Florida python hunter recounts bloody battle with snake: “She got me, son”

Editor’s note: This story was initially released in 2020.

The head of the snake was as big as a garden rowing, Hunter Mike Kimmel once, twice, before dipping his repeated teeth into his arm, the blood of the rhythm with the heart of the rhythm.

On the depths of Everglades, a spoils alone Kimmel came to search for invasive python. He knew that the mounds of high, dry floor mounds would be an efficient prey with the May rains that caused the water to rise. He estimated the muscle coil in the crisp lower brush of approximately 17 fit.

However, the licensed Python Hunter underestimated access and took risks by taking his tail instead of his head. The teeth were designed to win the struggling hunt and sliced ​​a vein under his elbow.

The 32 -year -old Kimmel, 32 -year -old Martin County, who showed a breathless war with a big hunter as a large hunter as a small ship video of the June 8 match, said, “My real concern is not darkening at this point.” “Bleeding passed on my mind, but I was really worried about losing consciousness.”

Florida’s unique Birmanya Python Huntings, with Hype of this year’s flashy Python Bowl Rocker Ozzy Osbourne And Famous chef Gordon Ramsey Kimmel’s short but bloody war, which took the field trips for Hunt for snakes for snakes, shows how serious the elimination of the invading reptile can be.

It is not a pet journey on a forest trip.

Donna Kalil, a 57 -year -old Python hunter, a licensed python hunter in the Southern Florida Water Management Zone, said, “When you catch something larger than 14 meters, it’s no longer a snake, it’s a monster.” “I love to say that I do something dangerous very carefully.”

As part of the 300 -year -old program of the Water Management Zone, Kalil estimates that hunters have caught 300 pythons per week to hunt pythons. Plus length -based bonuses.

A Python measured up to 4 meters brings an extra $ 50 in addition to $ 25 per foot. Annex $ 200 can be earned for each Python caught while protecting a home with an egg.

The longest Python captured by Kalil was 15.5 feet.

He was bitten several times, but there was no wound that Kimmel had gushed, soaked his pants and shirts, and the spiral snakes and grass around him.

One of his most terrible moments was in hunting at night. He was on a tax and saw an estimated 18 -meter in the following water. He went down the bank he opened in the dark.

Kalil, who uses snake shot bullets that did not even penetrate the skin, said, “I shot it in the head with a .44 Magnum”. “I felt my life was in danger. It was a little frightening to see and meet him face to face.”

The snake fled to the fire and escaped. Another time, he took a 13 -meter python from his head, but he was so strong that he withdrew him from the tax he gave me like a doll ”. 5 feet fell to the bottom, landed on his chin, but did not leave the snake.

Kalil prefers to bring others to hunting, gives extra eyes to find pythons and help larger snakes.

In addition, Kimmel, a regional contracted python hunter, enters the swamp solo.

On Monday morning before the bite, he directed the 14 -meter Jon boat from the still waters of Everglades and stopped on more than one island before he came across 17 meters.

Adrenalin Racing, Water Management Regional Records and Social Media Fans set up his cameras to save capture. Instead of reaching the head, he went to the queue. Although he’s a little hidden in the head brush, Kimmel admits that he wants to test his size.

Kimmel said, “He certainly showed me his strength. I dug my heels on his limestone to stop and had a war. “From there, he did what I want to do, go back and hit me because it gives me the opportunity to take his head.”

He escaped a few strikes, then he didn’t.

Kim Kimmel said in a Facebook article, while using a cloth snake bag to tie the bleeding arm without leaving Python. Damn, I infiltrate everywhere.

Kimmel, who was named after social media, won Florida Python Bowl this year after he caught eight snakes during the tournament. The invader Green iguana is also known for its imprisonment and killing of Egyptian geese and wild pigs.

But Python – Kimmel’s Python’s Python hunting career is one of the most important moments in Python’s Python hunting career, which shows him that he caught three python at the same time and came to a Python nest full of eggs at the same time.

Python Hunter is not the only region that finds some fame through the program or is divided into a profession. Since March 2017, approximately 3,000 snakes have been issued from Everglades.

Jason Leon, a 31-year-old Miami, was a hunter in a region, but many years before the start of the program, the longest python of the state-18 feet was 8 inch. He is now running guided Python hunting on air boats and ATVs. As Leon says, a Python Nabbing is a success that everyone can master, accepts dangers.

“If this snake had bitten in a main artery, Leon could easily bleed, Leon said Leon said Leon. “I’ve been hugging a few times, and if your arm or leg dies and loses circulation, you will lose control.”

Dusty “Wildman” crum, Naked feetHe is a region hunter and won a Discovery channel show “Glades Guardians.”

40 -year -old Crum said that the show was waiting because of the coronavirus, but in the first season, a episode caught a scary fight with more than 16 meters snake.

Kimmel, who was hunted with Crum that night, had to enter after the snake wrapped himself around his neck.

“The cowboy came and helped me, and I was sorry that I wasn’t there to help him,” Crum said. “We should probably not go hunting ourselves, but we do it because we’re stubbornly.”

Crum’s longest snake was 16 feet and 11 inch.

Kimmel does not know exactly how much it lasts or how heavy it was to capture because the check-in station of the water management area was closed from the coronavirus. The hunters are asked to freeze their snakes until they are reopened.

However, it was a rough measurement – with confusion – at least 17 feet.

The regional record is 17 feet, 5 inches.

Kimmel said he weighs 130 to 140 pounds and believes that the snake could be a similar weight.

Even with a wounded arm and light head, he was able to give back the Jon boat back and made it a safe crate.

“I love snakes and they need to be respected, they shouldn’t be afraid,” Kimmel said. “They need to be taken for what they are, a wild animal that can harm you.”

Kimberly Miller The USA is a journalist for Palm Beach Post, a part of the Florida network. It covers how real estate and growth affect the environment of Southern Florida. Subscribe to Dirt For a weekly real estate collection. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article was initially published in Palm Beach Post: Pythons: Florida Python Hunter remembers the war with the snake