IAN NANCE: The Florida Python Challenge is back for another run
Slide 6 of the Florida Python Challenge Training module noted that all participants should prepare for a “variety of outdoor conditions common in the Florida environment” including sudden weather changes, heavy precipitation, lightning, flash flooding, high temperatures and humidity, sun exposure, insects and dangerous/venomous wildlife.
We could eliminate three-quarters of that list by moving this event into late-January or February when the heat and humidity aren't as suffocating, and the snakes can be found sunning in the relatively cooler air.
But, who am I to argue with success? According to FWC, the 2021 Florida Python Challenge removed 223 invasive Burmese pythons last summer, more than twice the number that was eliminated during the January 2020 competition.
Yes, it’s back for another run — the 2022 Florida Python Challenge will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, and run through 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14. During this time, folks will be able to remove Burmese pythons from the following public lands for a chance to win cash and prizes:
• Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area (WMA)
• Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA
• Frog Pond Public Small Game Area (PSGA)
• Holey Land WMA
• Rocky Glades PGSA
• Rotenberger WMA
• Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area
The Burmese python is an invasive constrictor that has established itself in the Everglades ecosystem. These snakes eat everything and have been well-publicized for the damage they’ve levied on the area’s wildlife, including their headlining fights-to-the death with gators occasionally recorded on smartphone cameras.
Since pythons have proven themselves to be prolific breeders, hopes of eradicating their presence have realistically shifted into slowing their conquest of the state through various techniques including paid bounty hunters, snake-sniffing dogs, and the release of so-called Judas pythons which are radio-tagged and lead biologists to other pythons, especially during mating season.
The Python Challenge is another tool for removing these reptiles. It was originally conceived as more of a PR event to teach about the dangers of invasive species, but as people took interest and learned how to safely and successfully remove these predators, it has evolved into an annual competition.
In an effort to attract a large number of competitors, the Challenge is open to both professional and novice participants. For each category, a $2,500 prize is awarded to the person who submits the most pythons, and $1,500 is paid out to the hunter who submits the longest snake. Second place finishers will earn $750. Active duty military personnel and veterans who register for the competition will be eligible for additional prizes.
Speaking of registration, the entry fee is $25, and that will at least buy you an official Python Challenge shirt, while supplies last. Prior to registration, each would-be python wrangler must complete the aforementioned training and score at least an 85% on the ensuing quiz. I got a 96.67% — I hurried and missed one true/false question about safe snake handling or something. It also took me a minute on a question about proper python attire; I mean, flip-flops and bathing suits are my usual hunting outfits between July and October in this state.
I don’t know yet whether I will be among the competitive field this August or not. I participated in the 2016 Python Challenge and spent the better part of a January afternoon staring into cattails in the Everglades WMA without any luck.
Still, when adventure calls, I’m usually close to the phone, and wandering through South Florida trying to spot a 12-foot serpent is high on the thrill scale, more so considering the outdoor conditions common in the Florida environment in August.
For more information on the 2022 Florida Python Challenge, please visit flpythonchallenge.org
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: IAN NANCE: The Florida Python Challenge is back for another run
