Florida wildlife, pythons

[smo]

The Glades --- I'm not so sure I would want to go snake huntin' in here... :shocked2: :rotf: :haha: :shake: :surrender: :bull:

 

[Richard J.]

You would be better off down here committing murder than killing one of there gators. Dont understand there thinking. When they become a problem it shouldnt cost you any money to get rid of it. See alot of them while fishing down here. Dont seem to bother anyone along the rivers, but if you had kids and they are in your yard or chasing your dog that would be a major problem with a quick outcome. Cant bear hunt down here and they are a real problem. Way to many and they dont know what to do about it. Common sense would tell you to have a limited season on them to thin them out but that wont happen. The mountain lions are real cool. You dont often see them. Mostly they get hit with cars while crossing the highway.

RJ

 

[Richard J.]

They had the snake problem on the national news today again. They explained that the study consisted of driving on all the roads and counting the road kills and what animal they were. They said it was over 8 years that they have been doing it. Doesnt sound to scientific to me. I would think that cars and not snakes would be killing the wildlife.

RJ

 

[arw22lr]

Python skins ought to be worth something. Don't people use them for boots & purses? Wonder if it's legal.

Thanks to all you Floridians, etc. for your comments.

 

[Kapow]

Australia - taking over the world - one tree at a time! Do you know what type of tree they are? Eucalypts??

There is a huge uproar from the greenies here as the Aboriginal owners are trying to introduce safari style hunting for crocs (they only want 25/year out of 150 000 population) for income. The greenies are worried that some crocodiles may be harmed. Of course they bloody will, that's the whole point!!!

 

[bigbore442001]

Twenty five out of 150K? It could be a hell of a lot higher than that. That would be quite an adventure for someone who can afford it.

 

[huntinguy]

Australia - taking over the world - one tree at a time! Do you know what type of tree they are? Eucalypts??

There is a huge uproar from the greenies here as the Aboriginal owners are trying to introduce safari style hunting for crocs (they only want 25/year out of 150 000 population) for income. The greenies are worried that some crocodiles may be harmed. Of course they bloody will, that's the whole point!!!

maybe the greenies would be okay if it was, skin and release. :rotf:

There are two dirty words to those folks: hunting, conservation.

DFW is kinda strange. Up here they didn't acceptance there were opossums in the state for several years after after roadkill became a problem. Guess if it is dead it isn't there :shake: And don't even ask about the wolf population :nono:

 

[Kapow]

I'm hearing you brother. Off the sth Queensland coast (just below the great barrier reef) the world's largest sand island called Fraser Island lies. It is loaded with dingoes of the purest strain ie no domestic dogs to cross with.

When the population gets a bit higher than normal, ie another kid gets mauled or eaten, they catch a bunch of them and take em to the mainland so their genetics can be spread. In their infinite wisdom National Parks dump them right in the middle of cattle country! Genius.

Sorry, nothing to do with pythons...do pythons eat dingoes?? :hmm:

 

[Robby]

Kapow, Colt pythons do. :grin:
Robby

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The Aussie trees are Melaleuca, paper-bark, cajeput, punk tree, white bottlebrush tree They have gotten them under some control in parts of the glades, but when I was there last, the things were popping up every where.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

For invasive species, Maryland has a big problem with Nutria.

WE DO? :shocked2:


Let me check the DNR website..., Wow yes we do! They were introduced in 1943 for added fur harvesting, and oops, they got out of hand.

And they are open year round and no limit....., I had no idea. I will have to look into that.

Now as for pythons...., are they tasty? If they are then we should eat them, yes??

LD

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Loyalist Dave. Now, Dave, the things ya can learn by reading the Washington Post. Their former outdoor writer Angus Phillips did a huge write up about Nutria back around 15 years ago.

 

[Kapow]

That's really bad and surprising. We always think of our country as being the victim of invasive species but never really think about the harm we potentially do to other ecosystems.

Mind you if it weren't for introduced species there would effectively be no hunting in this country. I just wish they had the forsight to introduce kudu, etc. God knows we're right for snakes.

 

[Robert Egler]

As I understand it, the Eastern Grey Squirrel was imported from North America to the UK for hunting years ago, and has greatly reduced the population of the native European Red Squirrel. So its not just us in the US who come up with these bad ideas.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

As I understand it the common night crawler was brought in potted fruit trees from England to Jamestown. ie before the English, Indians didn't have worms for fishing bait. Norwegian rats came by Ship, Ringneck pheasants were first brought in by Ben Franklin. Starlings, wild boar, PA had no whitetail to speak of around 1910 and the state brought in deer from Michigan to release. The state once planted Autumn Olive and Multiflora rose for wildlife shelter and now realizes they are noxious weeds. Mile a minute weed was brought to PA from the orient by a flower fancier in the 1960's. Kudzu, West nile fever carrying mosquitos, Those pesky mussels that jam up the hydro power intakes. Water Hyacinth, Nutria, Gypsy Moths. Freakin world is gone nuts.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Their former outdoor writer Angus Phillips did a huge write up about Nutria back around 15 years ago.

I stopped reading the Post in 1990. Cops and the press don't mix well. :grin: At least as far as the Washington [com]Post goes. :haha:

Dorchester county is full of the little fur balls. Apparently they are a sort of aquatic groundhog....,

LD

 

[asalufa]

Back to the python issue...

Believe it or not, they really are that a big issue down there. A study was just recently published that used the exact same methods to survey areas with and without the pythons. I'm not talking newspaper article- I'm talking about a scientific study done by folks who know what they're doing. I'm guessing the 90% statement you're talking about is a simplification of their results. They basically found that compared to areas without the pythons, there was a tremendous reduction in the amount of wildlife in areas where the pythons were well established.

The pythons can and do eat everything up to the size of key deer (I've seen the dissection pictures), and since they don't sleep, they're pretty darn good at sneaking up on things that do. Although they don't need to eat constantly, but the more they eat, the more they grow, and they're finding a lot of unsuspecting prey in the everglades.

The hunting season effort failed at least partially 'cause the blasted things are hard as heck to find, so they had low harvest numbers.

 

[Robby]

It would be nice if they could wipe them all out! As far as hunting them, seems like one approach would be like that used in hunting many other species, sex. I don't know, but the females, or even the males must release a pheromone that attracts their opposite and cant be resisted. Find that and they will find you!
Robby

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I watch a show where these people go out and take care of Pythons, Tegu lizards and native snakes.
They are wildlife officers no regular people. They say that Hurricane Andrew crashed a bunch of pet shops and this is how the Burmese Pythons got established in Florida. They have not expressed an opinion how a breeding population of South American Tegu lizards wound up in south Miami.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

these animal shows on the tube crack me up, snakes of all sizes n they take them alive, wouldn't want to hurt anyones feelings I guess, ya wonder if they ever heard of a machete. Whack , no more problem n nobdy gets bit or anything else.

better to bag up seven two foot long snake parts, then get bit by one 14 foot python.

post script; It's the old fur trapper in me, but arn't there hides worth something? Bill Tyler? Is that you Bill Tyler?! There is a place,in the glade of ever, it is fiercely guarded by the FF&G, but there are pythons, as many as stars in the sky! :wink: