Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire "Swamp People" - Snakes

I am totally ignorant about this snake business. (Probably could have dispensed with the last four words.) Any help with understanding would be appreciated.

Why don't they use a forked stick to pin the snake's head to the ground or use a noose on a pole to catch them?

If Florida is so deadly serious about eliminating the snakes, why don't they just shoot the bastards instead of catch them?

Bill mentioned that they wanted to catch the hybrids before they could breed. Are the hybrids not sterile?

It does seem odd the way they swing a sack containing a 100+# snake around so easily with one hand.

If it's on TV, it's not real.

Good to see you Pat.

You wanna have some TV fun watch Survivorman, Bigfoot series. Sumbitch hears bigfeets whooping at him, thinks every broken tree in the forest is a bigfeet marker post, and goes into detail about bigfeet behaviors. Hillllllarioooouuuuussss.

Fireball2,

You never heard of Eden Valley? Where have you been?

Thanks amigo. Swore off all social media for a couple of months.

Southern Oregon

I'm with you.! Ride around on an air boat, find one, kill it. Move on. As often a possible. Bounties & media probably got the efficiency all effed up.

I'm seeing more and more of the so-called outdoor, "Reality", shows with the word, "Enhanced", added in the TV guide descriptions.

"Enhance -- SYNONYMS
increase, add to, intensify, magnify, amplify, inflate, strengthen, build up, supplement, augment, boost, upgrade, raise, lift, escalate, elevate, exalt, aggrandize, swell
improve, enrich, complement, heighten, deepen, stress, reinforce, underline, emphasize

informal jack up, hike"

So basically a boob job for your TV show...

You have been missed!

It's TV....mostly made up chit in order to fool the audience.

In my younger days I kept boas and Burmese pythons for pets. Cannot understand for the life of me the fear of those guys when they encounter one in the wild. They pretend it’s a six foot cobra instead of a six foot non venomous python, dodging his strikes. Oh please....just Grab it and, because it’s a cold blooded reptile, it’ll wear down soon.

Saw swap people guy “try” to catch an eight footer last night and he rassled it, got all contorted trying to subdue it and had to let it go, leaving it to the other guy to capture it...because it was soooo strong Troy Landry couldn’t handle it. That one or two minute clip there was utter Hollywood bull feces. They are strong but not THAT strong. Especially to a guy who pulls 300 # gators into his boat. My largest Burmese was over 15 feet long and while quite tame, it was easy to handle even when it started flexing its muscles playing around.

We hunt gators down here too and I love to see them give the weights on the gators they catch on that show...more BS. Every big gator is “750 pounds” . More Hollywood BS.....

Godogs57-

You are 100% correct. I watched it for a couple of minutes and turned the channel in disgust. Also they " caught " an African Rock Python which, as you know, is a different species from the Burmese. I don't believe Crutchfield had any rocks escape when the hurricane hit that I know about. Maybe ................ Oh well, its sad to see what the gator show has turned into.

I’ve never knew so many 13’ Gators existed or that so many 10-11’ Gators weighed 500-800 lbs until I saw that show. I’ve not seen too many despite roaming around SC and to a lesser extent N GA. Must be because they catch so many on the show there aren’t many left for us lowly non-celebrities. I remember seeing a 12’, one of my first, that was skinny as a snake and weighed probably 300#s or less. A 13’+ gator or one over 500 lbs is pretty exceptional by my lowly standard.

There are some pretty good sized gators around the Savannah, Ga area, and in general along the coast. Not nearly the numbers as what is portrayed in Louisiana on "Swamp People". We don't have the habitat that they do. I see them sometimes when out fishing both in fresh and salt water.

I don't have any interest in messing with them.

Would be a lot easier and more efficient if they had one of those noose on a pole contraptions; but then; it wouldn't make for the theatrical requirements of things like drama, suspense, excitement, etc. and the show wouldn't be as enthralling to viewers and the ratings would go down. Gotta keep the audience from getting bored and changing the channel. In real life they'd be using something other than bare hands especially considering the amount of bounty money supposedly paid. Wasn't it something like $200. to $450. per snake ? Or am I not recalling that correctly?

I wondered why the catch them alive. What happens after they catch them?

They don't catch the gators alive.

Another thing: They shoot the gators in the brain with a .22 and the gator instantly dies. I shot a 14 foot Nile crocodile in the brain with a 180 grain bullet at 3200 fps, immediately shot it again in the heart-lung area, and ten minutes later it opened and closed its jaws.

Pat nailed it.

Like others have said, Swamp People catch so many 800 pound MONSTER gators, yet they are able to fling them into the boat one handed...

As for pythons I dont know why they don't just shoot them. And yes, there're now rock pythons in florida and they are a different breed, they will bite you given the chance, and while not venomous, Im sure its an unpleasant experience.

Better yet try watching "Bigfoot is real" on the travel channel, I think it comes on on Sunday nights. It's got to be the WORST show ever made. I watched in stunned disbelief at the stupidity of the show when I stumbled on to it. It's worth the price of admission to watch it once, you won't believe your eyes or ears.