Joe Rogan Experience #2020 - Python Cowboy

[Music]. by night. [Music]. am I wearing these yeah okay you feel. weird no just have you done a podcast. before I have uh not quite to this level. I don't think but how did you get first. of all how bad is the python an invasive. species situation in Florida it is bad. it's definitely bad you know you you.

have these TV shows that. make especially the python thing seem. like it's a lot worse than it is. um you know or a lot easier than it is I. should say it's a bad situation we have. our native Wildlife being wiped out but. it's not like you're just gonna go out. there and you're tripping over pythons. you know it's not the case uh I search. very very hard to find that there was an. estimate of 500.

000 pythons in the Everglades could be. more. um I personally think there's less. really I do I do we don't really know. what's out there uh the estimates have. been a hundred thousand all the way up. to three million and how do they. estimate that's the thing they're just. going off of captures really and the. decline of native Wildlife which there's. other factors at play when it comes to. the decline of our native Wildlife.

obviously pythons are eating up our. native wildlife in the Everglades. without doubt there is a lot of evidence. of that but our Everglades is a. struggling place as it is right now. between the Water Management the. overpopulation of our state we have a. growing Panther population that we're. looking like we're having trouble. sustaining and um sustaining how so uh. well we see a lot of depredation in. Collier and Henry County.

um from when you mean depredation you. mean attack and Wildlife uh attacking. not so much Wildlife but excuse me pets. and livestock livestock yes sir. um and we just see that there's more. Panthers than we're accounting for uh. just from uh vehicular deaths so if if. the current Panther numbers were. accurate uh over 30 percent of the. panther population dies every year just. for Motor Vehicles.

and you know that that doesn't really. seem right if you think about that. there's no way a third of the population. dies every year for motor vehicles and. is continuing to grow and. they're just not that stupid so it's. sort of an uncalculated they haven't. calculated it correctly well you think. there's more of them there's quite a lot. of sightings right. um so the sightings are rare but that's. just because it's a very elusive animal. um and they're out in the middle of the. Everglades I've seen like more photos of.

them though over the last few years I've. never seen before we've had attacks. um oh really oh yeah we we've had. um I believe a couple uh in the past few. years each year. um where people are out turkey hunting. or you know sitting on the ground. calling for a turkey calling for a. coyote something like that and a bob or. a coyote or I'm sorry a panther comes in. and I think some guy got mauled on his. face or something like that you know. it's pretty wild of course the animal.

realizes what's happening and gets out. of there but he still gets attacked but. he still gets attacked me personally. um just from python hunting down there. over the years I've seen a dozen or more. of them I've been sleeping in my tent in. the middle of the night out in the. Everglades and I'm woken up by a panther. growling right next to my head outside. my tent circling my tent for about 15. minutes oh Jesus and job done in the. tent I did I had a shotgun in the tent I. also had a baby raccoon I rescued in the.

tent with me oh whoa that I think may. have been you know a reason he was. stalking me a little bit and I pop out. of my tent with my shotgun and my. flashlight I thought it was a big bull. gator just from The Sound I've never. heard a panther growling inches from my. head and dude it is bone chilling bone. chilling oh my God it was so deep and.

like just devilish sounding I thought it. was a big bull Gator it's the only thing. I could think it was. and it would be on this side of the tent. right next to my head then it was on the. other side of the tent back on this no. Footsteps in between I'm like what is go. I'm like am I sure anything nothing I'm. like am I surrounded by alligators like. what's going on oh my God I pop out of. my tent and nothing's there nothing. not a thing. so only thing it could have been is is. the Florida panther maybe maybe two of.

them I don't know wow yeah that's so. creepy that they can sneak around and. not make any sound at all well it makes. me think how many times did I have one. right next to me and I had no idea you. know I saw one in Montana two years ago. excuse me in Utah two years ago and it. freaked me out and I was in a truck 30. yards from it my friend Colton goes a. cat I go where he goes under the tree. and I look and I see the glowing eyes. because it was Dusk and then I put my. vinyls on them and I was you know maybe.

30 yards away and his [ __ ] head was. like a pumpkin it was a big male like. I've seen cats before I've seen small. ones like I saw one in Montecito. California and it was like you know like. 50 60 pounds almost I thought it was a. coyote until I saw the tail and I was. like oh [ __ ] that's a cat but this one. was different this one had massive. forearms well I mean just massive it was. just sitting there with his pumpkin head. and that's it the the mountain lions are.

a different you know they're not a. different species or breed but they're. different struck you know physically. than our Florida panther but not anymore. really so the the our state government. and all their wisdom. took Texas cougars brought them down to. Florida and interbred them with the last. few remaining Florida Panthers we have. oh no so they're no longer a Florida. panther they're now Texas cougars and. they are bigger they are more aggressive.

and you know we're we're dealing with it. for sure what a stupid move yep we've. seen that it's the cane toads cane toads. in the sugar cane Fields uh the bufu. Toads that we're dealing with now same. thing they brought them into controlled. insects in the in the fields and they. winded up eating everything but the. insects basically and now they're a big. problem if you look at those the kind of. toads that eat rats yeah they're they're.

um they're venomous actually they're. they're toxic uh they're they produce a. toxin from them and some people try to. get high from them and those are the. people that like they cut themselves and. put the toxin on their arm I think yes. sir or they'll smoke the skin or smoke. the dry toxin really yeah I don't know. how how effective what is this what is. bufo what is the actual chemical. compound. it's like. there's a word like I want to say one of. the Toads it's similar to DMT okay.

that's five methoxy dimethyltryptamine. that comes from some toes is that the. blue photo though. together here it goes uh bufagen is a. toxic steroid obtained from the Toad's. milk the poison secretion of the skin. gland on the back of the neck of a large. toad. oh no yeah the toad produces this. secretion when it is injured scared or. provoked and what does the toxin do. why do people want to that's what that's.

like a real poison that gives you like. some crazy Visions or something that's. not I don't think that's not the same. one as the one that produces uh. dimethyltryptamine. yeah it it may not be it's definitely. not some a toad I would suggest just. trying to get high off I think you'd get. more sick what about just Google uh. getting high off cane toads.

addictions licking toads particularly. can't oh you can lick them can be. dangerous however it may cause muscle. weakness rapid heart rate and vomiting. well it it's so I used to have a dog. this is right there my dog's getting. high on cane toads should I be worried. they love it you know a dog a dog can. die from it. um very easily it's a big risk smaller. smaller dogs especially but I used to.

have a dog that would search them out. chew them up and just sit there and trip. balls all day long okay this is saying. that it does secrete. um synthetic five-methoxy DM that's what. I heard it it was similar to it ah okay. so the cane toad is the one they use for. that I've heard of people doing that. what they've done is they take the toad. and they rub the Toad on a windshield. and they get all it out and then they. scrape that stuff off of the windshield.

and they smoke that I'm like Jesus. Louise's. that just seems so degenerate yeah. Mike Tyson said he died after smoking. psychedelic toads. he calls it the toad a lot of dudes call. it the toad yeah I've never done that. one I mean I've done the synthetic. version of it but I've never done one. what was that like so like it does feel. like you died it feels like you cease to. exist it's the only experience I've ever.

had where you cease to exist when you. take regular DMT you're still there. you're still experiencing it when you. take that five methoxy like you go away. and you think oh no I [ __ ] up like you. really think you're gone so the naturals. the way to do it well that's I think. that's natural too I think your body. produces that as well okay they're all. just all the really potent ones they. seem to have something to do with human. neurochemistry like your brain makes all. of them yeah it's very crazy yeah it's. very interesting but it's just crazy. these [ __ ] people have addictions.

this is an addiction Center to licking. toes I didn't think it would work if you. just licked it I thought you had to. smoke it but I I wouldn't think so. either but hey these kids today they. find a way that's it they Huff paint. they do whatever where there's a will. the one state where you could say the. state and then a man everybody goes oh. yeah and we're very proud of that we're. very proud of that yes there's so many.

Instagram pages and Twitter pages. dedicated to people in Florida doing. crazy [ __ ] yeah yeah I think I've been. Florida man a few times. add that to my belt how did you get. involved in Honey pythons first of all. can you bring that python head up yeah. you see that python head. this is actually the one that bit me. that I almost bled out in the middle of. the Everglades caught by myself in the. middle of the Everglades and that bit. you yeah yeah and the snake 17 foot.

seven inches. 135 pounds and that's no eggs inside of. it no meal inside of it that Solid Snake. muscle and at the time that's about what. I weighed so it was a fair Everglades. Battle Royale oh my God can I see it. yeah absolutely now tell me the scenario. what happened. so um I was I found this thing yeah and. look at all those teeth look at that. it's insane yeah and and that head.

actually has shrunk substantially from. the freeze drying process all Critters. freeze-dried that for me and uh you know. it takes all the moisture out of it. really really shrinks down. um so I was out hunting the Everglades. um I was actually out in my 14-foot John. Boat by myself and I was checking uh. spoil Islands out there these islands. were dug maybe a hundred years ago or.

more. um when they dug the canal they were. made 100 years ago when they were. digging the canal and they've been up. there you know uh gaining vegetation. getting real nasty and a lot of these. Critters come up on them to breed to. feed and to nest and I was out there. looking for you know a python like I. normally do. and I came across her I knew immediately. when I saw her that she was very large.

possibly the largest python I've. captured and I could only see the um the. back half of her maybe like the back. third over. but I could tell she was a monster. my heart is pounding uh I'd be lying to. you if I said it wasn't. but you know my main fear in a situation. like that is not that this snake's gonna. kill me I'm confident in how to handle. these animals uh confident in in my. ability but I'm worried this thing's.

going to get the best of me overpower me. and possibly I lose it. um it gets away into the swamp to eat. more of our native Wildlife coming. across an animal like this even with the. situation we're in in the Everglades is. still a once in a lifetime you know. opportunity it really is I've caught a. number of them but I spend a lot of time. out there. so I'm getting ready to. capture this this snake building myself. up to it uh the safest way to go about.

it is to find the head grab the head. with both my hands and keep her from. coiling on me wrapping around me. uh I can't find her head her head's. buried in vegetation buried in in the. maiden cane I just can't see it and. she's working her way slowly off the. island. so I know I gotta quickly do something. I'm afraid if I if I get closer to her. head I'm going to Spook her and she's. going to try to start moving away. I grab onto her tail.

and this is kind of a bad situation to. be in especially with all the thick. vegetation these snakes can easily. overpower you and will actually drag you. out into the swamp there's just no stop. in it it intertwines in all the weeds. and just drags you. so I know grabbing this thing my goal is. to piss it off and get it to start. striking at me where I can see that head. and grab a hold of that head otherwise. this thing's this thing's gone.

so I get a hold of it and it starts. dragging me it's pulling me off the. island so is it wrapped around you no no. no no it's it's stretched out and you're. hanging on I'm hanging on it yeah it's. it's the this thing's eating alligators. eating deer it's the biggest thing out. here it's not worried about nothing it's. not scared of me you know what I mean. it's it's kind of seeing what I'm doing. so I got a hold of it and it's starting. to are you wearing gloves no how are you. able to really grab it.

if I had gloves on I wouldn't be able to. grab it I need my bare hands to be able. to work and and feel everything have the. grip. um gloves gloves will just get in the. way even something with like a texture. to it I don't want any of that okay I. don't want any of that they just get in. the way. um so I got the snake dragging me out. into the swamp uh you know losing this. battle. I'm able to dig my heels down into. limestone that I'm standing on the. Limestone Island and I'm able to to stop.

her I'm not gaining honor but I got her. stopped and we're kind of in this. Everglades tug of war right now. and she starts to get pissed off she. starts hissing she starts turning around. on me and this this is what I want but. I gotta not get bit you know what I mean. um [ __ ] a snake this size to my. advantage they're they're slower than a. smaller snake they have a lot of body. mass they're going to tire out quickly. and uh her strikes aren't going to be.

lightning fast so she's striking at me. I'm dodging her strikes oh my God. everything's going good everything Floyd. Mayweather out there. and yeah doing a little ducking weave. everything's going good. um normally when a strike when a snake. strikes it's going to strike out recoil. back get ready. strike again recoil back it's how they. strike that's how they get that power. they kind of like recoil their body.

so it's it struck I dodged it it recoils. back like a third of the way and hits me. with this little sneak attack strike. that I wasn't expecting the snake is. anywhere from 10 to 20 years or more old. so it's been around the block it's a. smart snake and um you know snakes don't. normally do that I think she she kind of. knew what she was doing. she struck she got me on my arm got an. artery got some veins coming off my.

artery. and that that doesn't do it justice at. all. um their their teeth are all their. punctures so uh you know they're like. needles so they puncture down deep you. can see. that top one gets right into my main. vein and the real bad one was on the top. of my arm that you can't see. where it's on this I think it's an. artery I'm here wrong coming coming on. the top of my arm. and I got very lucky uh normally when.

they bite they they latch on. and she would have latched on she would. have wrapped around me and you know I. would have been in a very very bad. situation being out there by myself. thank the good Lord I I had him on my. side that day she struck she bit I was. able to grab her head and I don't know. if it's how I pushed it forward and. pulled her off or what because all their. teeth are recurved like like fish hooks.

almost kinda. got her right off of me grabbed her head. pushed her off of me she didn't latch on. she was trying to bite again maybe maybe. that she didn't think she had a good. bite and she was trying to re-grip but I. got lucky now I have her head I'm bit. I'm spraying blood. all over the Everglades but I I have her. head. so now now my main thing is controlling. her without exerting myself too much. because every time I'm I'm doing. anything I mean it's it's I've never.

seen blood come out of my body like this. you know really. um my heart's pounding adrenaline's. going and uh. my main thing is just to stay calm I. don't think I'm necessarily gonna bleed. to death I mean the amount of blood I'm. seeing it crossed my mind but but I. really don't think I'm gonna bleed to. death I'm worried about blacking out. from blood loss the heat exerting myself. what's this snake gonna do if I black.

out. it's gonna wrap around me it's gonna. kill me 100 right. um you know I don't think it'd. necessarily be able to swallow me and. eat me maybe uh but it could definitely. kill me. so I'm really trying to control my heart. where heart rate trying not to exert. myself. um the snakes biting at me you know. going nuts uh you can see the video on. my YouTube of where I'm just covered in. blood and. um I have a snake bag with me to put.

whatever snake I was planning on. catching in the bag this snake is way. too big for that bag so I actually am. able to use that bag to tie off my arm. and kind of do a little red maybe you're. holding it down yeah why I got the the. head in one hand and I'm tourniquet in. my arm I think it was like this. tourniating my arm. with with the other and got my arms. since shut you know kind of got the. bleeding under control and I was able to.

kind of collect myself the snake is. pretty much worn out at this point she's. cold-blooded so they gas out after about. a 10 minute fight she's like a limp. noodle. so I'm kind of just laying on her. catching my breath. now I gotta get her back to my boat. where I can put a bullet in her head. because I don't just walk out around out. there with a gun all these snakes I. catch alive put them in a bag and it's. just easier to not have a gun on me. Jesus and um why is it would be so hard.

to have a gun right there well I'm I'm. literally crawling through. cane and Sawgrass and it gets snagged. you can lose a gun very easily and it's. just it's in the way and 99.9 percent of. the time. I'm not going to need one especially me. I'm the kind of guy where if I come. across a 30-foot snake you know which. pythons don't get that big let's say I. come across a 30-foot snake some crazy I. ain't shooting it I'm I want to catch it.

you know that's dude that's what I'm all. about oh my God this is this is you. after this thing fit you yeah this is. right where I'm getting ready to try to. turn a kit my arm holy [ __ ] man and. you're filming this yeah I got my. shoulder cam on and then I put a GoPro. on the ground this is wild. and you know normally I I don't always. get great I mean I get pretty good. footage with myself on my shoulder cam. but like I I was set up this day and I.

knew I had my GoPro running when this. thing bit me are you cinching up at the. top of your army above the wound above. the wound above the wound yeah above the. wound. and uh you know to be honest with you. the the first thought that went through. my mind when that thing bit me and I. have all these cameras going and I see. all this blood is this video is. definitely going viral just don't die it. would really go viral if you died yeah. I'm sure it would have yeah found GoPro.

footage so now you have to carry this. thing out while you're holding onto its. head yeah well she really is like a limp. noodle while it's still alive. she really is like a wimp noodle yeah. she's gassed out she is done that's. insane she is done. wow man that's that's a man [ __ ] right. there son. not a lot of human beings are capable of. doing that and just keeping it together. it's creeping me out just watching you. hold on to that thing as you're walking.

through the the woods with it what I. think it is more than anything and you. know I hate to kind of take away from. myself but it's it's what we're taught. as kids you know we're taught to be. fearful of snakes that they're this evil. dangerous thing and I can't tell you I I. think that's why I've been so successful. on social media is these people they. just freak out watching these snakes you. know they can't believe it and it's. they're not really that crazy they're.

really not I think you're just used to. them I think they're really [ __ ]. crazy. Mr Beast weather only in one state like. this look at the size of that thing man. that thing's enormous and they eat. alligators oh yeah I think bro I think. they would eat you I've rescued three. alligators from pythons wow that's. actually how I started my social media. is I um made the news went kind of viral. for rescuing an alligator from a python.

I had a guy out on a guided hunt with me. he uh recorded it videotaped it and it. you know made the news and uh a local. clothing brand flow grown in Florida. made my Instagram made my social media. and was like dude you gotta start using. it you know we'll send you clothes and. that's really how it all got started. that's crazy. that's how it got started that's amazing. look at these things and I actually this. was the smallest of the three I've.

rescued. um it was the third one that we finally. got on video because I never I never. used to really record anything. imagine how [ __ ] confused alligators. must be like I thought we were at the. top uh we were at the top forever yeah. oh yeah what happened yeah what the [ __ ]. is going on 20 23 times are changing. so the source of all this I thought. initially that it was people releasing. pets which it was but it was also there. was some sort of like a python Research.

Center and it got damaged so. there's a lot of speculation with that. to me that python Research Center. um is kind of more of like an urban myth. oh really yep um there's never been a. facility named uh there's this place. that they keep speaking of people keep. mentioning we don't know what it is you. know no one's ever been oh it was this. facility there's it's just not not a. thing interesting and people yep people.

were releasing pets that got too big. they were escaping as well. but to me that's not enough to be where. we're at today it's just not enough why. don't we have anacondas all over. why don't we have uh I mean we do have. Nile monitors but why don't we have Nile. monitors everywhere why don't we have. Cayman everywhere we have some came in. but nothing like the python to me it was. and you know I do have.

some things that are leading me to. believe this I'm not just pulling this. out of my butt but you know this is. definitely. um an opinion I would say. uh I believe that they were. intentionally released. by somebody or multiple people. um probably reptile breeders. in a hope that they could stop importing. pythons from overseas as pets and start. farming them in state.

and collecting them out of the. Everglades. uh reproducing them getting big breeders. out of the Everglades using them and. then cutting out that essential middle. man whoa. um and you know there's definitely been. a lot of things that kind of confirm. this to me uh and I'm not the only one. that believes this either but I. definitely don't want to get into like. necessarily. mentioning names right yeah we don't. have to mention names so what but what.

gave you this like what evidence is. there of this or what well um just from. what we've seen with other other species. for something to take hold like this and. become so prevalent it needs to be. intentional there needs to be thousands. to be released at a time and um during. the height of the Burmese it was the. most popular pet being imported into. Florida during the height of it you. would have a thousand come in in a week. in a crate and they would you know sell. them all over the country.

and um I think it was the kind of thing. where it's like well we can let's dump. one of these crates out there and. see see what happens and see if we can. start farming them out there these. people. um I've even just here how they talk. about the python problem in Florida. and it's a it's I don't know there's. there's definitely something to it and. just how do they talk about it. kind of. defending it almost you know like uh. I'll leave the pythons alone what yes.

who does that oh different P different. uh old school breeders that I would the. diff old uh reptile importers like the. the kind of some of the founding fathers. of of it the exotic pet trade in Florida. dude I think you just uncovered a giant. conspiracy yeah well it is it is for. sure somebody needs to look into that. people are actually responsible for this. yeah well there's there have been people. caught there have been people caught um. and I may be wrong on this but I believe.

the guy was given like life in prison or. something crazy but I think it was on. the west coast he was caught. um it was a sting operation where they. have surveillance him dumping hundreds. and hundreds of reptiles in into I don't. know if it was the Everglades I think it. was maybe the Western. probably the western side of the. Everglades Conservancy area and. everything from chameleons tagus. monitors pythons all kind of different. species and why was he doing that aren't.

they valuable. yep but what we're seeing in the state. is people doing that to farm them. especially with chameleons people will. go out and they'll dump maybe 50. chameleons into an area in a specific. tree more more often and then they'll. come back a year or two later and. there's a huge population of them and. then they go out and they pick them and. then they sell them for 50 to 100 each. you could go out and make three grand in. a night just from a couple hundred.

dollars of chameleons you put out there. you know a year ago or so and it's. become you know a business uh and you. know there's. there's right and wrong ways to go about. things. um you know by no way am I knocking the. reptile trade or anything like that um. as a kid I grew up with. 20 different reptiles as pets and um. breeding them and selling them as pets.

there's nothing wrong with that there's. a there's a right and wrong way with. anything like owning a gun or anything. else. um you know it's we shouldn't. necessarily make these animals illegal. because what we've seen when. just recently they've made iguanas and. tegus illegal in Florida to own his pets. and we're seeing people dump their pets. because FWC has been going around and. they said they wouldn't but they have. been they've been going around and. actually euthanizing people's pets.

and to someone that you know this iguana. or this python even or anything to a lot. of people it's it's like a dog it's like. someone killing your dog it really is. and. um they would much rather turn it loose. and give it the chance to survive than. to have it euthanized and then what. you're left with is irresponsible pet. owners you're you're left with people. that are breaking the law to own these. animals probably don't have proper.

enclosures probably don't take good care. of them and probably will just release. them when they're done with them so you. take all of the good away and you're. left with the bad when instead we should. put popular pop uh regulations in in. place proper regulations where people. then are forced to. house these animals correctly and the. problem is no longer pet iguanas or pet. pythons it's wild breeding animals and.

when they made these. um iguanas illegal just this past year. they've now stopped all of that free. management we had of people coming from. all over the country coming to Florida. catching these iguanas catching these. tegus taking them out of the state and. selling them where they can't survive. anyway because it's too cold. and it was it was helping us it was. helping control these populations now.

all of that is gone. um you're not allowed to do that anymore. and this year in particular I'm seeing. more baby iguanas than I ever have in my. entire life it's so that was the primary. way that they were regulating or that. they were controlling the population. size was people coming in and grabbing. them no that's not the primary way but. that was a huge way um that was that was. that was on top of what myself and and. other people in the state are doing that. was for especially for the juveniles and.

baby iguanas that's 90 90 percent whoa. um you know that that's what they're. after they go out there they trap them I. I'm it may even be you know bigger than. I'm thinking uh a lot of people were. making livings off coming down here. catching them taking them out of state. and out of state they can't survive no. it's too cold uh you see it just with. you don't have these animals surviving. in North Florida it gets too cold. interesting yep.

that's crazy then so it's like almost. like a perfect scenario because they. can't be invasive they can't survive. yeah and and that's the thing you know. we all fought against this when they. were trying to get these these new laws. passed because at face value it seems. like oh yeah make them illegal it'll. help. but um you know when you talk to The. Experts and the people that really know. it's it's counterproductive and at this. point there's so many iguanas in Florida. that the idea of eradicating them no.

we're never getting we're never getting. rid of the pythons we're never getting. rid of the iguanas they're here to stay. but management is absolutely essential. is it possible to manage the pythons in. the Everglades. yes it is. um you know how effectively is. remained to be seen uh I feel right now. we're losing we're losing that battle. but that's because the state really ties. our hands.

um for the general public it's almost. impossible for them to go out and Hunt. these pythons they just don't have the. access. um you know they're not getting. compensated for it nothing like that a. lot of these areas where the pythons are. you're not legally allowed to go off the. trail in a vehicle and that's the only. way you can get around. uh so you have to stay on trail you have. to stay on levees roadways. um is there an extensive trail system or. is it mostly just wild no it's mostly.

just wild and and here's an another. thing which you're going to get a kick. out of in the National Park itself you. are not allowed to remove invasive. species if you come across a 20-foot. python eating a deer you are not allowed. to do anything. because it's inside the national park. and everything inside the National Park. is protected even the invasive wildlife. now they do allow State contractors to. go in the national park and remove these. pythons but.

that's not nearly enough we need the. general public involved we have a lot of. people wanting to help and inside the. national park even a State Contractor is. not allowed to get off the road in any. sort of vehicle airboat anything and. that's the only way you can get around. the Everglades is 1.5 million Acres of. impenetrable swamp you know half of it's. underwater Sawgrass that'll slice you. open twice as tall as you and too thick.

to even get through so you would need an. airboat you would need a Swamp Buggy and. none of this is allowed and we really. saw kind of the. the the. um tides of of battle kind of change I. guess you would say when. it became a national park so we had. python sightings in the Everglades in. the 60s they were seeing these snakes. and nothing was done what was actually.

done was the Florida gladesmen who. historically lived and survived off the. Everglades and was. um a keeper of the Everglades was kicked. out of the Everglades when it was made. in National Park it's another thing it's. a rabbit hole I don't necessarily want. to go down to how many of those guys. were kicked out. it. hundreds maybe thousands it's hard hard. to say because of all the folks that.

were living in there yeah so they. actually had camps out there uh they. built camps and they'd live out there. some would go out there Recreation a lot. of them would live out there make their. living out there gator hunters. commercial Fishers. um Moonshiners drug smugglers all kind. of stuff and. um you know a lot of these camps was. actually. especially when you're getting more into. the python starting to take over when. they were really trying to get everyone. out which that's not the reason they. were trying to get everyone out was.

because the pythons it was because they. were trying to turn it into National. Park and they felt like these people. shouldn't be in there they were burning. down camps and there's actually stories. of burning down camps with gladesmen. inside and all kind of shady stuff going. on. um you know that's maybe a topic for. another time but how long did it take to. move these people out of the forest. so the national park I believe was. started in like 47 it was actually up.

finalized and sometime in the 60s maybe. the late 60s and then. um. from there I want to say the whole. Exodus kicking everybody out probably 20. years or so. wow um 15 20 years and it's still kind. of a a raw spot for a lot of us. um a lot of us don't like the park. service because of everything that. happened and you know we we feel that.

the Everglades should be uh you know. open to the people to enjoy it and you. know enjoy it in the right way of course. but we really seen that when the. gladesmen the eyes of the ears and the. keepers of the Everglades was removed. from the Everglades and our axis was. limited the pythons took over. um the water quality went down we're. seeing fracking in our Everglades we're. seeing. um oil drilling all kind of stuff that.

um you know we feel the Everglades. should be represented and preserved in a. better way do you think that that was. one of the reasons why they wanted to. get everybody out so they could extract. the resources I think there was. definitely some. um you know. ulterior motives for sure uh. I work closely with a lot of these State. departments you know so I'm not trying. to ruffle too many feathers but but yeah. they're you know there's there's. definitely some shady stuff going on in.

the Everglades why why are we not. allowed to enjoy our Everglades but you. know we're allowed to take from her. natural resources and. um diminish her uh that the government. is and not manage The Invasion species. and not manage the invasive species. properly and not manage the water. properly our our Everglades is dying is. dying because of of their water water. quality issues and our state what is the. source of the water quality issues. um it's a very complicated issue. um and it's not one that I'm.

extremely. um. versed on I would say I mean I. definitely know about it but you know I. don't want to say the wrong things uh. overpopulation too many people moving to. Florida. um pollution based is that. pollution-based uh agricultural based. um and. the core of it is not allowing the water. to flow South how it needs to naturally. so the Everglades is the greatest filter.

in the entire world it's a natural. wonder of the world it really is and. right now we are not using it the way we. should uh we're there are steps being. taken to send water South and to start. to restore some of this natural natural. flow but the problem is if we restore. the natural flow to where it was. Palm Beach all the way down to Miami. returns as a swamp land uh. uh all of the sugar cane which is huge.

money at the south of Lake Okeechobee is. swamp and is is no longer. being able to use for sugar cane and we. see a lot of that you know. um make the decisions in what happens. with our Everglades and conservation is. it's a lot of corruption a lot of uh. money driven rather than we need to set. aside this piece of land have it uh.

gather water treat water send it South. to be filtered through our Everglades. and provide water to where it's dry. clean healthy water and then it can be. filtered out through the Bay of Florida. um we're seeing more where that land's. being kept for agriculture or something. else or where a project gets started and. then it's lobbied and nothing gets done. we're seeing a lot of. um. just.

promises not being made as well. so have they damned the flow of this. water yep so there's a series of of. levees and locks that control the water. in South Florida it's controlled by. South Florida water management and you. know they started managing the water a. hundred years ago or more I believe. maybe even much further than that and. that's really where we went wrong is we. should have learned to kind of work with. the water flow more and not totally shut.

it off the way we have and and. totally made it man-made which you know. like I said they're trying to reverse. some of that they just built a a new. lock that's going to help send some of. the water South through uh Tamiami Trail. and 41 but it's just not enough we need. more water to be filtered and cleaned. and less of it to be dumped out into the. estuaries on the east and west coast. this water will remain stagnant and.

it'll build blue-green algae which is. actually a bacteria and this bacteria. produces toxins I believe it sucks up. all the oxygen in the water and I don't. know if you've seen these fish kills. we've had on the east and west coast but. that's exactly what it's from is our. water management so it's not just the. Everglades but it's the east and west. coast and that's because they're taking. the water that needs to be sent south. cleaned and filtered and they're sending.

it out into these estuaries where it. kills everything. and it's you know they're they're. protecting which you know I'm not. blaming U.S Sugar by any means U.S sugar. does a lot to actually help Florida. conservation but it's just kind of a. situation we've got ourselves in where. there's not a great solution besides you. know really taking away a lot of this. money. and um uh our estuaries are just. suffering for it our Everglades is.

suffering for it have they done anything. to try to figure out how to mitigate. whatever pollutants are getting into the. water they tried to figure out some sort. of a solution. um I'm sure I'm sure I don't know if. it's gained any traction because right. now we're having algae blooms as we. speak. um on Lake Okeechobee in different areas. and um no I don't know of any any. solution to really compat combat that. algae bloom. um and especially once they have it you. know it's uh the water levels get so.

high they they have to flow it out is. there a way to do this without flooding. Miami. I'm sure there is I'm sure there is but. to get it in a way where everyone's. happy and on board with it and there's. the money to do it is is another thing. but so. how did Miami get built was Miami. originally swamped and they just filled. it in yep um. the canal systems were able to redirect. the water. um and you know I'm sure they which you. know I don't know exactly how Miami was. built but I'm sure yeah they built up on.

the Limestone on the swamp it's. essentially Limestone bottom down there. and then they divert the water with. these Canal systems and they're able to. you know send it in areas that's not. Miami or send it through the canals. through Miami out into the intercoastal. and and things along those lines and. they have a series of locks and Gates. that help control all this so it's very. complicated and you know I wish I knew. but if the natural flow of water would. happen if they just removed all the.

levees and just let everything flow all. the way down it would flood Miami yeah. it would flood all all through which you. know who knows they've maybe if you. could take away everything they did all. the ground being built up and everything. yes it would it would be a swamp. wow. yeah it's kind of crazy when someone. sets out to do something to make it. habitable for people and doesn't take. into consideration that this is just. this immense ecosystem you'll get a kick. out of this so in in an effort to dry up.

the Everglades while they were doing. this they wanted to dry the Everglades. up. they actually from airplane release. released Melaleuca seeds over the. Everglades. because Melaleuca sucks up water. so now they pay contractors to go out. and remove the Melaleuca from the. Everglades because it's sucking up all. the water. oh boy it's it's crazy there's so many.

instances in human history of people. putting in a species to try to mitigate. another species and having that species. run amok like the Australia situation. with the wild cats yeah it's insane it. is well they have feral cats everywhere. in Australia they've decimated ground. nesting birds and they kill everything. everything everything we see it in. Florida we see it in Florida we have. feral cats like crazy in there yeah. killing everything we saw the numbers we. read the numbers out one day on the.

podcast about how many animals get. killed every year just in the U.S by. feral cats and it's in the billions. mind-blowing it's so crazy they're such. little murderers I think they've said. like 15 to 20 different species are. attributed to them being extinct yes. because of the cats. it's crazy yeah it is so the Florida. situation as it stands. what what are the official efforts to. mitigate the uh python population.

so. um what do you think they could do could. they just open it up to people so in a. perfect world if you were the the the. king of Florida and they said hey man. python Cowboy tell us what to do and. you're like this is what we're going to. do you're going to open this up to. vehicles and put a bounty on these. things yep um not necessarily no no not. necessarily so that can be a little bit. risky. um you know we've seen.

not so much in these past python. challenges these past python challenges. the tournaments we have in Florida where. the general public goes out there and. competes for money catching pythons. they've been great they've been super. successful we're not seeing much bad. come from them but in maybe you know six. or seven years ago maybe six years ago I. think it was when they first came out. with these competitions and there wasn't. any education behind it it was it was a.

free-for-all you had a bunch of rednecks. riding around in trucks with shotguns. and AR-15s shooting every snake that. moved leaving trash out there and it was. just a terrible thing barely any pythons. ricotta removed and it just was not. beneficial now with all the education. we've put out between the news social. media TV shows. um you know the state programs we see a. different kind of snake Hunter out there.

we see people that are trying to help. trying to do things the right way they. care about the ecosystem they don't want. to leave behind trash and you know that. is very encouraging for me to say. something more like yeah let's let's. have a public bounty system where the. general public can get out there and do. what they need to do. but in order for that to be successful. we do need more access. um you know if they want to protect the.

national park and all that that's fine. okay let's still allow people to remove. invasive species when they come across. them whether they're State Contractor or. just some Average Joe. but we will have penalties in place for. anybody harming a native snake in the. national park where then people will be. careful not to get in trouble and do. something illegal. um outside the national park which you. know we have all kind of Francis as. Taylor Rocky Glades Frog Pond all these.

different areas area three two one that. have pythons in them and that we should. allow more access more airboat access. more buggy access year-round and. um show people. how valuable these snakes are the skin. is extremely valuable it makes beautiful. leather there's people lining up to buy. this leather. I fund my entire python operation off.

this leather I've actually quit I've. resigned from the state I hunted I was. one of the first state python Hunter. Hunted for them for maybe about five. years uh this past two years I decided. to resign from the state because I'm not. allowed to use a dog if I'm hunting for. the state which is you know a little. funny that sounds crazy yep so. um you know. mime thing is showing people that I'm.

funding my entire entire operation off. these snake skins you can. possibly make a living off these snake. skins definitely make some side money. and you're going to be getting out there. helping the Everglades if they were to. add a bounty on top of that. I think in the very beginning you might. see. a little bit of what we used to see. where you just have people out there for. the wrong reasons you know trying to. just get a picture with a snake or. whatever but I think they're going to. quickly see how hard it is. um they're not just catching snakes like.

they thought they were and all those. Weekend Warriors all those people. they're gonna die off and you're going. to be left with the general public that. really does want to help they're going. to be good at it and that's the only way. we're going to get that under control. um you know it's going to have to be a. delicate process to get there I feel. like you know maybe everyone has to sign. up for a license and then for that. license they go through some kind of. training course like we do already for. the python challenges. and um to me that that is the way to go.

we need more than just these State. contractors. who to me they're all hunting the same. spots they all hunt. the public highways or these couple of. levees that produce pythons and they're. just driving the road all night up and. down and we need to get out in the swamp. to get where they're nesting where. they're breeding and where they're. eating our native wildlife and we're.

just not doing that like we should be. and that's why I've been putting so much. into this python team I've been putting. together. specifically to use dogs to help us find. these snakes and just this nesting. season alone I've completely proven that. that that's the only only way to do it. yeah Yep this this season alone I found. Maybe. I think eight nests now. um which to give you an idea before this.

python season there was like a handful. of nests ever found in the state it's a. very rare thing very very rare before I. used a dog I found one Nest that's it I. don't know of any other person in the. State of Florida that has found more. than one nest. so. for this last two months alone I'm. finding that many nests I'm finding. um underground pythons we never really.

understood how much they nest. underground that we have this season. with my dog finding these uh snakes. actually underground. and you know that's where a lot of them. are going to Nest almost every snake. I've found. finding it underground yeah I I took out. um seek One Productions they're like a a. hunting Media company oh this is crazy. you're actually digging into the ground. and oh [ __ ] my dog Otto alerted me to. this hole and he let me know that there.

is a python in this hole and uh to be. sure I took my little camera stuck it. down in there and sure enough I could. see a python in the very back of the. hole how do you train your dog to find. pythons. um you know there's definitely training. that goes in in into it but it is. natural ability uh these dogs are. extremely talented not every dog will be. a snake dog especially. um you know I've I have.

20 or more hunting dogs right now I use. them all to help me with invasive. species and different things like that. only a few of them. will find me a snake uh dogs in their. instincts generally don't like snakes. they want to stay away from snakes a lot. of the dogs I found the snake's like. invisible it'll it'll be stepping on it. like it ain't even there. um but a few of my dogs I don't know. what it is they they're really really. good at it really good at it and so just. completely natural that they grab it is. we train all of our dogs don't don't get.

me wrong but we mainly the training was. for other stuff ahead of time and I'm. just transferring it over into snakes. these dogs I work with them every. especially my dog Otto who's really. getting the snakes for me now this dog's. with me every day like we we are uh he's. a German Wirehaired Pointer he's. adorable. um you look so happy no he loves it he. loves it I always say when I die I want. to come back as Otto because he is the. happiest freaking thing in the world and. so Otto's the best one that you've ever.

had for snakes he is my best python dog. he's got a snake he's my uh he's my. phenomenal python dog my phenomenal. iguana dog and I mean he'll do. everything else as well there's there's. nothing that dog cannot do so when you. find those eggs do you destroy them yeah. so what I actually do is I'll oh. they normally don't make that easy that. iguana was sleeping I don't know what it. was doing but. um yeah so I'll freeze the eggs which. kills them and then I preserve them and.

donate them sell some as educational. displays for schools. um research stuff like that because it. is they're they're dinosaur eggs huge. they're wild twice as big as an. alligator rig and how many eggs will a. female python produce normally. so on average. um what I've been finding this this last. season which is really kind of you know. uh given us a lot more data uh your. average size snake is going to lay 20 to.

about 60 eggs. and what is their primary food source. out there now that they've kind of. decimated most of the wildlife but I. would like to add that they're capable. of 100 eggs or more oh wow um yeah a. really big one oh yeah a 16-footer a 17. 18 footer they get that big. excuse me so they can lay large clutch. of Nest or large clutch of eggs I'm. sorry wow. um we just found a nest this season. underground as well it was an.

underground 16-footer and she was on a. nest of 70 active eggs and especially on. them yeah it's it's crazy well it shows. what we're up against too you know it's. um it can get discouraging it can be. snake gives birth to 70 snakes but there. is a light at the end of the tunnel and. I'll I'll kind of get to that. um. so you know especially in underground. nests like that. almost all of those are going to survive. uh when they're when they're hatched.

they're already two foot long which is. yeah which is about the size of most of. our adult native snakes. so they're getting preyed on maybe for. that first month and then after that. they're not much is messing with them. and they grow very very quick it's. mostly Birds prey on them yep Birds owls. stuff like that uh sometimes alligators. a little bit but pythons are eating. alligators more than alligators are. eating pythons. so what is their primary food source now. right now uh rats Everglades rats.

there's a lot of rats out there and. alligators I would say they've wiped out. most of all the other mammals. um and you know they're working on our. wading birds for sure but I've been. seeing them eat a lot of alligators. so that's probably the primary food. source yeah wow which honestly you know. this this may say about I'd rather them. be eating the alligators than anything. else we got plenty of them they're not. going to wipe out the alligators by any. mean right um but they they will wipe.

out everything else we're 99 or 90 to 99. of our small fur bearing game in in the. Everglades has been wiped out by pythons. and that that is real that is real but. so deer like if you want a deer hunting. this is this is small fur bearing so. this is like raccoons Marsh rabbits. raccoons otters things along those lines. um our our deer are wiped out as well. our deer populations are in a fraction. of what they used to be and that's.

because of large pythons our water. management and Panthers for sure. um so you know everything's really kind. of struggling what about black bears oh. yeah we got black bear down there. um the black bear I don't know you know. I don't think they're getting affected. by too much other than the water. um you know so water is a primary. concern of yours exactly absolutely. that's the big one absolutely and a lot. of it's agriculture a lot of us. fertilizer pesticides yeah we have very.

high mercury levels in our water that's. why actually a python over 10 foot in. length really you shouldn't be eating uh. it's Mercury contents will be dangerous. high and that's a shame eating people. are eating pythons. you can I wouldn't say people are you. know down there having it for dinner. every night I've eaten it a number of. times yeah. very chewy. um very very chewy uh I'm no Chef by any. means I think if you knew what you were.

doing and you were able to get it really. tender and nice it wouldn't be too bad. like sous vide or something yeah yeah. um the the flavors the flavor's not bad. at all it's nice white meat. um it's you're kind of eating it off the. ribs like fish kind of almost but um. it's not bad at all the Iguana is. delicious yeah I've heard iguana is very. good A lot of people uh kill them and. cook them on YouTube they cook like some.

stir fry or what do you how do you cook. iguanas again it's not something like. hey darling I got some iguanas fried up. for dinner you know it's uh I'm feeding. most of it to my livestock and then. making leather products from the skin. but um I've barbecued it I've um uh kind. of pan fried it in some general sews and. pineapple and that was actually really. good the uh I got a big male that had. like these huge cheeks and in the cheeks. there's a a nice Medallion of meat and.

uh that's how I fried that up it was. good. what is it does that taste similar to. anything it's almost like a dark meat. frog leg. okay which sounds maybe a little gross. but it's it's not bad it's not frogs are. pretty good yeah oh yeah frogs are. delicious yeah it's just people have to. get past the fact that it's a frog yeah. same thing with python and iguana yeah. so is that a common thing where people. hunt need iguanas now in Florida. um not so much to hunt them to eat them.

I think that's more just like a YouTube. thing you know people love that stuff. yeah um it's more so you have people. hunting them because it's fun it is it's. it's a really fun thing to do I do. guided hunts for it and I do guided. hunts for just about everything in. Florida and I always say I've never seen. people have so much fun as I do on these. iguana hunts I mean you're just you may. shoot at 100 to go on as in the day you. know and watch my dog go in and catch it. bring it back and are you using air guns.

yeah we're using um really high-end. semi-automatic air rifles uh 25 and 30. caliber this is actually out on a golf. course the size of these suckers and uh. yeah that's a big breeder that's that's. what I'm looking for when I'm out there. you know I'm removing any iguanas I see. but those are the the big problem those. big breeders they uh they usually have a. harem of like five or six females. and little fun fact they have two. peckers so. they're out there slanging it you know.

what I mean. and they're everywhere yeah they're. they're everywhere they are everywhere. and is there a limit like if you're uh. after invasive species are you allowed. to just shoot as many as you find yeah. yeah it is um I don't want to make it. seem like you know the Iguana thing's. just a free-for-all in Florida uh the. iguanas they're in these real. residential areas uh you know Urban. settings where you just can't really. walk around and shoot stuff in people's. backyards you're trespassing people are.

calling the cops on you. um I'm permitted and licensed to do this. in in the various areas I do someone. will hire me bring me in and um you know. definitely for people to go out and do. this on their own they need to be. careful they need to make sure they're. in a public area where they're allowed. to do that your dog just jumped in the. water and caught a swimmer yeah that's. amazing yeah he'll dive down pick them. up off the bottom and wow jump them grab. them out of trees it's crazy this one. dog is just so good at reptiles and.

snakes. we have um a number of them backing them. up now they're not quite as good as him. but but they are they learn from him. yeah yeah I usually have him Mentor them. a little bit take them out see how they. do it. or see how he does it and um you know. they'll they'll pick it up him though. he's just had so much experience I've. had him since six months old out on golf. courses helping me and he's just he's. got it down so you can see here he knows. to re-grip because the Tails break off. yeah.

and uh here he watches he drops it. trying to show off for the clients. and he is very upset but my old dad's. got his back there. [Laughter]. wow yeah. what was it hurting his mouth like his. heart no he was just. shaking it around and excited and and. yeah wiggled out of his mouth a lot of. times when he catches him especially. after he gives him a kind of a little. bit of a thrash and they just they just.

give up. and I think he was kind of thinking this. one was a little gay gave up and was. being silly with it so he ain't supposed. to do that that's not not good he's. supposed to keep hold of it until it. gets back to me yeah. um when when you were out there like on. a typical day how many iguanas are you. seeing. depends on where I am uh depends on uh. if this is my first time removing. iguanas on this golf course I have. communities and golf courses and city.

parks that I've been managing for the. past couple years and I may go me or. send one of my guys and you know we may. only get 15 to 20 that day or I may go. to a brand new one that's like Jurassic. Park and I get over a hundred really oh. yeah like Jurassic Park like Jurassic. Park. what's the biggest one you've ever seen. um biggest one I've ever seen shot him. uh six and a half foot maybe a little.

more I don't know how big do they. problem is I don't measure or weigh them. all pythons I do. um what's like the biggest iguana ever. six and a half foot basically so I've. never heard of one bigger 20 20 pounds. essentially as long as it's table almost. uh tip to tip a little almost short. almost that's insane you're an iguana. like what does that weigh it looks like. it weighs about 50 pounds but they're 20. pounds that big about 20 pounds 15 to 20.

pounds 20 pounds is monsters is there. any video that we could see of like a. Jurassic Park type situation do you have. any video of them like all over a golf. course. um uh there's there's definitely some on. YouTube I I think of one in particular. where it's like a hundred of them. running from this guy just walking. playing golf. um generally when I see that I'm I'm. blasting so I'm not really taking too. much video. so yours is semi-automatic you can fire. off multiple shots yeah semi-automatic I.

got eight shots and I keep spare. magazines on me and swap them out real. quick. and a lot of times too when I get into a. place where I know it's covered with. them and. um a lot of times they'll close down the. area for the day for me I'll bring in my. guys and we're all you know geared up we. all got guns we got a couple dogs. um and we're just annihilating them you. know all day we'll just come in and wipe. them out what's the most you've ever. shot in a day uh. close to 200. close to 200 so.

yeah just iguanas and then on top of. that you know we'll have different. invasives we'll get uh cane toads while. we're there Muscovy dogs Egyptian geese. um sometimes pigeons will become a big. problem they're also invasive they'll. have us remove them. and uh you know it kind of becomes a. little bit of a cleanup. this is a big boy. oh yeah yeah so is there any video Jamie. of uh a bunch of invasive pythons on a.

golf course just Google. python it's giving me a news story. infestation golf course yeah there's one. video in particular where I was blown. away I was like oh I gotta get out there. now do they pay you per python do you. how do they how does that work uh for. the iguanas or I mean for iguanas. um yeah it kind of depends on on how I. there is no State Bounty for iguanas I. want to make that clear a lot of people. think there is there's not sure.

um. yeah that would be great but I don't see. how that would be possible I really. don't. um because of where iguanas are and and. how many iguanas people would be getting. the budget would have to be huge and you. would have a bunch of people just. running around the city shooting stuff. you would have guys getting shot you. would have Windows getting shot out. right you just you need yeah you really. do for iguanas more than anything. pythons they're out in the middle of the. Everglades away from people and you're. generally going to be grabbing them or.

just shooting them Point Blank. um so it's kind of a little bit. different. but um it all depends on how I work the. job most jobs I'll I'll set it up to. where it's per iguana that way they kind. of know what they're getting into and I. like to kind of stay motivated and like. each one it's like to change. um so that's generally how I do it and. every every place is different. um I may have a place that's you know. only 10 15 from iguana and I got places.

that's a hundred dollars or more per. going I guess so you know it's all it's. all different I could be a very. profitable day if you go ham it can it. can do you find any videos of uh it's. nothing that's super impressed I mean. I'm seeing here's once tons of red. iguanas hold on. is there more than one type of iguana. that's invasive down there so we have. the Green Iguana which you know they. they do get orange those are the Big. Orange ones you see those are just big. dominant alpha males that turn that. orange like kind of like a peacock you.

know sort of thing. um but we're also dealing with Mexican. spiny tailed iguanas and they're not uh. quite a bit as big of a problem we are. seeing them in certain pockets in. certain areas uh you know kind of. populations booming. the main thing about them is yeah look. at all that that poop this is crazy. and you know when we first start in. areas especially areas where I first. start doing guided hunts it'll look like. this and we we clean it up pretty.

quickly uh we're seeing huge results for. the iguanas any and even the pythons in. a lot of the areas that we're focusing. wow and these are all just invasive. species that have brought over as pets. yep yep well and you know they're they. these specific ones weren't necessarily. pets these were probably wild Born but. you know their lineage does come from. escaped and release pets. yeah. it's just crazy how much of an impact. that can have it it is there's a you.

know and it's kind of cool to see not. necessarily cool but interesting to see. um the the differences and impacts the. pythons they're wiping out our native. wildlife and the iguanas while they do. have impacts on our native Wildlife. specifically our burrowing animals like. our gopher tortoise our burrowing owls. and they're both protected and. threatened species already. they more so have an impact on our. infrastructure they cost our state.

millions and millions of dollars every. single year with the boroughs they dig. the vegetation they eat they dig under. houses too right and they [ __ ] with the. structure of the yep so they'll dig. these Burrows to to lay nest and they'll. undermine housing foundations sidewalks. sea walls and the main concern has been. roadways and our Levy embankments as I. was explaining earlier those Levee. systems manage our water which is. absolutely crucial for the state of. Florida. and the iguanas will degrade the.

embankment so much where they have to. come in and totally rebuild them back up. to give you an idea the town of Davy. which is just a small town here in South. Florida. last year the year before they spent 1.7. million dollars repairing iguana Burrows. along their Levy embankments that's not. roadways that's not houses that's not. sidewalks sea walls just the levy. embankments and you spread that across. the whole state I mean you could be. talking 50 million dollars maybe more.

Dade County Miami-Dade has been talking. about upping their budget for iguana. removal which I'm planning on putting a. bid in for it their budget before was. just not adequate for what needs to be. done. they're now comparing it to the mosquito. problem. and the mosquito problem I believe they. spend like 40 million dollars a year on. so. I think their budget in the prior years.

was like 250 000 for iguanas and they're. quickly seeing that we need to spend. Millions on these uh reptiles to get. them out have you seen this insane. research they're doing about. injecting mosquitoes with vaccines scary. [ __ ] yeah what the [ __ ] are they doing. scary [ __ ] well they want you to get. that damn shot anyway this is crazy this. one's crazy yeah that is like the idea.

that you're going to contain those. mosquitoes once you release them out in. the wild yeah what's gonna happen we've. seen how things have gone wrong before. yeah how do you not learn from all the. stuff we've been talking about earlier. today invasive species cats toads the. fact that you've got some genetically. engineered mosquito and you're releasing. it on the human race like holy [ __ ] man. well well here's something on that too. is so they're doing that they've already. released them in Florida from my. understanding they're already out there. which mosquitoes the modified ones I.

don't know about the the not the vaccine. not the vaccine but the modified and. what are these modified ones supposed to. be doing I guess helping with the. mosquito population I don't know I don't. know but I do know. supposedly and I'm pretty sure this is. accurate we had our first case of. malaria in Florida like ever or from a. for a very very long time Texas as well. Texas as well so you know it's a little. same places where they're working on. these [ __ ] mosquitoes same places.

they're working on these [ __ ]. mosquitoes yeah I don't know if that's. why I'm not saying that's why but I am. saying that I am very concerned when. human beings are making a decision that. can infect affect rather the entire. population that lives down yeah or in. the entire country or anywhere where. there's mosquitoes yeah can you not say. these things are going to go everywhere. yeah well you know like you said what if. it goes bad then what what do you do. well this idea that we're supposed to. trust these guys they know exactly how. everything's gonna work out like [ __ ]. off yeah. yeah what are you doing no.

yeah just like they knew about coven. it's like they know about everything. yeah it's never been one thing they've. ever gotten perfectly right and this is. a. a giant overstep it just seems like that. involves everyone that should be. something that the public should be. educated on before these decisions are. made that people should discuss it it. should be something on the tip of. politicians tongues okay what the [ __ ]. are we doing dude it's a plot of a. horror movie yeah it really is it is. there's so many of those going on.

simultaneously it's hard to pay. attention we're getting invaded by. aliens we're about to go to war Jesus. Christ AI chat GPT and sentient AI it's. a crazy time man it's a crazy thing it's. just I feel like we are literally like. on the launching pad I feel like it has. just begun like absolutely I think it's. going to get way crazy over the next few. years yeah for sure but when you see. just Florida is just to me is always. such an interesting test case because.

it's such a wild place it's always a. place that people have kind of gone to. get away from everywhere it's the South. but it's very different than the rest of. the South. and then the fact that it's. him he's got such a crazy history of. cocaine in Miami and the violence and. the organized crime that's all linked to. the the exotic pet trade as well as it. all goes hand in hand yes sir how so so. you know the the big thing with all. these big drug dealers you know at the. time was having these crazy exotic pets.

Tigers [ __ ] anacondas big snakes all. kind of stuff and they you know they. ain't the best pet owners right you know. what I mean and not to say that the. animals released or escaped from them. became a problem but it was the whole. culture of it right everyone wanted to. be like these drug dealers so they all. wanted these crazy animals too for the. wrong reasons and I think that's why it. it at least one of the reasons it became. so popular down here to have these crazy.

animals it's a good climate and. everything for it too obviously. but um uh it was just such a a big thing. still is. Florida is unlike any other place it. really is it's like unlike any other. place in the country yeah. and the fact that you guys are dealing. with all these different invasive. species there it's almost appropriate. like for the because the state is so. crazy it's just like of course of course. that's where it's happening because.

there's not really another state in the. country that has such an issue with. other than Hogs it's so perfect for it. too you got the Port of Miami where. stuff from all over the world's coming. in through the climate's perfect the the. you got the Everglades and it's just. everything everything lines up it's the. perfect storm when did you first start. like camping out in the Everglades like. um that was when I was. at least hunting for pythons or just. anytime I've been going in the.

Everglades for a while you know growing. up as a Florida boy we're all kind of. you know out there running around. catching snakes how many people go. missing out there every year. ah I don't know I don't know it's not. more it's not zero right no I'm sure it. ain't zero. um I mean I've almost been that person. before uh I'm sure there's there's some. for sure do you think people are getting. eaten out there. ah. maybe if they're doing something they.

shouldn't be you know being out there no. no maybe you know swimming across a damn. Canal at night when they ain't supposed. to stuff like that that's mainly when I. see people getting attacked by an. alligator you know they're generally. going to stay away from you they don't. want none to do with you if you come. across an alligator that's been getting. fed by people that fucker's dangerous. for sure um main thing is you know we. have these people that are. since 1965 has only been 175 unsolved.

cases involving deaths and murders. that's just the bodies but that's like. deaths and murders well I would imagine. that would be a good place to drop off. that's kind of what I was going to say. is it's a very good place to go hide. stuff I've I've found vehicles that were. using crimes dumped out there I've found. dogs from dogfights that were dumped out. there I've found animals that have just. been dumped. um I've found very. intricate and mind-blowing Satanic. rituals and sacrifices out there what oh.

yeah. oh yeah. um so I was which I found I found. different stuff before you know I'll. find maybe this is where someone was. doing some Voodoo some Santeria. sacrificed a chicken whatever all that's. like kind of normal out there that's not. that crazy. but what I found this night was I was. very crazy yeah the the police came and. investigated it um it made the news and. that's that's the facility I was hunting.

uh it's aerojet it's actually an. abandoned space rocket facility from the. cold war where they were developing and. testing space rockets and what were you. hunting there pythons. um I was out there you know hunting. these snakes and this this facility is. is. um you need special access I was given. special access by the state of Florida. to remove pythons from out there. and nobody can just go back out there. but people do go out there as you can.

see from the graffiti and different. stuff like that usually to do stuff that. they're not supposed to do there's a lot. of crimes committed out there there have. been. um murders out there gang initiations. all kind of stuff so they have a. pentagram that's so yeah it's it's a. whole thing so when you go out there the. first thing I came across was a big rock. pile with a upside down wooden cross on. top and a bunch of red spray painted. upside down crosses all over and you. could tell the the cross I think was.

burnt a little bit. and it wasn't you know crazy super crazy. it was it was like oh this is new you. know this wasn't out here a few days ago. and then I found this little doll. and um. as I kind of investigated that Dalmore a. little red Scarlet snake actually came. up and wrapped around her neck. and I picked up this there it is I. picked up the Scarlet snake and um. which you know is kind of weird that.

there's a live snake a red snake on this. doll and I've caught a lot of snakes in. my life and that is the only one that. was bleeding out of its anus there was. blood coming out of its b-hole which you. know I don't know why who knows what it. was a little weird to me. um and then the night just kind of gets. weirder from there. you see the the the red lettering in the. other clip it was a a big Latin saying. uh like 100 foot long pretty much on the.

road I drove over it we later translated. it to. turn around run hide he is watching you. go further into the complex and there's. these big abandoned buildings I go into. the building. um you know still just python hunting. like you know who knows what these kids. are doing out here I thought it was. strange the Latin your average kid just. messing around don't know Latin sayings. like that. and then I come to this big room where.

there's the big pentagram. uh in the middle of the pentagram there. is a. a three-legged plastic chair with a. blood stain in the bottom of it where. you could tell something was. killed sacrificed whatever on each wall. there's three walls on each wall there's. upside down crosses Latin sayings and. all kinds of stuff. as I'm kind of walking into the room. which you know I don't want to sound. like a uh.

a psycho or anything but. that doll from earlier. grab my leg. I don't know if I kicked it I didn't see. it or what but that doll from the rock. pile somewhere else. I don't know if it's another dollar what. I never seen that other doll. I kick it it seemed like it grabbed me. it's that same doll from earlier same. thing with the the cross on its forehead. the one I cocked over the other eye. messed up. and so you know it's very very weird to.

me it kind of like scared me right next. wasn't there and then it was there I. didn't I didn't notice it I didn't. notice it and carry it over there no I. didn't touch it so I don't touch anybody. else was anybody else with you I had two. guys with me that didn't even want to. get out of the truck when they seen the. first thing they stayed in the truck so. the same thing they didn't you saw in. the rock pile somehow made its way to. where you were yep I don't know if it's. a duplicate doll or what but it's more. than one of those dolls only doll I've. seen only doll I seen I'm not big on the.

whole Supernatural thing so me I'm real. doubtful of it in the first place. but to me it was the same doll from. earlier I did not see it until it hit my. foot. right next to that doll there is a sang. on the ground that says the omen will. follow. which to me was like the creepiest thing. of the whole thing was like you know. that if you interact with any of this. this spirit's gonna follow you which I'm. Christian I believe in God and I wasn't.

worried you know I know the good Lord. has my back. but very strange right very strange as. we go through there's all kind of. different stuff. um in one of the rooms there's a. sleeping bag with something inside of it. I don't think it was a body anything. like that police went out there. investigated it I didn't investigate. further past that something was inside. the sleeping bag and on the walls there. was.

um looked like red spray paint and it. said uh she was only nine we gave her to. the devil like basically talking about. sacrificing a child. and then you have this little girl's. gown that's nailed to the wall with like. a dark red stain on it. oh Jesus yeah and what was the. investigation did you follow up and find. out what they found out I never heard. anything from it I'm assuming they never. found much from it because I never heard.

anything from it did they know it was. human blood. that was in the chair I don't know I. don't know I would like to think it's. red spray paint. um but. I don't know I don't know for the sake. of this for the sake of the story who. knows what it was yeah so you know we. continue on with our hunt we end up. starting to get out of there the guys. are like dude we want to go we don't. like this [ __ ] I'm like all right you. know let's pack it up let's go so we. start making our way out. and um I see flashlights.

I mean there's one run one Road in one. one road out there's a gate at the end. of it you can't drive a vehicle in and I. mean we're miles miles out here you have. to drive miles to then walk miles right. so I see these this flashlight bouncing. on the side of the road as I'm driving. out and I'm like who the [ __ ] is this no. I've never seen anyone out here in my. life ever. getting closer to them I have my pistol.

in my truck I put my pistol on my lap. you know just in case. as I'm getting closer about to kind of. pass the guy. the guy's like Mike. it's my name. I'm like what the [ __ ] I'm definitely. shooting this guy like what the [ __ ] you. know and he's like I love your Instagram. I was like oh [ __ ] and he's I'm like. dude what are you doing out here he's. like oh I seen on your story a couple.

days you were out here python hunting so. I figured I'd come out here and take a. look he was with a buddy. and I'm like you know that's awesome you. know better than devil yeah yeah I'm. like good luck to you but. I found some crazy [ __ ] back there and. it is fresh like someone was just back. there doing some satanic [ __ ] you know. be careful look out for yourself. I go on my way I talk to him the next. day he said five minutes after he left. me he heard a bunch of gunshots back.

there and he [ __ ] rolled out left. whoa so people were still there sure. [ __ ] seems like it holy sure [ __ ] seems. like it so I do I do a little more. investigating in myself turns out. aerojet that facility itself has this. which I've done a whole YouTube video on. it uh definitely checkout's interesting. has a whole satanic history the founder. of aerojet the guy who was working with. NASA and the federal government on these.

space Rockets was a public Satanist Jack. Parson was a a public Satanist who. supposedly died in some kind of. experiment some say a Satanic ritual. an explosion. and um what the [ __ ] man look at this. guy oh yeah very public sentence he. practiced what was called Sex Magic. and you know you can imagine what that's. all about and so his his wife. who he CLA I think it was a second wife.

I'm not sure what he claimed he conjured. her from hell that she was a demon in. Elemental and Elemental from hell. her name was Marjorie Kimmel the same. name as my grandmother so this guy's a. legit rocket scientist for NASA. full-blown Satanist. public Satanist yeah. what year was this. um 60s 70s cold water. and then aerojet still a still a thing.

too you know it's I think it's out in. Texas or I don't know what but bro this. is a flat out horror movie yeah yeah and. their dude that rabbit hole goes way. deeper way deeper the occult history. behind NASA's jet propulsion laboratory. wow. wow so you know that spot is is chamber. will you send me that please significant. for Satanic rituals and that happened. during the Easter Moon which is also I. found out I didn't know this before high.

activity for Satanic rituals for. whatever reason they think that they're. it's a better time to link or I don't. know what but oh God yeah it wasn't just. some you know. oh we're laughing about it it was like a. real deal they were trying to do. something out there you know what's. really [ __ ] terrifying. people dismiss the idea of demons they. dismiss it completely but yet believe in. God like if you tell people that you saw. the devil though okay like Mike's.

holidays. what are we doing Mike even a swamp too. long like some toads Mike yeah what the. [ __ ] you up to yeah but but if you tell. them that you know God spoke to you. people will listen if did if Satan is. real or if demons are real if they. really are a real thing and these. occultists really can summon them. you know how [ __ ] terrifying that. would be. dude just to find out that's real but. it's not like the old saying the. greatest oh yeah thing to say that.

Satan's ever done yeah that's it that's. it and and I look at the world we're in. right now Joe. and everything going on and to me it's. hard to believe that there ain't. something meddling or something you know. what I mean it's just something pulling. on your strength dark energy right now. of human behavior right like what would. cause someone to want to embrace. Satanism what would cause cause someone. what would cause someone to even let's. just pretend that that was just fake and.

they had a doll and they spray painted. everything like what the [ __ ] what are. you doing and you're waiting to go way. out there dude that's that's such a. commitment that's like and the fact. there's a deep history to bring all that. stuff out there. crazy scary thing is you know that there. are people that sacrifice people that's. happened that's a real thing whether. that's happening right now it's just. cognitive dissonance it keeps you from. believing it's possible a buddy of mine. uh came across a little bit of that when.

he was hunting the Amazon. oh no oh yeah it was a big religious. sacrifice and. right in the same area of the Amazon he. was in. um I want to say like the day after he. left. want to say was the day after he left or. I want to say it was while he was there. something crazy I I don't want to ruin. the story but he was in the Amazon. hunting and he got word that in one of.

the villages close by there was like 60. people slaughtered a huge religious. sacrifice or it was something to do with. religion and um you know it just shows. like holy [ __ ] you're in another world. there oh. wild yeah yeah that's some terrifying. [ __ ] man I had Paul rosely on the. podcast who spends a lot of time in the. Amazon protecting. um the the natural ecosystem and and he.

said he had encountered some natives at. one point in time and he like looked. around a tree and he saw a guy with a. bow with face paint on he's like oh my. God I just got in contact just got out. exactly just got out of there in time. yeah that's sketchy yeah sketchy yeah. yeah it's a lot sketchier he knew quite. a few people that had been killed out. there too oh yeah I believe it yeah. believe it even one guy he was. explaining this one guy who had. developed a relationship with them like. he would push like a raft towards them.

with supplies kept giving them things. and eventually was able to get close to. them and one day they found him with six. arrows in them. they decided no more they said yeah you. know [ __ ] you man yeah you know yeah I. mean how many negative encounters that. they had with loggers and yeah well. that's it they had they have a reason to. they're probably fearful they don't want. to they don't want to change their way. of life insurance to us we're uh well. they probably don't even know what that. means yeah you know they just probably I. mean yeah completely uncontacted people.

they just see enemy and they know that. they've killed people before yeah I mean. there's been so many Slaughters and. murders of indigenous people when they. were trying to take over areas for. Mining and for like stories get passed. out around between them and yeah they. see people on a raft with supplies. dressed weird oh kill them yeah kill. them all yeah. it's crazy it is crazy yeah you know. that's kind of their version of the. Everglades right like but even more. crazy yeah and you're in there you're in.

their territory yeah there's nobody's. coming to help you no nobody's coming to. save you out there hell no yeah I mean. it's infinitely bigger than the other oh. yeah for sure well the Everglades has. always been what was that movie there. was a movie called Southern Comfort do. you ever see that movie. I don't think so it's a great movie. about these Army reservists who are. doing some sort of uh a thing down the. Everglades and I think one guy gets in.

an altercation with one of the Swamp. People. and a glazeman yeah okay one of the. people that lived I don't think it's the. Glades I think it's some other swamp I. forget where it's supposed to be taking. place but it's a [ __ ] great movie I. want to say it's like 79 or 80 or. something like that what year was this. does it say Jeremy. 81. yeah Louisiana Bayou that's it I got you. it's a great movie though man these guys. are [ __ ]. yeah you get you get going against.

someone that knows their yeah home range. is better than you you're in trouble. yeah they start getting. hunted and it's it's pretty crazy fun. movie and but it also like delves into. the culture of the people that live. there and you go to see there where they. live in their homes and it's like wow. this is like yes sir it's a completely. different world absolutely completely. different world yeah and those people. have been living like that for a long. time and there's a lot of culture behind. it yeah yeah yeah and you know uh.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote about people that. live in the Appalachians and some of the. the insane violence that took place. there and he said there's a direct. connection between the type of people. that move there because they were. herders and herders unlike Farmers had. to protect their animals and so when. someone would come they could just steal. all your animals the middle of the night. so they were always on guard and you. know fiercely read because that was like. literally all of your food oh yeah all. livelihood yes everything that keeps you. off so they were always protecting.

against thieves and there was like a. culture and honor culture behind that. and so when they the same folks moved to. the Everglades They Carried that over. there with them that's why it's like. seeped in violence yeah yeah yeah and. you know it's um there is there's a. whole deep history to the Everglades and. the gladesmen and uh that's another big. thing that I I. uh that's important to me. um I'm on the board of directors for the.

history of the Florida gladesman. nonprofit and we go around the state to. airboat shows buggy shows parades all. kind of different stuff and we have a. mobile Museum which we bring with all. kind of old Everglades artifacts and. pictures and showing how you know the. gladesmen has gone and gone from a bit. of an outlaw uh you know Gator hunter. fisher to now it's uh. um stewards of the land to a protector. of the Everglades and you know really.

kind of trying to convey that message. that you know we need those eyes and the. ears out there to to keep protecting and. preserve that culture. is there a good documentary on that. culture. yes yeah there's there's a few of them. um I think you got uh gladesman uh. Sawgrass Cowboys or something like that. uh there's there's a few of them yes. the bullet you recommend those two yes. yes absolutely is that available. everywhere yeah yeah I think um yeah you.

can buy it you can stream it there it is. Glades man yeah that's a good one give. me some Vine Jeremy let me hear this. hit his trailer. a lot of people ask me you know what's. it like being on the Airboat driving an. airboat I said well have you ever ridden. a motorcycle I go yeah have you ever got. out of one of those real isolated roads. where there's nothing but you and the.

two green lines on either side of the. road. they said yeah they'll add a couple more. cylinders and take the green lines away. that's the closest thing to Flying you. can get and not leave Earth. [Music]. we actually run these air boats to stick. these frogs.

to see if their eyes you go towards him. try to stick him and pure wet around him. go on to the next one this the slower. you go the more you see. [Music]. I put it in the bucket and hopefully. we'll get to eat them.

foreign. I feel like I'm a keeper of the. Everglades. it's my heart and soul I've just been. coming here all my life and being able. to venture out and see everything. so when they take all this away. when all of us are gone. then nobody's gonna be able to take the. Next Generation out to see what we see. by Everglades.

[Music]. says efficiency airboats harm the. fragile ecosystem if they're spending. billions of dollars to protect the. gladesmen have airboated here for. Generations the band constitutes a war. on their way of life and and that's very. frustrating for us because we see every. year with the way they manage the water. how they flood and dry up it kills all. the vegetation anyway. so um you know it's the reasoning behind.

it doesn't make much sense and. especially the air boats we're laying. grass down we're not tearing it up. rooting it up it lays down it it returns. so. it's uh it's unfortunate but it is it's. a war on on our way of life and what's. behind it like what who is behind doing. this federal government. and what and have they had debates on. this or any sort of a conversation or it. could be explained to them the benefit. of allowing people to continue to do.

that. uh yeah you know. I know there has been. um but. you have this such outcry from you know. the gladesman the average gladesman is. is a blue-collar guy he works every day. um they're the kind of guys that don't. go to a lot of these meetings and it's. unfortunate and that's a problem with. with us you know what I mean not making. excuses by any means and we also see. that with Hunters they don't show up to. these meetings like the.

um forgive my link Tree Huggers do for. the the people that are against it you. get all these Cairns in there that don't. know a thing I've been in the meetings. myself and we had one lady get up on. there and and her her argument against. allowing access was what are the. caterpillars gonna do. and like I I we I thought she's joking. but she's dead serious she was worried. that the caterpillars were gonna suffer.

and the butterflies would suffer and. it's just it's based on nothing it. doesn't make any sense uh there's. caterpillars are fine the airboats don't. hurt the caterpillars I mean they might. knock it off a tree or something but you. know we're not we're not out there. killing caterpillars with airboats so. you get a lot of that you get this this. one side of the room that's against it. because they don't really know why and. then you get us on the other side of the. room where it's a few guys that know. what we're talking about but we're just.

the minority in a lot of these. situations. um and also too it's it only does so. good you know. um at the end of the day decisions are. made and we're not the ones making the. decisions. that seems like such a bummer because. those people are so interesting. we do fight for it you know that's why. we have. um we we do our best to work with the. state we work with FWC where we have. these these youth hunts where we can. take youth Hunters out show them how to.

hunt alligators show them how to harvest. make use of the alligators and and and. do all that kind of stuff all of it. outside the national park none of it is. allowed in the National Park which is. essentially the Jewel of the Everglades. the best part of it and um you know so. so we do what we can this this is fairly. recent that this no the national park. was turned into National Park in the the. sixth so like what you were saying. earlier but it's been a battle since. then yeah and they're constantly taking.

away access uh every year it seems. they're trying to take more access away. and especially now with 1200 people. moving a thousand people moving to. Florida today everything's getting. developed and bought up and you have. more corruption where areas that weren't. supposed to developed are now starting. to get developed and it's a sad thing. you know we've seen the Everglades go. from three million acres to now we're. down to 1.5 million acres and how long. um.

I don't know I don't I don't know that. exact number historically the Everglades. was three million Acres I I don't know. what what year they're basing that. change off of probably within the last. 100 years. wow. it's such a sad story. it's it's such a sad story of you know. the consequences of human civilization. and that you're getting to see it you're. getting to see it all when you when you. were a kid do you remember a difference. in the the population of wildlife do you.

remember before the pythons decimated. everything absolutely absolutely when. did the big change when did it start to. happen I think we've really started to. notice it this past. 10 to 20 years maybe and you think. that's just when all these populations. that they dumped in there or however God. I think it's it's happened under our. nose I think it's happened under our. nose where the population is just so out. of control now where we're seeing all. the roadkill we're seeing all the. wildlife has been decimated and and that.

takes a while to notice it's not like. we're out there. um there's any really good way to count. these animals this is based solely off. of sightings. so it's like you know after a couple. years or a year or two people are. starting to realize. I haven't seen a raccoon in months. or I haven't seen a raccoon in a year. and that ain't right there's something. wrong there and I think that's when. everyone started to realize like hey.

Oliver native wildlife's gone we're. running over all these snakes roadkill. on the road you know there's a big. problem here and when you start to look. more into it then you start finding the. snakes everywhere I talk to guys all the. time out there while I'm in the. Everglades snake hunting and you know. when I first started python hunting I. would always get the same thing from the. fishermen out there oh it's a hoax there. ain't no pythons out here I kind of. thought the same thing too. if you're not looking for these snakes.

you're not finding them you're not. finding them you're just an average. person you'll go right past it you'll go. right past it most of the time they're. moving at night they're nocturnal and. people just ain't out there at night and. if they are they're not they're not. looking and they don't have lights and. they all burrow underground no no no no. they um most don't burrow underground. they don't burrow they don't dig they. take over existing Burrows to lay Nest. during nesting season is that another.

animal leaves behind. um either another animal or erosion. those islands are all limestone rocks. stacked on each other so little road. away little caverns and holes and then. they'll get into them and use them. um but um you know they're they're very. good at hiding you know if you think. about a snake it can kind of make any. shape it it wants it's just a long tube. I've seen 16 Footers hide in eight. inches of grass right in front of me. where if I didn't step on it or know it.

was there I would have never seen it. when when the Conservancy of Southwest. Florida. GPS radio tags these pythons with a. Tracker I'm sure you've seen it and they. release them back into the wild to gain. data and to go. during breeding season and hope to find. breeding balls even though they're. tracking this snake and know exactly. where it is a lot of times they don't. find it till they step on it because. it's just so hidden between their.

camouflage and just their shape of their. body and where they are their. they're very good at they're cryptic. Predators so there's really no way to do. anything other than control the. population at this point. and sort of control it sort of we're. never going to get rid of them we do. need to manage them and we need to use. new and old Technologies to do that and. what I mean by that is I've been a part. of taking out researchers and developing. new types of cameras that can actually.

spot pythons and how they do that is not. with thermal because pythons are cold. blood they do that with. um and forgive me some dude from the. swamp I think they they read reflective. properties off of snakes or the way. light reflects off of different things a. python and its skin is basically the. most reflective and shiny thing out. there besides water. so if we use that camera. with a drone and with software that.

we're already using in Africa to combat. poaching and different things like that. we could. fly that drone up at the start of a levy. or out in the Everglades fly it out fly. it around and it would be able to show. where it sees a piece of a python mark. it and tell me the hunter wear their. snakes and if this area is worth me. spending time here tonight because you. know there's pythons all over the. Everglades but essentially.

especially without a dog you're looking. for. you're looking for a yeah exactly oh. they kind of glow yeah and it almost. looks like thermal but but it's it's not. reading Heat. and the the camera I helped test was. actually a thermal camera that mid. production they slip a different lens in. it and I guess that what is what allows. it to. to read that oh that's fascinating but I. think that would be a big game changer. especially for people not using dogs.

um but from what I've seen the dogs is. is what we need to be putting all of our. money into what we need to be putting. our time into I got a few dogs now that. are finding snakes almost every time we. go out and for python hunting. finding a python almost every time you. go out is like unheard of it's like the. Holy Grail you could go out there for a. week and maybe find one you might find a. dozen in a night. but it's just so hit or miss it's so. hard to predict and they're just very. hard to find you're essentially looking.

for them when they expose themselves out. in the open but with the dog you don't. have to wait for that you can find them. where they're at. and so it was the pushback about the. dogs is that animal rights people that. think it's cruel to use dogs they're. they're scared about animal rights. people. um also to every single State Contractor. they have hired now nobody has hunting. dogs or would I don't think would know. what to do with a python dog what they. would need to do is.

fund a dog detection team itself aside. from the python programs where they have. a team of trained Dog Handlers trained. dogs and they go out into the Everglades. state funded and they they find these. pythons full time that's all they do. um which a big thing for me has been. trying to get the state to support what. I go what I've got going on I already. have that operation I've already built. it this past two years we're. successfully going out there removing. those snakes but I've seen how working.

with the state has gone before I would. love to get there. they're kind of Nod where they allow me. different access and permissions. but you know a private private funding. right now looks even more attractive to. me we have a couple people that have. reached out wanting to help and um you. know. uh the dogs in the Everglades is is. going to be the game changer it really. is what kind of a ramp up in people like. yourself.

like how many more would you need to get. a handle on this. a lot a lot we need like I said we need. the general you're basically not doing. anything to stop the population right. now no yeah we are in the areas we're in. the areas we're focusing yeah we're. definitely seeing results we're seeing. native Wildlife increase we're seeing. less pythons and especially with us. getting these nests now we're going to. see huge results next year I know we are. um but we're just focusing on a small. area we need to spread out big time and. um we need the general public to get.

involved more we need a team of Dog. Handlers and dogs. and that needs to just continuously grow. you know there's that needs to just. constantly training new people training. new dogs and it's going to take the. right person it's not just getting. anybody it's taken me a while to find. the guys I have now. and um you know we definitely are seeing. results but on a whole. we're losing the battle right we're. really explaining it in the areas where.

you're from we're winning in the area. small percentage of the actual. effortless that's the problem yeah and. and to me I say that because. we're seeing a ton of baby pythons we. just caught the largest python ever in. the world recently that 19-footer that. was caught right off the side of the. road like they're just crossing the road. these big ass things. and um it goes to show to me that. there's still a lot of big snakes out. there and. they're reproducing laying eggs creating.

an army and it's right under our nose. you know. so it it can be discouraging when you. look at it but that's the main thing we. can't get discouraged we gotta keep. hammering you know we got to keep. hitting these snakes doing what we can. finding new ways and and save our. Everglades we got to is there any way. that anybody listening to this can help. yes yes. um you know especially so I just started.

a non-profit specifically to help with. this. um Veterans for conservation we are. specifically uh trying to get some of. that funding back into. expanding my dog team expanding more. handlers. iguana removers and everything like that. which again I've already been. self-funding and doing myself. and then in the process of that we want. to take veterans out specifically combat. vets take them out and get them involved.

give them a new purpose and get them in. on the battle. and we've just seen it with working with. the different. um uh military charity groups we've. worked with wishes for warriors is is. the one we really like to work with a. lot and we just see how beneficial it is. getting them out there and I think if we. tie those two together we can help save. our state and help save some veterans. that's a great purpose a great idea. and so if someone wants to get involved.

is there a website they can go to best. thing to do would be to email python. cowboyhunts gmail.com Oh Boy get ready. you got someone to filter that out yeah. I do I got an assistant that's where I. book my assistant where I book all my. guided hunts and uh sell a lot of my. leather products through there I also. have my website that I sell my leather. products on pythoncowboy.com and all of. that every dollar we make from the. leather products from a merchandise all.

of that goes right back into trying to. get out there remove more pythons rescue. native Wildlife I got a five acre. wildlife rescue where I have all kind of. different rescues and you know that's. what I have to to help fund that and. it's been going good do you sell python. skins direct to the public yep yeah so. somebody wants to get one and have it. made into something yes sir we can make. it for you I actually have uh my which I. may have to get some more my lady. answering my emails is my leather.

crafter as well so she makes my leather. products takes my order ships them out. what one person one person wow yeah. that's a valuable her and her mother her. and her mother wow all right man so well. listen thank you very much for being. here I really enjoyed talking to you it. was really fun and uh you you've got a. crazy job and a crazy task and it's uh. fascinating stay away from those [ __ ]. stations. pleasure to meet you brother pleasure to. be on thank you thank you bye everybody.

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