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shotgunshooter3
Posts: 6,116 Senior Member
Python Gun?
shotgunshooter3
Posts: 6,116 Senior Member
Some coworkers and I are talking about getting a python hunt going on in the Everglades. A lot of the logistics are fairly easy, but our variable is what gun to use.
I personally think a 12 gauge is in order, with my .44 or 10mm as a side arm. Thoughts?
I personally think a 12 gauge is in order, with my .44 or 10mm as a side arm. Thoughts?
- I am a rifleman with a poorly chosen screen name. -
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
Replies
I think one a them hi-cap wonder nines might be better than a 10mm for this.
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"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
I'm actually thinking of the other varmints that might be encountered in such an area, i.e. feral hogs and alligators. Not to mention that there have supposedly been a few confirmed anaconda sightings in rivers or large creeks.
Unfortunately only saw one and it had been run over by a truck on the access road. It was across the guys tailgate and touched the ground on both sides. It had a mouthful of larger than you would think teeth.
Kill all you can
and a goat or two.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
- George Orwell
Howabouta frog giger??? (sp?)
From what my nephew down there in Ft. Myers tells me, the big snakes in the glades are hard to find.
― Douglas Adams
Yep! Spot on. My problem with all of the snake eradication efforts in the state is that the snakes are almost impossible to see and will slither away with any approach that alarms them. Dogs would seem like to natural way to find them, but the conditions of the swamp make it nearly impossible to run dogs everywhere. The temperature of the land and water makes them noctural in the summer, so winter offers some of the better chances to find them sunning on rocks, etc.
We are never going to be rid of them. They are holed up everywhere now in the glades. We would have to form a 60 mile long beater line to try and flush them all out, and even then the nature of the swamp, holes and the animals natural ability to hide would not prove productive enough to eradicate them.
As far as weapons go, I have handled several eight to 12 ft sankes and they aren't that aggressive unless hungry. A shotgun from a swamp buggy and a large camp knife / machete should do the trick, if you can even find one in the heat of the day. Finding those cold blooded [email protected]@rds at night is nearly impossible.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Really all you need is a big bag and a forked rod to hold his head down long enough to grab him just behind the jaw hinge. Then you can bag 'em and carry it off to the taxidermist. Get one big enough and you can have new holsters for all of your carry guns!
:uhm:
Jerry
The Fakir, but playing a Pungi?
I agree 100%. With snakes it's the head! Go for the head, it makes it swift work. Snakes are very hardy otherwise. I've shot large rattlesnakes, of course they're not close to a python in size but they're still big and even they are hard to kill quickly. Snakes squirm around and can still strike and a snake as large as a python can get will even knock you off your feet. Yes, pythons can strike. And they can bite. They have no classical fangs and they have no venom but they CAN strike and bite. And then go around their victim and constrict. They literally squeeze the life out of their victims.
Go for the head always. It's the most lethal area and the quickest way to kill them. And with a python 10 feet long or longer the head is a relatively large target. And like I said before, you're probably going to encounter one inside 5 yards, unless you see one swimming or climbing a tree. So a shotgun with any size shot in it is the best way to dispatch them. I wouldn't want slugs, too hard to hit a moving target. I like the duck loads, 4s or 6s. At 5 yards it's very lethal and gives a dense pattern which can obliterate the head if you make a good shot.
Also, a machete (or large knife) and a side arm should be mandatory. Even a .22LR revolver in the hands of a skillful shot might be acceptable in my opinion; however, I think I'd limit it to no less than 9mm, but that might just be me being anal. Big snakes can make you anal.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Other than direction of rotation, a Python and a S&W 586 that's been through a custom shop are about equal, accept the Python has a Vent rib, a 586 has a solid rib.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
The snakes can be captured by hand or with hand held equipment such as snake tongs or snake hooks. Legal firearms may be used during hunting seasons when allowed. Pythons may be euthanized onsite by legal and humane means or desposited alive at a drop off site that will be designated by FWC.
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/faqs/permit-faqs/
They don't gotta look pretty.