- Your method should result in the animal losing consciousness immediately.
- You should then destroy the animal's brain by “pithing” which prevents the animal from regaining consciousness.
Looking at the diagram, the head is very small in comparison to the entire body. Perhaps that is why shooting is discouraged. I cannot find a source that states that shooting is illegal. There are limitations on where pythons can be hunted, which is on private land with permission or some public lands. That is mostly going to be a safety and private property protection purposes.
The website states "Members of the public may not transport pythons alive and must humanely kill pythons at the capture location. However, python skins or meat may be kept and/or sold."