PALMETTO BAY, Fla. – A South Florida teenager is now a champion python hunter.
The 19-year-old from Palmetto Bay wrangled 28 snakes to beat out nearly 1,000 other trappers in the annual Florida Python Challenge.
Keep in mind, People come from all over the world to compete in this challenge.
Matthew Concepcion has got the stats to flaunt and the snake skin to prove it.
He hunted for hours on end in the heart of the Everglades during the 10-day competition.
“Every night from sun up to sun down. Probably bare minimum 12 hours every night,” Concepcion said. “Lots of water, flight lights, Off! spray, long sleeve clothes. You’ll start hallucinating out there, just looking.”
This was his third year competing, but Concepcion has been at this for five years.
It started as a hobby with some friends, and let’s just say a lot of trial and error, including five or six snake bites.
“The way they bite you, you have to let them bite you,” he said.
There were no big bites in this year’s race, his biggest catch was under eight feet long, but he did snag the $10,000 grand prize for catching the most pythons.
Wildlife experts say the Florida Everglades was the real winner here, with around 1,000 participants involved and 231 invasive Burmese pythons caught and removed.
The non-native snakes threaten the ecosystem and harm all the wildlife.
Concepcion says these hunts are so important, but beyond that, they’re a thrill.
“I’m in love. It’s fun. I do this and I fish and I can’t live without both,” he said. “It’s the outdoors.”