Python hunt in Florida results so far are disappointing

[BOXofROX]

Last update was only 21 killed and they were hoping to snag about 1500

Florida holds Burmese python hunt in Everglades, hoping to root out invasive species

The competition, which runs through Feb. 10, attracted roughly 1,000 python hunters, but only 21 have been caught so far.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013, 2:52 PM

IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES


That’s the catch in Florida’s “Python Challenge”: Even experienced hunters with special permits to regularly stalk the exotic snake through Florida’s swamplands are having trouble finding them for a state-sponsored competition.


The vast majority of roughly 1,000 people who signed up to hunt Burmese pythons on public lands from Jan. 12 through Feb. 10 are amateurs when it comes to pythons. Only about 30 hold permits for harvesting pythons throughout the year.


The permit holders might have a slight edge when it comes to handling snakes, but the tan, splotchy pythons have natural camouflage that gives them an important advantage in the ecosystem they have invaded.


As of Thursday, 21 pythons had been killed for the contest, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

It’s hard to pin down exactly how many Burmese pythons slither through Florida’s Everglades, but officials say their effect is glaringly obvious. According to a study released last year, sightings of raccoons, opossums, bobcats, rabbits and other mammals in the Everglades are down as much as 99% in areas where pythons are known to live.


It’s believed that the pythons are devouring the native wildlife and officials worry the snakes’ voracious appetite will undermine the ongoing, multimillion-dollar effort to restore natural water flow through the Everglades.

“Rabbits were like rats. Growing up, you saw them everywhere,” said Jim Howard, a Miami native and a python permit holder participating in the contest. “I haven’t seen a rabbit in 20 years. I don’t see foxes. I hardly see anything.”
He has caught a python in the Everglades in each of the last two years, though. Each was more than 12 feet long and contained more than 50 eggs.

The population of Burmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida, likely developed from pets released into the wild, either intentionally or in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. They can grow to be more than 20 feet long and have no natural enemies in Florida other than very large alligators or cold weather, which drives heat-seeking snakes onto sunny roads and levees.
Florida prohibits owning or selling pythons for use as pets, and federal law bans importation and interstate sale of the species.







Full article here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1242665

[HS Cult Leader]

The competition, which runs through Feb. 10, attracted roughly 1,000 python hunters, but only 21 have been caught so far.

That's a success! It doesn't matter if they caught 3, as long as you get them out of the environment and prevent them from breeding, every little bit helps!

[SouthernListen]

This is Howard Stern related for obvious reasons.

[Anyonenow]

Dummies are looking in the wrong places!

[La Flama Blanca]

Why are there permits for them? They should just say fuck it and whoever can kill them just do it.

It's like protecting stink bugs

[Horff]

That's because they haven't been looking in my pants!! My PANTS!!

[Zyro]

[BOXofROX]

Dummies are looking in the wrong places!

fuck...i cant believe that guy is letting that kid in there

[Icculus]

they should move this hunt to Miami and target a different dangerous invasive species.

[xyster]

kill em all.

[Vashier]

Dummies are looking in the wrong places!

WTF is wrong with that father? That python is trapped, he could lash out and bite down on his kid in a heart beat! I got rid of mine at 7 feet because he was becoming too big to control alone. He was well fed and happy but if he wanted to clamp down on my forearm it was a bitch to uncoil him. When he was 4-5 feet long I used to bring him to my kid's schools for a show and tell. I'd get nervous every time a kid would jump in the face of the snake, (named Snake Lee) because it's natural for a snake to strike as a warning when scared. This idiot is letting his kids swim with a natural born water killer. They have hundreds of teeth that all slope backwards so when it bites down the victim is drawn into the snakes throat.

[yippeekyaa]

Why are there permits for them? They should just say fuck it and whoever can kill them just do it.

It's like protecting stink bugs

Florida has some crazy wildlife laws. Last time I went diving there they wouldn't let me take my pole spear with me even though I was only going to use it to kill the invasive Lion fish. Yet they have Lion Fish rodeos there couple times a year and let people kill them only during the time frame of the rodeo. Why not let them be killed all year? Nonsense by beurocrats.

[Vashier]

Florida has some crazy wildlife laws. Last time I went diving there they wouldn't let me take my pole spear with me even though I was only going to use it to kill the invasive Lion fish. Yet they have Lion Fish rodeos there couple times a year and let people kill them only during the time frame of the rodeo. Why not let them be killed all year? Nonsense by beurocrats.

It's amazing how they have to make a buck while trying to get civilians to do the work for free. Do they charge for permits to fish the rodeo's? or is a state fishing license all that is needed? Do they hold the rodeo's during breeding season I hope?

[yippeekyaa]

It's amazing how they have to make a buck while trying to get civilians to do the work for free. Do they charge for permits to fish the rodeo's? or is a state fishing license all that is needed? Do they hold the rodeo's during breeding season I hope?

I honestly don't know the answer to those questions. When in Belize for a dive trip I asked about taking my spear and they encouraged me to do so. I bagged over 80 Lion Fish in 9 days of scuba diving there and ALL ending up making some nice meals for many people. Had similar experiences in other states/countries but in Florida it was frowned on. Makes no sense to me.

[Chimney Portions]

[Vashier]

I honestly don't know the answer to those questions. When in Belize for a dive trip I asked about taking my spear and they encouraged me to do so. I bagged over 80 Lion Fish in 9 days of scuba diving there and ALL ending up making some nice meals for many people. Had similar experiences in other states/countries but in Florida it was frowned on. Makes no sense to me.

I hear ya, if they want them gone, like those fucking carp that dive bomb boats in LA, then let people kill them with a reward on their heads. For years it was said that you could get like 50 cents a blue gill head in NH. because they were over populating the lakes. I'm not sure if that was true or not but it's a great idea if you want to eradicate a species.

[Vashier]

I've been waiting for eric to be in the pool

[La Flama Blanca]

Florida has some crazy wildlife laws. Last time I went diving there they wouldn't let me take my pole spear with me even though I was only going to use it to kill the invasive Lion fish. Yet they have Lion Fish rodeos there couple times a year and let people kill them only during the time frame of the rodeo. Why not let them be killed all year? Nonsense by beurocrats.

It sounds like it.. A example is this: People release pond koi in the rivers here and they get as big as the carp. There's no season, limit or permit to fish or shoot them with a bow.
The term "invasive" should sound alarms, not shield the species.

[Chimney Portions]

I hear ya, if they want them gone, like those fucking carp that dive bomb boats in LA, then let people kill them with a reward on their heads. For years it was said that you could get like 50 cents a blue gill head in NH. because they were over populating the lakes. I'm not sure if that was true or not but it's a great idea if you want to eradicate a species.

Not necessarily. There's a thing called The Cobra Effect. When areas in other nations put a bounty on cobras or rats (for example), it encouraged the illegal breeding of those animals.

Somewhere down south (possibly Florida, I forget) the government was giving people money for killing feral hogs (which are a major problem.) Well, they only had to provide the tail to claim the reward...so local butchers were inundated with calls asking to buy pig tails.

I agree that requiring a permit to provide a necessary service is retarded, but offering a reward can have side effects. There are plenty of people who'd be happy to kill shit for free. Let them at it and don't charge them for it.

[Vashier]

Not necessarily. There's a thing called The Cobra Effect. When areas in other nations put a bounty on cobras or rats (for example), it encouraged the illegal breeding of those animals.

Somewhere down south (possibly Florida, I forget) the government was giving people money for killing feral hogs (which are a major problem.) Well, they only had to provide the tail to claim the reward...so local butchers were inundated with calls asking to buy pig tails.

I agree that requiring a permit to provide a necessary service is retarded, but offering a reward can have side effects. There are plenty of people who'd be happy to kill shit for free. Let them at it and don't charge them for it.

Yup you are 100% dead on. I never take into consideration how something could be exploited by those out to fuck the system.