Gunslinger Forums.com

So what the heck is "approved means?" Strangulation? Stomping? Decapitation? A big rock?

I imagine the prohibition on firearms is there because they don't want a bunch of drunken yahoos with shotguns sloshing through the swamps shooting at every swirl they see in the water? Probably cuts down on emergency room crowding, too.

I was gonna ask the same thing DR. Are you supposed to take along a syringe full of a vet approved drug to do the deed???? lol

According to the Miami Herald, "Hunters may use pistol, rifle and shotgun. No centerfire rifles may be used. No reptiles may be braught out alive, all kills must be reported to the FWC within 36 hours."

Only the "scared of snakes" would want to use a centerfire rifle anyway. Pythons might get/be big, but I have 2 in my basement.
Maybe I might become "ERC, THE SNAKE HUNTER", move to FL (again), have my own show, and not let the cameras see what I have for the really dangerous stuff......

Since you mention it erc...... I consider myself a reptile fan and amature Herptologist.
I've had more than my fare share of the weird and wild when it comes to reptiles as pets.
So having a snake in my back yard isn't gonna bother me unless it's poisonous or big enough to kill a human or other pet. And even then I'd just wrangle it up and deposit it somewhere far away.

Welp, 2 of of the one's here in the basement could take me if they took a notion, that's why the wife and I always feed them or clean cages together. They ain't that big around like a retic or burmese, but they are long and strong enough to choke a person out because the person can't handle the length and strength.
They can't eat me but they can for sure kill me, a kid, a pet, whatever. You'd be surprised at what you think by looking at a snake, as to what it's killing capability is. Again they might not be big enough to eat you, but being big enough to kill you is a far different scenario.

Adrenaline and fight or flight would come into play yeah, but the fact is, these animals are not to be toyed with really. Snakes are not "pets" and have no loyalty to anything but food and survival. Small ones are cool, bigger ones are cool, as long as you respect them for what they are and what they can do.

They don't growl, swell up, get that "mean look", or anything else. They just strike, and if you can't handle that, they will kill you, even if they can't eat you.

Snakes don't know they can't eat you until they try to after you are dead and no longer a threat. Once they find that out, they move on to something they can eat and just leave you for the buzzards.

Burmese, Retics, Anacondas, etc........................unless huge can't eat a person because of the shoulders, no matter what you see on the net. I've seen Anacondas with heads bigger than my fists together, and seen them eat things twice their head size, but the structure of the human body would not allow them to get past your head. Yeah they can kill you easily, but to eat you would take a snake larger than any that's been caught or killed.

The rule of thumb is a snake like this (constrictor) cannot or will not eat something larger than twice it's girth. It's jaws "unhinge" but it only unhinges to about twice it's girth. Sure it can eat your head at 20 feet long and the girth of a cantaloupe, but your shoulders are the barrier to being eaten by it. Prey animals eaten head first have their legs and shoulders close to the body and are designed to fold back along with the limbs. Humans shoulders are rigid in this respect basically and protrude far beyond the soft tissue of the chest and ribcage (it's flexible and compressible since that's how we are able to breath) that is compressible. The next widest part of the rigid skeleton would be the hips. About half (normally) the width of the shoulders and not a problem for a snake big enough to eat your head. A snake big enough to actually eat an average adult human would generally have to have a girth equal to a human head to be able to swallow the shoulders.
If it was that big, it would not be able to do much after the fact because your shoulders would make it almost immobile.

No matter though really, it still killed you.

So what kind of snakes do you have erc?

9ft Jungle Carpet Python, 7ft Ball Python, and 6 ft Columbian Redtailed Boa.

Jungle is only as big around as 1.5" PVC but long and strong. I can only actually "control" less than half of her if she gets goofy.
Ball is twice that if not more, and even stronger. Takes both hands to handle him if he gets weird.
Boa don't count really as she's only about and inch right now in dia. but she's the dog of the three and needs tongs to get her out for feeding without getting bit. I just get a hold on her behind the head and let her wrap my arm after I get her out of the cage with the tongs. She gets too silly, I got my other hand and arm free to unwrap her.

Carpets are notoriously nasty tempred actually. Not nearly as bad as Reticulated's are mind you.... But nonetheless...... So if she's not nippy then consider yourself lucky. ;)
I had a Ball quite a while back and he was a very tame and laid back Ball. Usually Ball's are pretty skiddish about being handled. Or for that matter just having people or other animals near their cages.

If your Red Tail is nippy that's also unusual?
All of the Red Tails I've met have been some of the most easy going Pythons around. Maybe it's just because she's somewhat young still?

Glad to hear you enjoy the company of snakes big guy.

I'll stick to ring-necks, thank you.

While most of the pythons here are "normal sized"

some can get a bit large and will do some strange things.

(That was a 200 pound python there!)

Here's the link from the Tampa news.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/04/040617/wildlife-experts-question-python-numbers-everglade/

I don't think I want to try and feend anything that big, let alone "catch it" bare handed.

I remember seeing that! Obviously that one bit off a bit more than he could swallow! lol

As far as pitching a tent? Not a problem, it's Florida for cripes sake. Heck I'd even sleep at a rest stop (long as FHP got that under control now from back in the early 90's).