The Python Hunters

A photo story following three hunters through the Everglades in search of invasive pythons.

Duane "Caveman" Clark climbs a tree deep in the Everglades Wildlife Management Area in search of pythons during the Python Challenge in the Everglades, on January 31, 2016. Clark hunts with two other members of his team, the Cyprus Boys, who have ca

Howard Golin, right, Executive Director of the Wounded Warriors of South Florida poses for a portrait with Chairman of the Board of Directors, retired Army Lt. General Robert Chelberg, left, at the Wounded Warriors of South Florida facility in Lake

The Jupiter Jubilee takes place at the Jupiter Community Center in Jupiter, February 10, 2016. (Daniel Owen / The Palm Beach Post)

The Jupiter Jubilee takes place at the Jupiter Community Center in Jupiter, February 9, 2016. (Daniel Owen / The Palm Beach Post)

Bill Booth, center, Duane Clark, left, and Dusty Crumb, right, pose for a portrait after catching a pair of pythons deep in the Everglades Wildlife Management Area on February 10, 2016. The Cypress Boys, as they are known, have caught thirty-two pyt

Waist deep in swamp water, Duane Clark heads deeper into the bush in order to find a dry patch of land where the pythons he is in search of often warm themselves in the sun. We are alone in the middle of the Everglades. He is one of three men who call themselves The Cypress Boys, and each member of the hunting party has split up in order to increase their chances of finding the mammoth snakes that so easily blend in to their surroundings. Recently, they have caught Burmese Pythons over twenty feet in length in these dark waters, so it is crucial these vigilante hunters stay alert. The invasive pythons are wreaking havoc on the delicate ecosystem and they come together as often as they can to track down and dispatch the eating machines.

As Clark heads deeper into the Everglades, he reaches a small opening known as a "Gator Hole." He swings wide to avoid the dangerous alligator nest and presses onward. After a full day without any luck, Clark makes the several mile trek back through chest-high swamp to a remote camp where he meets up with the rest of the hunters. The sounds of frogs and wildlife are overwhelming, but I am told that much has changed since the pythons invaded and became the apex predators in these swamps. The men relax, have a beer and skin the snakes they've caught for the day. They see their work as “soldiers on the frontlines” trying to slow the tide of a growing invasion of these dangerous pythons that are eradicating local wildlife.

Each winter the Cypress Boys, (Bill Booth, Dusty Crum and Duane Clark) head back out into the deepest corners of the Everglades with the hopes of catching more pythons and making a dent in growing problem. But for now, it is time to turn off my headlamp and try to get some sleep in this wilderness, surrounded by alligators, panthers, bears, mosquitos and, for now, giant Burmese pythons.