# Florida Pythons - Getting Serious?



## georgia_home (Dec 7, 2012)

well, maybe they are getting serious. NAAAAA. probably not.

question is, will the FEDS co-operate? allowing guns on their parts of the everglades and so on?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/06/us/florida-python-hunt/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

but, i one breath (paragraph) they say KILL in another they say  REMOVE / CAPTURE. followed by limited areas, restrictions... let see how it rolls out.


----------



## Natty Bumppo (Dec 7, 2012)

They have a real problem with those snakes down there.  Hopefully the Feds will co-operate, but I wouldn't expect it.  Nevertheless, hopefully some of the snakes can be taken care of.


----------



## swamp hunter (Dec 7, 2012)

Nope the Feds have their own little Kingdom over in Everglades Nat. Park. Thats Ground Zero for the Snakes...And you ain,t going anywhere near it.
Besides it ain,t real easy walking round there. In fact most of it is No Walking. 
Snakes are running the Salt Line up the Coast , Jon boats  and Canoes might work...But Nobodys walking in Mangroves.


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 19, 2012)

swamp hunter said:


> Nope the Feds have their own little Kingdom over in Everglades Nat. Park. Thats Ground Zero for the Snakes...And you ain,t going anywhere near it.
> Besides it ain,t real easy walking round there. In fact most of it is No Walking.
> Snakes are running the Salt Line up the Coast , Jon boats  and Canoes might work...But Nobodys walking in Mangroves.



not for long anywho


----------



## firehuntfish (Dec 23, 2012)

*Pythons in the glades*

This contest might have been effective 3 years ago before the 2 week-long cold snap we had down here that pretty much killed off all of the pythons, boas, iguanas, Cuban lizards, and a half dozen other invasive non-native species we have down here. Unfortunately, it also killed off thousands of snook, trout, groupers and many other gamefish species. It was the worst fish kill I have ever seen in 40 years..... 

The iguanas were ten times worse than the snakes ever were... You just didn't hear about them because they didn't eat peoples pets.

I fish Everglades Nat'l Park about once a week. We would see pythons and boas almost every trip. Since the cold snap, I haven't seen any. I don't think it's a problem anymore. Here's what's going to happen with this contest.... Every snake seen is going to be killed regardless of what it is. Idiots are going to be chopping off heads of everything, including the endangered indigo snake... It will be a disaster like most everything else the government gets involved with....


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 24, 2012)

firehuntfish said:


> This contest might have been effective 3 years ago before the 2 week-long cold snap we had down here that pretty much killed off all of the pythons, boas, iguanas, Cuban lizards, and a half dozen other invasive non-native species we have down here. Unfortunately, it also killed off thousands of snook, trout, groupers and many other gamefish species. It was the worst fish kill I have ever seen in 40 years.....
> 
> The iguanas were ten times worse than the snakes ever were... You just didn't hear about them because they didn't eat peoples pets.
> 
> I fish Everglades Nat'l Park about once a week. We would see pythons and boas almost every trip. Since the cold snap, I haven't seen any. I don't think it's a problem anymore. Here's what's going to happen with this contest.... Every snake seen is going to be killed regardless of what it is. Idiots are going to be chopping off heads of everything, including the endangered indigo snake... It will be a disaster like most everything else the government gets involved with....



I have seen so many Indigos, I would never have thought they were endangered........

Somehow I dont think the cold snap killed all them reptiles off though........

Yes, if the Gvmnt is involved, it will be a disaster, that fo sho!


----------



## Nicodemus (Dec 24, 2012)

bfriendly said:


> I have seen so many Indigos, I would never have thought they were endangered........
> 
> Somehow I dont think the cold snap killed all them reptiles off though........
> 
> Yes, if the Gvmnt is involved, it will be a disaster, that fo sho!





Where did you see all the indigo snakes?


----------



## swamp hunter (Dec 24, 2012)

YEA , Where ? 
I ain,t seen a Real Indigo in 20 Years...And I been lookin


----------



## Boar Hog (Dec 24, 2012)

I've never seen one in the wild, but it would be kinda cool I think!


----------



## flyfisher76544 (Dec 24, 2012)

swamp hunter said:


> YEA , Where ?
> I ain,t seen a Real Indigo in 20 Years...And I been lookin



Plenty of them on Fort Stewart and Long County as well.


----------



## jcinpc (Dec 24, 2012)

there are always a few in and around my yard, my weiner dog killed on a few years ago. I love the black snakes and the indigos, they feed on all the cuban treee frogs. I always keep some brushpiles and debris in the back for them to nest


----------



## deermaster81 (Dec 25, 2012)

I see them fairly often in north Florida. Not very rare around here


----------



## godogs57 (Dec 25, 2012)

bfriendly said:


> I have seen so many Indigos, I would never have thought they were endangered........
> 
> Somehow I dont think the cold snap killed all them reptiles off though........
> 
> Yes, if the Gvmnt is involved, it will be a disaster, that fo sho!



Where have you seen Indigos? Certainly not in Acworth! I live in Lee County, which has outstanding Indigo habitat, and have only seen two in twenty years. One on a plantation on the Flint River and, interestingly, one right in town. A neighborhood woman called me (I work for USDA) and asked me to remove it from her backyard, laying next to her pool. 

I'm only guessing, but I would bet my last dollar you saw black rat snakes. Correct me if I am wrong.


----------



## 2bbshot (Dec 25, 2012)

I've seen one indigo in my life and I am always looking. I don't know anywhere indigo snakes are plentiful.


----------



## Nicodemus (Dec 25, 2012)

godogs57 said:


> Where have you seen Indigos? Certainly not in Acworth! I live in Lee County, which has outstanding Indigo habitat, and have only seen two in twenty years. One on a plantation on the Flint River and, interestingly, one right in town. A neighborhood woman called me (I work for USDA) and asked me to remove it from her backyard, laying next to her pool.
> 
> I'm only guessing, but I would bet my last dollar you saw black rat snakes. Correct me if I am wrong.





Hank, I saw an indigo about 5 feet long on the east side of the Flint River dam back in that sandy scrub oak ridge close to the ball park. The other one was in Putnam County Florida and was a good 7 feet long, if not bigger. That one let me walk right up to it. Only two I`ve ever seen.


----------



## GA DAWG (Dec 25, 2012)

How you tell the difference?


----------



## Nicodemus (Dec 25, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> How you tell the difference?





Indigos are more muscled up, and heavier. And they are so shiny black they seem to have a bluish tint.


----------



## GA DAWG (Dec 25, 2012)

I Prolly ain't never seen one. They jet black with no markings? I did see a legless lizard up here a few yrs ago on Dawson Forest. Was funny looking. Didn't know what it was. Looked it up on net.


----------



## crackerdave (Dec 25, 2012)

In the 20 years I have lived on my little spot of land, I have seen one Indigo.It was about 6 feet long and was sound asleep on my dam.


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 26, 2012)

Nicodemus said:


> Where did you see all the indigo snakes?



In Florida(Bradenton).........I saw 1 on two different occasions when I was in High School, while out hog hunting....then around'94, just before I moved up here, I saw 1 on 3 different occasions........Behind the house in a Ditch(twice) and once, I heard this little screaming sound coming from the overgrown tree farm which was right next to my house-out came a frog just jumping and screaming............I looked over and sure enough, one was right on its tail and Nailed him!  He held his head up with the frog in its mouth, looked at me and turned around, went back through the fence into the tree farm..........it may have been the same one each time at that house That was one cool thing to see......I'll never forget it.

Funny though, I have NEVER seen a Moccasin, never seen a rattler, nor have I ever seen a Python in the wild

Only snake I have seen up here besides a little bitty "Ringneck", and some non-poisonous Water snake of some kind, was another Shiny black snake, but it had Yellow markings like Diamonds on its Belly....King Snake? It was BIG!


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 26, 2012)

Nicodemus said:


> Indigos are more muscled up, and heavier. And they are so shiny black they seem to have a bluish tint.



When I was growing up, my favorite books were the World Book Encyclopedias...........they had lots of color pictures of snakes, Birds and dogs.......

I was pretty sure the snakes I saw were Indigos due to having that shiny Gun Metal Blue color to them......Beautiful Snakes!


----------



## MudDucker (Dec 26, 2012)

I have an indigo that I see about every 3 months at my farm.  He is always welcome.  In Lowndes County, we actually have a pipe under the perimeter road that was designed for indigo snake movement.  Don't know if any of them have ever used it before.


----------



## firehuntfish (Dec 26, 2012)

I have done most of my Florida hunting and fishing south of Lake Okeechobee. I have only seen 2 Indigos in 35 plus years down this way. 

They are a beautiful snake with a very docile disposition. They will let you pick them up handle them. That's the main reason that they are endangered....They make great pets and they are easy to catch in the wild.... Glad to hear there are some left in the northern counties of Florida. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they Florida is the only state they are native to...


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 26, 2012)

firehuntfish said:


> I have done most of my Florida hunting and fishing south of Lake Okeechobee. I have only seen 2 Indigos in 35 plus years down this way.
> 
> They are a beautiful snake with a very docile disposition. They will let you pick them up handle them. That's the main reason that they are endangered....They make great pets and they are easy to catch in the wild.... Glad to hear there are some left in the northern counties of Florida. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they Florida is the only state they are native to...



Non poisonous or not............I wasn't gonna try to catch the ones I have seen........Way too big for me!

They may be endangered, but I figured if I saw one, there must be a bunch...........

Kinda like the panther.............I actually got to see one.......I watched it watch me for a good 15 minutes before it finally left.............it was on the second fairway at Cypress Creek Golf Club in Sun City Fl.........There must be a bunch of them if I saw one


----------



## gunsaler111 (Dec 26, 2012)

Boar Hog said:


> I've never seen one in the wild, but it would be kinda cool I think!



Ive seen one,at the fourway stop on westlake rd north of hwy 96, in what used to be ocmulgee wma.


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Dec 29, 2012)

georgia_home said:


> well, maybe they are getting serious. NAAAAA. probably not.
> 
> question is, will the FEDS co-operate? allowing guns on their parts of the everglades and so on?
> 
> ...



Yep, Florida has their hands full with this huge invasive species.  These sure are some giant honking snakes.  Snake hunters from all over ought to get involve in this 1-month Jan./Feb 2013 python hunting contest.

Here's another recent encounter with a monster Florida python:  



http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog...rida+picnic+area+is+a+17-foot+burmese+python/ 

Unwanted guest in Florida picnic area is a 17-foot Burmese python 

Saturday, December 29, 2012 






"At 17 feet, the python was just shy of the *Florida record: a 17-foot, 7-inch* specimen captured last year." 

"The python hunt referred to in the CNN report is the "2013 Python Challenge," a *month-long hunt that kicks off Jan. 12. *The inaugural program, in which *hunters armed with firearms and machetes will kill as many pythons as they can,* is an attempt to dent the population of the invasive reptiles, which threaten native wildlife. "


Python crashes picnic South Florida

 

Dec 29, 2012


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 30, 2012)

"For that long, its pretty skinny" says the warden

I cannot wait to see the snakes in January


----------



## Son (Dec 30, 2012)

And to think of all the years i hunted and slept on the ground down in South Fl. 
Last big indigo i saw, crawled into my lap while i was napping in the woods of Collier Co. Fl.  Yep, when the sun came up on cool mornings i would often find an old downed tree or any comfortable spot to sit and watch for deer. Fell asleep that time, and awakened to find the snake checking me out. He crawled off shortly.
I've seen a few back in the 50's in Avon Park management area/bombing range.


----------



## CarMan (Dec 31, 2012)

They're around Acworth. I saw one at Allatoona WMA back a few years ago in Bartow county. Cool looking fellow.


----------



## crackerdave (Dec 31, 2012)

Okay......who wants to go south and do some snake huntin'? I'm serious! February works for me.Who's got a bay dog for snakes?


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Feb 1, 2013)

Wish they would have another Python Hunting Season during a warmer time of the year when pythons could be more active.

Here's an update at the end of the Florida Python Challenge:  



http://www.pythonchallenge.org/ 

2013 Python Challenge 

UPDATE! *41 harvested Burmese pythons* were received by the University of Florida as of Friday, February 1st. The pythons are being processed and logged by UF for the 2013 Python Challenge™. Additional updates on the number of snakes harvested will be posted here on a regular basis on Tuesdays and Fridays. The last update posted until after the closing celebration will be Friday, February 8th.

REMINDER! The last day to harvest Burmese pythons in the Big Cypress Wildlfe Management Area for the Python Challenge is today, Friday, February 1, 2013. 






http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/29/3206171/floridas-python-hunt-yields-37.html 

Florida's python hunt yields 37 snakes so far 

Tuesday, 01.29.13 


"More than 1,000 people signed up to hunt pythons *through Feb. 10 *in the hopes of winning cash prizes." 






"13-foot-long Burmese python"


----------



## olcowman (Feb 2, 2013)

CarMan said:


> They're around Acworth. I saw one at Allatoona WMA back a few years ago in Bartow county. Cool looking fellow.



Are you sure? Was it with a black panther or a bigfoot?

I ain't ever seen but one in the wild and that was Davie Florida in the late 70s when they was more cows than yankees a wearing Depends in Broward county... I ain't sure they are any around North Georgia?


----------



## elfiii (Feb 5, 2013)

Saw an Indigo two years ago at camp in SE Troup Co. He was laid out on top of one of my wood racks about eye level. That's another story.

He was a nice 6 footer and based on the rat and mouse pellets I found in the rack he figured out where the buffet line was. Haven't seen a mouse in camp in a long time. I hope he is still out there doing his job.


----------



## EuroTech (Mar 6, 2013)

I have had three crawl into my hand in the last three years { because it aint legal to capture one } and they were the real deal . One was in the keys and two were in Washington co. I was trying to catch my young son a rat snake but every snake I seen was a Indigo there for a while. But they are still rare.


----------



## NCHillbilly (Mar 6, 2013)

olcowman said:


> Are you sure? Was it with a black panther or a bigfoot?
> 
> I ain't ever seen but one in the wild and that was Davie Florida in the late 70s when they was more cows than yankees a wearing Depends in Broward county... I ain't sure they are any around North Georgia?



Prolly a few black racers, though.


----------

