You can legally shoot Burmese pythons in the Everglades region on private property with the landowner’s permission and on 32 state-managed public lands in South Florida, with no hunting license, no permit, and no bag limit.1Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Removing Pythons in Florida The one place you cannot use a firearm is inside Everglades National Park itself, which is federal land with its own rules.
Where Firearms Are Allowed
On private land, if the owner says yes, you can humanely kill a python any time of year. No paperwork, no season, no limit.
On public land, Executive Order 23-16 opened 32 FWC-managed properties across South Florida to python removal by anyone.1Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Removing Pythons in Florida These include Wildlife Management Areas, Public Small Game Hunting Areas, and Wildlife and Environmental Areas. Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area is on the list, so portions of the greater Big Cypress region are open to the public for python hunting under FWC rules. Each site has its own local regulations covering access hours and vehicle use, so check the specific area before you go.
Why Everglades National Park Is Different
Everglades National Park is managed by the National Park Service, and firearms are specifically prohibited for python removal there. Participants are not even allowed to carry firearms while searching for pythons inside the park.2National Park Service. Florida Python Challenge – Everglades National Park Rules and Regulations The only capture tools permitted are snake hooks, snake tongs, snake bags, noose poles, and other long-handled non-motorized equipment. For the kill, air guns and captive bolts are allowed, followed by pithing.
General public participation inside the park is essentially limited to the annual Florida Python Challenge, during which registered participants serve as NPS Public Python Agents. Outside that event, removal inside park boundaries is handled by authorized agents and researchers working under NPS oversight.3U.S. National Park Service. Florida Python Challenge in Everglades National Park So if your plan is to shoot a python inside the park itself, the answer is no. You can hunt right up to its edges on the FWC-managed lands that surround it.
The Required Two-Step Kill
Wherever you’re hunting, the FWC requires a humane killing procedure based on American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. The point is instant loss of consciousness followed by destruction of brain tissue so the snake cannot recover.4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Humane Killing Methods for Nonnative Reptiles
- Step one: cause immediate loss of consciousness by shooting the snake in the head. Acceptable tools are a firearm, a pre-charged pneumatic air gun with at least 300 foot-pounds of muzzle energy, or a captive bolt gun. The shot must be directed at the brain.
- Step two: destroy the brain by pithing. Insert a rigid metal tool such as a screwdriver or spike into the cranial cavity and move it in multiple directions to ensure complete destruction of brain tissue.
In places where firearms are restricted, including inside Everglades National Park and during the Python Challenge, air guns and captive bolts are your only step-one options. Always confirm what’s allowed on the specific land you’re on.
Kill On Site: No Live Transport
You must kill the python where you catch it. Live transport by members of the public is illegal, so you cannot bring one home alive and there’s no legal option to release it elsewhere.4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Humane Killing Methods for Nonnative Reptiles Once the snake is dead, you can take the carcass with you.
The Florida Python Challenge
If you want a structured way to participate, the FWC runs an annual 10-day competition. The 2025 event ran from July 11 through July 20. Registration is $25 and requires passing an online training course with a score of at least 85 percent. The training has to be retaken each year.5Florida Python Challenge. General Rules – Florida Python Challenge
Entrants compete in Professional, Novice, or Military categories. Prizes include:
- Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 for the participant who removes the most pythons overall
- Most Pythons per category: $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for runner-up
- Longest Python per category: $1,000
Each participant can win only one prize, awarded at the highest value they qualify for.6Florida Python Challenge. Prizes – Florida Python Challenge Anyone with a prior conviction for fish and wildlife violations or animal cruelty is disqualified. Firearms, traps, bait, explosives, drones, and dogs are all prohibited during the competition, so this route trades your firearm for a shot at prize money.
Paid Contractor Programs
Two programs pay people for ongoing python removal work. The FWC’s Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC) engages qualified individuals with constrictor control experience and compensates them for removal on public lands. It operates alongside the South Florida Water Management District’s Python Elimination Program (PEP).7Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors
PEP contractors earn $14, $20, or $30 per hour depending on their assigned area, for up to ten hours per day of active searching. They also receive $50 for each python up to four feet long, plus $25 for every additional foot beyond four. A verified active nest pays $200, and monthly bonuses of $300 to $1,500 go to top performers.8South Florida Water Management District. Python Elimination Program
Outside these contractor programs and the Python Challenge, the FWC does not pay the general public for individual python kills.
Reporting What You Kill
Report every removal to the FWC. A credible report needs a clear photo showing the snake well enough for species identification, the location (GPS coordinates are best; a street address or detailed description works), and the date.9Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Report Sightings of Nonnative Species
Three ways to file: the free IveGot1 smartphone app (iPhone and Android), the web form at IveGot1.org, or the Invasive Species Hotline at 888-483-4681. The hotline is staffed five days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with voicemail after hours. Reports feed into EDDMapS, the statewide invasive species mapping database.9Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Report Sightings of Nonnative Species
Don’t Eat What You Kill
Handling wild pythons carries infection risk. Reptiles commonly carry Salmonella in their digestive tracts even when they look healthy, and you can pick it up through direct contact.10Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reptiles and Amphibians Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after any contact. If soap isn’t available in the field, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol will do until you can wash properly.
As for eating the snake, the Florida Department of Health has issued a formal consumption advisory: “Do Not Consume Python.” Testing of Burmese pythons removed from the Everglades found mercury levels considered too high for safe human consumption. Mercury concentrates in these apex predators as they eat their way up the food chain, and the EPA warns that high mercury exposure can damage the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. Eating python meat is not technically illegal in Florida, but the state’s health department is telling you not to.