Each has a purpose and a common goal: to stop the area’s python takeover and save their beloved home and the diminishing wildlife who inhabit it.Watch Video: 'Hero' alligator gulps down invasive Burmese python 'Crum has assembled an eclectic team of fellow snake hunters, experts and survivalists, including rookie Brittany, swamp guru Jay, wildlife expert Gary, survivalist Tom, and Riley, the #1 Python hunting Beagle in the state of Florida. VIDEO: Massive gator chomps 10-foot python like a chew toy Geological Survey, said no rabbits or foxes were seen in park surveys between 20. The study, which included scientists from the U.S. Without an accurate count of how many pythons there are in the Everglades, it's hard to judge the success of the district's program.Ī 2011 study that looked at small mammal populations in Everglades National Park found declines of between 87 and 99 percent for raccoon, opossums, white-tailed deer and bobcats. VIDEO: Python hunter rescues alligator from snake's death grip

'Hucklebuck means we make due with what we got,' Crum says during a portion of the show where his truck breaks down and he turns to fellow hunter Mike Kimmel, also known as Python Cowboy, for help. In Guardians of the Glades, Crum is accompanied by a crew of friends that share his Old Florida-swagger - a swamp confidence learned far from the touristy coast where 'hucklebuck' is a term of endearment, a method of payment or a tape and chewing gum kind of fix. Hunters, who must apply to be part of the program, earn minimum wage for up to 40 hours per week and then additional money based on the length of snake caught. RELATED: Pythons ran amok in the Everglades until these hired guns showed upĪs of this morning, 2,101 pythons have been removed by hunters in the district's landmark program, which began in March 2017.

Python bounty hunter Dusty 'Wildman' Crum is known throughout Florida for his barefoot serpent wrangling, but now he's gaining a national audience with the new Discovery Channel show Guardians of the Glades.Ĭrum, 39, is one of two dozen Burmese python hunters licensed by the South Florida Water Management District to hunt the invasive species that is gobbling up the Everglades with little in its way.

Florida bounty on pythons