What shot # would be best for a 12 foot burmeese python?

When I was a child I saw a man STOMP a large water mocasin to death.
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My Scoutmaster did that once, as well. Water Moccasins are one of those exceptions to the "not generally aggressive" rule, from what I have seen. That, or they are too curious for their own good.

I've killed garter snakes completely by accident with a shovel before. Never even saw them until after they had been severed by the shovel blade. I don't think anyone's too worried about them, though!

FWIW, I was envisioning keeping the muzzle of the shotgun up, rather than using it more like a lever. Still, it would kind of suck to pick that moment to find out your gun was subject to slamfire. It's definitely not a good idea upon reflection...
 
The 12 foot python on the show I watched had a diameter of 8" thick!:eek:

The showed it eating a 6 foot alligator. The snake beat the alligator easily and swallowed it in about 30 miniutes.
 
Snake

Smaller reptiles can be reliably dispatched in a variety of ways. Larger ones - too big to stomp or hit with a stick - are most quickly killed by a CNS shot - the head - as many have already noted. Like a turkey, it'll die if shot elsewhere but if you want it dead now, shoot it in the head.
what they taste like?
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Like chicken, I expect.
Pete
 
I think you guys are seriously underestimating the strength of a 12 foot python. Nobody is going to stomp a 12 foot python to death, especially since it will most likely not be on a hard surface. Trying to do so is a good way to get bit and possibly killed. Since pythons are constrictors, their bodies are very powerful. While I'm sure one could wasily be dispatched with a shotgun, stomping on one is NOT the way to go.
 
I think you guys are seriously underestimating the strength of a 12 foot python. Nobody is going to stomp a 12 foot python to death, especially since it will most likely not be on a hard surface. Trying to do so is a good way to get bit and possibly killed. Since pythons are constrictors, their bodies are very powerful. While I'm sure one could wasily be dispatched with a shotgun, stomping on one is NOT the way to go.
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Don't worry, we're just having a friendly "snake stomping" conversation.

I do think people are way overestimating the strength of a snake's skull. The skin isn't thick, and there is no fatty tissue to speak of. The occular cavities are relatively large. Just because the body of a species is larger, it doesn't necessarily follow that the skull is more dense or stronger.

Obviously, deliberately getting close enough to a large snake to stomp it to death isn't smart. OTOH, it seemed like people were depicting snakes as lightning-fast and crafty, which they aren't. Even the really aggressive species are fairly slow unless they are sunning themselves.

I'm not an expert on reptiles, but it seems like muzzle flash would completely overload a snake's senses.
 
Nothing bigger than #3 and anything out of a 2 3/4" shell will be more than sufficient. Under 7 yards most any birdshot down to #7 1/2 will ruin its day forever. I mostly carry 4's or 6's and I would feel perfectly comfortable with that. We aren't talking about shooting moose or armored critters here, even an alligator at 15' would be in deep doo-doo with a load of #6 between his eyes.

Slugs, 00, 3" shells, get serious. :D If snakes scare you that bad stay home and don't come walking around my back yard. I protect my snakes.
 
Just curious. Once you have blown the head off, what do you plan to do with the other 11 1/2 feet of the reptile?

Kyle
 
The comments are great and certainly give one a laugh.

Having shot hundreds of snakes in Africa I have not had one look down the barrel of what I was carrying, and that includes the spitting cobras that rear their heads. I have heard that story many times and tried it in the bush and it is a "no go". I guess the snakes in Africa dont know how to behave. As a kid I used an air rifle with no problem, but not on pythons, and was promoted to a .22 when I was 11 years old. Snakes are fragile and if you break the back near the head they are history. I guess anything up to a .600 nitro express would be fine.
 
Just curious. Once you have blown the head off, what do you plan to do with the other 11 1/2 feet of the reptile?
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1. Creep out the wife.
2. amuse the kids.
3. tack up a hide
4. find out what the meat tastes like…. further creeping out the wife and amusing the kids….
5. go shoot more of ‘em, and if they don’t taste good, and nobody wants the skin... there are plenty of indigenous wildlife and fishes in the swamp to take care of the body.

If it tastes REALLY bad, #2 snake gets given to a buddy that I "owe one" to... along with a recipe, and a great recommendation.
 
Just curious. Once you have blown the head off, what do you plan to do with the other 11 1/2 feet of the reptile?
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When I was a teenager we used to lay dead snakes on logs scare canoers. If done just right they won't be seen they will be felt when going under a log and the canoers grab the log to pull themselves through.:)
 
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