of missing and it escaping and the difficulty of wrestling with a gun?
They get paid per verified kill:
https://www.sfwmd.gov/our-work/python-program
No idea how it actually works but shooting them where they are has to be tough to verify.