Python Hunting Season in Florida: Rules, Programs, and Safety

There is no traditional python hunting season in Florida. Burmese pythons are invasive, so the state lets you kill them year-round on private property with the owner’s permission and on 32 designated public areas, with no hunting license, no permit, and no bag limit. The closest thing to a defined season is the Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day competition held each July.

Where and When You Can Hunt

On private land, you can remove a Burmese python any day of the year as long as the landowner has said yes. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) actively encourages it.¹

On public land, Executive Order 23-16 opened 32 FWC-managed areas in south and southwest Florida to year-round python removal. No permit or hunting license is required, and there is no bag limit. Each of the 32 areas has its own access rules and area-specific regulations, so check the FWC’s interactive map and area brochures before you go.¹

One rule applies everywhere: you cannot transport a live python. Every snake must be humanely killed on-site at the time of capture.²

The Florida Python Challenge

The annual Florida Python Challenge is the state’s headline event and is likely what most people picture when they search for a season. The 2025 competition ran 10 days, July 11 through July 20, and drew 934 participants who removed a record 294 pythons.³

Registration costs $25. You have to complete a free online training course and pass a quiz with at least 85%. Youth under 18 can participate if a parent or legal guardian registers them and comes along in the field. Anyone with a prior conviction for a wildlife violation or animal cruelty is ineligible.⁴

Competitors enter one of three categories: Novice (the general public), Professional (paid contractors working for FWC’s PATRIC program or the SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program), and Military (active duty and veterans). If you register as a Novice but turn out to be a paid contractor, you get moved to Professional.⁴

The prizes are real cash. In 2025, the Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 went to a participant who removed 60 pythons. Each category also awards $2,500 for the most pythons, $1,500 for the runner-up, and $1,000 for the longest python. The longest snake taken in 2025 measured 15 feet, 11 inches.³

One important difference from regular year-round removal: firearms are prohibited during the Python Challenge. Captured pythons must be kept chilled or frozen and turned in at a designated check station within 24 hours.⁴

How Pythons Must Be Killed

Florida law requires that pythons be killed humanely. The FWC follows a two-step process based on American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. Getting either step wrong can put you in violation of the state’s animal cruelty statute.⁵

Step one renders the snake immediately unconscious by applying a tool directly to the brain. The FWC approves a captive bolt device (standard velocity of 55 meters per second) or a pre-charged pneumatic air gun with a recommended muzzle energy of at least 300 foot-pounds. Firearms also qualify, subject to local, state, and federal regulations. Firearms are permitted during regular year-round removal on lands where firearm use is otherwise allowed, but not during the Python Challenge.⁵

Step two is pithing: inserting a rigid metal tool such as a screwdriver or spike into the skull and moving it in multiple directions to destroy the entire brain. This prevents the snake from regaining consciousness. Both steps must be completed no matter which tool you used for step one.⁵

Paid Contractor Programs

If you want to hunt pythons as more than a hobby, two state-funded programs pay year-round contractors.

FWC Python Action Team (PATRIC)

PATRIC contractors survey specific areas on foot, by vehicle, or by watercraft, respond to reported sightings, and verify captured snakes at drop-off locations or through virtual check-ins. The FWC looks for people with hands-on experience removing pythons or other large constrictors from the wild. Veterans and Florida residents receive preference. If you lack that experience, the FWC suggests building it by hunting on the 32 open public lands or entering the Python Challenge.⁶

SFWMD Python Elimination Program (PEP)

The South Florida Water Management District places contractors on designated District properties across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, and Palm Beach counties. Pay is hourly and varies by search area: $14 per hour for regular zones, $20 per hour for premium zones, and $30 per hour for ultra-premium zones, capped at 10 billable hours per day. Every eliminated python also earns a $50 bonus for snakes up to four feet, plus an additional $25 for each foot beyond that.⁷

Applicants must be at least 18, hold a valid driver’s license, consent to a criminal background check, carry a smartphone with GPS tracking software, and have no felony or wildlife-related convictions in the past seven years. Applications are online, but the program receives high volume and does not respond to everyone.⁷

Staying Safe in the Field

Python hunting in South Florida usually means remote wetlands, extreme heat, biting insects, and other wildlife you would rather not surprise. Bring more water than you think you need, plus snacks, insect repellent, and sunscreen. Wear closed-toed footwear with good grip. Search with a partner when you can, and always tell someone not going with you where you plan to hunt and when you expect back.⁸

Summer is also hurricane season. Watch the forecast, check for area closures before you leave, plan around your physical limits, take breaks, and know the area you are heading into rather than improvising once you arrive.⁸

Reporting a Python You Cannot Catch

If you spot a python but are not equipped to remove it, report the sighting so removal teams can respond. The FWC accepts reports three ways: the free IveGot1 app for iPhone and Android, an online form at IveGot1.org, or the Invasive Species Hotline at 888-IVE-GOT1 (888-483-4681), staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with voicemail after hours. A useful report includes a clear photo, the location (GPS coordinates, a street address, or a detailed description), and the date.⁹

Do Not Eat What You Catch

Eating Burmese python meat is technically legal in Florida, but the Florida Department of Health has issued a formal “Do Not Consume Python” advisory. Testing of pythons taken from the Everglades has shown mercury concentrations too high for safe human consumption, and the FWC echoes the advice.¹⁰

1
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Removing Pythons in Florida
2
Florida Python Control. Public – Removing and Reporting Pythons Year-Round
3
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC Announces Results and Winners of the 2025 Florida Python Challenge
4
Florida Python Challenge. General Rules
5
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Humane Killing Methods for Nonnative Reptiles
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC)
7
South Florida Water Management District. Python Elimination Program
8
Florida Python Challenge. Safety Suggestions
9
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Report Sightings of Nonnative Species
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Burmese Python