Hunter saves deer from python in Everglades

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — Miami hunter Jimmy Wilson was hiking through the swampy woods near Ochopee in rural Collier County this summer when he came upon an amazing sight.

The Naples Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/2c03mhk) that Wilson saw a huge python — a non-native invasive species overrunning the Everglades —had wrapped itself around a white-tailed deer. Both were lying still at his feet as walked up, capturing the scene on cell phone video.

In the video, Wilson utters an expletive and starts firing his gun. After the first of several shots, the snake slithers off. Wilson eventually kills it. Wilson then coaxes the deer into running off.

Wilson’s video doesn’t show the deer jumping back to life, but movement can be heard in the brush as Wilson reports the outcome.