The new year started off with a bang when a python hunter caught a 202-pound female python. That's a lot of meat to eat. But don't do that.

Python hunter Bayo Hernandez prefers his snake ground up like hamburger meat with ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Another hunter fancies the slithering scourge of the Everglades in a stir fry or chili.

“If you look at the iguana, there’s a circle on the side of its head that’s actually a really good aiming point,” he says. “There’s other shots we take as well that can immediately incapacitate the ...