FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post - Python hunt falls well short of expectations

11-01-2009, 10:27 PM

The Florida Department of Natural Resources is filled with very intelligent scientists. I've seen the data. I attended the National Wildlife Society Conference last year in Miami and there was a whole symposium dedicated to this topic. Trust me when I say that I trust their theory a lot more than most people's facts.

Honestly, I think 37 is a really good number for the first python hunt. Think about it. We're hunting a species that although large is highly cryptic (aka hard to find), exists in a very difficult to access area (the Everglades), and we don't have any good hunting methods yet. This was an experiment, and although they didn't kill as many as they hoped, they probably killed more than the scientists' expected.

In addition, do we know how many permits were issued? The only number I have is 14, although I certainly hope (and am inclined to believe) that more were issued than that. We'll have to wait until FL DNR releases their annual report, but I'm curious.

I'm an avid deer hunter, but let me tell you how difficult it is to actually find one of America's most abundant animals when it's hunting season. I've hunted in areas with as many as 35 deer per square mile and didn't see a single one during a whole month of hunting season! And deer are big! And they leave poop and tracks and other signs of their passing. I can't imagine a semi-aquatic big snake is going to leave a lot of sign for trackers to find. Hunting isn't as easy as it looks with those staged 'hunts' on TV.

Were you aware that Greg Graziani himself participated in this hunt? Kudos for him. He's a true representative of what our reptile community should be: focused on the welfare of captive reptiles AND fully aware of local conservation issues and willing to work hard to give the reptile community a respectable face.

Here is the article: http://www.tampabay.com/features/hum...cle1046407.ece

The hunt was successful. Snakes were killed. That's 37 fewer pythons in the Everglades. I think we should all follow in Greg Graziani's example and try to be part of the solution instead of denying what is very much a problem in Florida.

11-01-2009, 10:27 PM	#4
snowgyre	The Florida Department of Natural Resources is filled with very intelligent scientists. I've seen the data. I attended the National Wildlife Society Conference last year in Miami and there was a whole symposium dedicated to this topic. Trust me when I say that I trust their theory a lot more than most people's facts. Honestly, I think 37 is a really good number for the first python hunt. Think about it. We're hunting a species that although large is highly cryptic (aka hard to find), exists in a very difficult to access area (the Everglades), and we don't have any good hunting methods yet. This was an experiment, and although they didn't kill as many as they hoped, they probably killed more than the scientists' expected. In addition, do we know how many permits were issued? The only number I have is 14, although I certainly hope (and am inclined to believe) that more were issued than that. We'll have to wait until FL DNR releases their annual report, but I'm curious. I'm an avid deer hunter, but let me tell you how difficult it is to actually find one of America's most abundant animals when it's hunting season. I've hunted in areas with as many as 35 deer per square mile and didn't see a single one during a whole month of hunting season! And deer are big! And they leave poop and tracks and other signs of their passing. I can't imagine a semi-aquatic big snake is going to leave a lot of sign for trackers to find. Hunting isn't as easy as it looks with those staged 'hunts' on TV. Were you aware that Greg Graziani himself participated in this hunt? Kudos for him. He's a true representative of what our reptile community should be: focused on the welfare of captive reptiles AND fully aware of local conservation issues and willing to work hard to give the reptile community a respectable face. Here is the article: http://www.tampabay.com/features/hum...cle1046407.ece The hunt was successful. Snakes were killed. That's 37 fewer pythons in the Everglades. I think we should all follow in Greg Graziani's example and try to be part of the solution instead of denying what is very much a problem in Florida.