Florida pays up to $30 an hour to hunt Burmese pythons; contractors also get bonuses for bigger snakes

In Florida, hunting a snake can be more than an unusual adventure for a select group of approved contractors; it can also become paid conservation work. The state is offering python removal agents hourly wages of up to $30, along with additional payments based on the size of every Burmese python they remove. But despite the eye-catching numbers, professional hunters say the job is far from an easy way to make money.

How much does Florida pay python hunters?

The South Florida Water Management District's Python Elimination Program pays approved removal agents according to where they search. Contractors can receive $14, $20 or $30 an hour for up to 10 hours a day while actively searching in designated areas. The hourly payment is only one part of the compensation. A contractor also receives $50 for a Burmese python measuring up to four feet, followed by another $25 for every additional foot.

That means an eight-foot python can bring a $150 snake payment, while a 10-foot snake is worth $200. A verified active python nest comes with an additional $200 payment. The programme also offers monthly bonuses for contractors who catch the most snakes or the longest python. The district's official programme is currently accepting applications, although it warns that the volume of applications means not everyone will receive a response. A 10-hour shift could mean hundreds of dollars, but there is a catch. On paper, the numbers can look lucrative.

A contractor working 10 hours at the $30 rate would earn $300 before snake payments. Add an eight-foot python and the total would reach $450 for that day. Finding an active nest could push it even higher. However, finding a python is anything but guaranteed.

Outdoor Life spoke to Florida contractors Christina Kraus and Aaron Mann in 2025. The couple had caught 87 pythons in one particularly successful month, but Kraus explained how unpredictable the work could be. “You don’t get one every time,” she said. “You maybe go out there 50 times, and you don’t see anything.” Mann was even more direct about the financial reality of the job, telling the publication: “It’s definitely unrealistic for someone to just come to Florida and think they can make a living doing this.”

Why are Burmese pythons such a problem in Florida?

The unusual payment system exists because Burmese pythons are an invasive species that have become deeply established across South Florida. The snakes were introduced to Florida through the exotic pet trade and have thrived in the Everglades, where they occupy a position near the top of the food chain. The South Florida Water Management District says their spread threatens native wildlife.

Female Burmese pythons can lay 50 to more than 100 eggs at a time, allowing populations to grow rapidly. Florida's wildlife agency said in May that more than 27,000 Burmese pythons had been reported removed from the state's environment since 2000. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says more than 23,500 Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida's ecosystem since the mid-1990s, with most removals taking place in South Florida. Paid contractor programmes were established in 2017 as part of the response to the threat to native wildlife. The job is conservation work, not just snake hunting

Professional contractors often spend long nights searching roads, marshes and canals. Outdoor Life reported that Kraus and Mann used a modified pickup truck and a boat to search areas where pythons are difficult to spot. Another contractor, Taylor Stanberry, has said the work is seasonal, with activity increasing when snakes are more mobile during warmer months. She also continues to run a wildlife sanctuary, showing why python removal is not necessarily a full-time standalone career. Florida also runs the annual Florida Python Challenge, which gives members of the public a chance to participate for prize money. In 2026, 907 participants removed 280 pythons, with winner Tom Rahill catching 96 and receiving the $10,000 top prize.

Why does every python matter?

The scale of the invasion means Florida is not expecting hunters alone to eliminate the species. Instead, paid contractors, wildlife agencies and public competitions form part of a much broader control effort. The district itself says there is no guarantee of a catch on any given night. Yet removing even individual snakes can prevent future predation and reproduction. As Stanberry told Outdoor Life: “Every python we get out is eating one less animal.”

That perhaps explains the unusual economics of the job. Florida is not simply paying people to hunt snakes — it is paying them to spend hours searching one of America's most challenging ecosystems for an invasive predator that can be nearly impossible to find. And while the rewards can occasionally add up to hundreds of dollars in a day, the reality for most hunters is that the work demands persistence, specialist skills and a willingness to spend many nights looking for a snake they may never see.