Posted on 10/22/2022 2:08:30 AM PDT by dennisw
Matthew Concepcion won the prize for the most pythons removed, having hunted a total of 28 snakes.
Dustin Crum won the prize for the biggest python removed, having captured a snake measuring 11 feet and 24 inches.
A total of 231 invasive Burmese pythons were removed in total from the Florida ecosystem during the 10-day challenge in August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced.
Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida. They are native to Asia, but they can also survive in Florida's subtropical climate.
The snakes were first introduced to the environment in the 1970s—likely as exotic pets released into the wild. Ever since, they have been extremely destructive to the native ecosystem, and their population is only increasing.
The hunt, which is managed by the FWC, is a yearly effort to remove as many of the snakes from the ecosystem as possible.
In total, nearly 1,000 participants across 32 states took part in the challenge.
One of them was Stephen Gauta, who took part in the challenge alongside his cousin, Jake Waleri.
"The challenge interests me because I love getting outdoors and learning more about the wildlife in south Florida," Gauta told Newsweek. "Since these pythons are such a destructive force I feel like it's my responsibility to go and take part in a the python challenge to give our native wildlife a fighting chance."
The Burmese pythons feast on much of Florida's native wildlife, such as bobcats and deer.
Gauta said he and fellow hunters road cruise, meaning they drive slowly along the shoulder of roads with bright lights, look around the swamp.
"Once again, the Florida Python Challenge® has yielded impressive results with hundreds of invasive pythons being removed from the wild," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a press release.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Why can’t they do with pythons what they do with humans - modify their DNA to make them infertile?
It isn’t how many you remove that’s important. It’s how many are still left.
Two things:
First you left Democrats off your list
Second, and this is just my opinion, 300 blackout is overkill for the species you listed.
Supersonics, yes, maybe... although I tend to be a fan of using a sufficient caliber to make sure that what gets shot stays shot.
Subsonics are a different matter. These are roughly ballistically equivalent to a .45acp, except you have a spitzer bullet. Only effective out to 150 yards, if that. But with the undergrowth here, it's rare to get a shot that's half that distance.
The Simpsons predicted this.
I was told by my granny that were supposed to be natural fences for cattle. We have some on the farm and they do work like hedgerows. Problem is they work like hedgerows and expand every time an stem reaches the ground it sprouts roots and becomes thicker.
It takes up valuable space and is a hassle to keep bushhgged.
Dustin Crum won the prize for the biggest python removed, having captured a snake measuring 11 feet and 24 inches.
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HUH?
And armadillos..........................
Exactly! Johnson grass was also brought in probably for the same reason.
My favorite Youtube channels are the iguana hunters who use air rifles......looks like a lot of fun with an incredible number of targets.“
I’ll have to look for that!
Here's just one. I'd be careful tho, you might get hooked on PCP air rifles and they're not cheap......LOL!
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