brin
Super Member
Hey Larry.....Just a word of caution....as long as you have snapping turtles in your lake it is not advisable for any males to skinny dip ....if you get my drift....Ouch !
Snapping Turtle Removal
- Thread starter fluffhead31
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Hey Larry.....Just a word of caution....as long as you have snapping turtles in your lake it is not advisable for any males to skinny dip ....if you get my drift....Ouch !
SPYDERLK
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Yeah, my imagination jumps right in there! - worse than pain. I wonder what the chance of them attacking like that are vs say ... biting a foot that kicks them.Hey Larry.....Just a word of caution....as long as you have snapping turtles in your lake it is not advisable for any males to skinny dip ....if you get my drift....Ouch !
,,, My wife lost a little mole to a fish tho. Free minor surgery. Ya dont want to be still much or theyll try you out.
larry
ovrszd
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I like frog legs!
Ummm, but this brings up another issue. CLEANING? Can't one just cook it until it falls off of the bone, like cooking chicken? Maybe you are just referring to the "gutting".
I'm pretty tough, and can survive pretty self sufficiently, but cleaning fish is not something I like to do. How is this compared to cleaning fish? Maybe I can flirt enough to get someone else to do it for me, especially if I throw in a 6 pack of beer!
I watched my Dad clean several. Takes more than a six pack. Knowing what he was doing it would take him about an hour. Lots of small cuts of meat in several locations. Nasty business.
farmgirl19
Super Member
An hour to clean?!?! And then I have several hours of cooking. Unless one of you sweethearts wants to come clean them for me, not likely to happen. I'd increase the ante to a 12 pack!
In the meantime, I'll use them for target practice!
creekbend
Super Star Member
I am posting this info from experience. While I lived and worked in Florida, I used to hunt and fish with a friend of mine, whose father had a hunting camp in the Everglades. The camp was "Grand Fathered" in as long as his Father was still living, and then the land went back to Federal and State ownership. I have seen and engaged "Alligator Snapping Turtles" several times. They are HUGE and fear NOTHING. Perhaps BullBreaker will chime in, since he lives in that part of Florida? It is extreamely difficult to dispatch one. You have to turn them over to get to the Under Belly. They remind me of something left over from prehistoric times. I have even had them follow me onto land and keep coming. They will not stop. Please read the STATS regarding the Alligator Snapping Turtle. Rest assured that if YOU have a confrontation with ONE, it will remain in your mind forever. Photo Gallery | Loggerhead Acres Turtle Farm BTW, the largest recorded one weighed 247 pouns. The males are larger than the females. The videos are very interesting. Enjoy.
farmgirl19
Super Member
creekbend; I have seen them, but not had *that* encounter. Sounds to me like the .22 is the best option, if one sees them! A turtle that will chase me onto land, is like a bull that will chase me in my own pasture. Decision made!
creekbend
Super Star Member
Once while hunting with my friend and relaxing by the Camp Fire, one even approached the Fire. We were frying fish and hushpuppies. Perhaps he smelled the food, but he was definitely not that afraid of the fire. He didn't touch the firepit, but the fire, itself didn't deter him in his advancement toward the Food.
Don87
Elite Member
I used to catch snappers all the time. The largest had a shell that would could almost be used as a lid on the old 'galvanized' garbage cans(probably showing my age here).
I used two methods to catch them.
One was to tie heavy fly fishing line to a tree near the turtle hole in the bank, with a steel leader on the end, with a large treble hook and part of a bluegill. and the other was tie the flyline rig to a gallon milk jug with about 6 feet of line total attached.
Worst part was pulling the turtles out of their holes.............one tough job.
Well worth the effort though, even with the 1 hour cleaning time, as they are very tasty:thumbsup:
I've had soup, fried in flour, and barbecued on a Hibachi grill.
I used two methods to catch them.
One was to tie heavy fly fishing line to a tree near the turtle hole in the bank, with a steel leader on the end, with a large treble hook and part of a bluegill. and the other was tie the flyline rig to a gallon milk jug with about 6 feet of line total attached.
Worst part was pulling the turtles out of their holes.............one tough job.
Well worth the effort though, even with the 1 hour cleaning time, as they are very tasty:thumbsup:
I've had soup, fried in flour, and barbecued on a Hibachi grill.
tractchores
Veteran Member
We used to get them n a similar pond every year. Our method was to put a piece of plywood propped on the edge with enough space for the turtle to get under. They always go under, then sneak up, flip off the plywood and catch it in a big net. We used that technique a bunch. We the. Released them into a nearby brook, which is where they came from anyway.
CowboyRon
Platinum Member
I have heard about an easy turtle trap to make but we haven't done it yet.
You secure some plywood to the bottom of a tire on the bank of your pond. Then secure a plywood ramp to the tire, so they can get in, and get stuck.
My dad says the Asians will pay good money for this delicacy.
You secure some plywood to the bottom of a tire on the bank of your pond. Then secure a plywood ramp to the tire, so they can get in, and get stuck.
My dad says the Asians will pay good money for this delicacy.
number9L
Gold Member
My pond has lots of snappers. I've seen some BIG ones come to the surface but by the time I got my gun they were gone. Most of the ones I've seen and shot have been about as big as a basketball and smaller. Last time I was mowing on the tractor by the bank I looked around to back up and seen a HUGE one. His neck was stuck way out and looked like it was as big a round as a Skoal can. It was so big it took me a few seconds to realize it was really a turtle. Same story on him though, I ran and got my gun and he was gone when I got back.
We had 2 ducks given to our boys a few months ago. They were pets and had their wings clipped. They were playing in the pond all the time and one of them only lasted 2 nights. Just vanished. I thought a coyote or wolf got him but couldn't find any sign of bones or feathers anywhere. The other duck was really rattled by his brothers fate evidently because he wouldn't even go back near the pond. For weeks that duck would NOT go around the pond. Then he got a little braver and started hanging down around a pontoon dock we have parked on the edge of the pond. I told my boys that day, "he's getting too brave and a big old turtle's gonne be laying there waiting on him if he don't watch it". That was the last day we've seen him.
My shop sits about 15-20' higher than the pond and makes a great place to sit in the rocking chair and watch for them. I can see about 3/4 of the pond from there with no sun glare off the pond. Just keep an eye out for a big dark spot coming to the surface and then the head pops up out of the water. I've probably shot 30+ with my 10/22. A friend of mine told me that a 22 wouldn't penetrate their hull at that distace (about 50yd), but I cought one crossing the driveway one day and head shot him. Then I put 3 shots into his hull and walked down to see for myself. All 3 shots went in. I shoot everyone I see.
...
We had 2 ducks given to our boys a few months ago. They were pets and had their wings clipped. They were playing in the pond all the time and one of them only lasted 2 nights. Just vanished. I thought a coyote or wolf got him but couldn't find any sign of bones or feathers anywhere. The other duck was really rattled by his brothers fate evidently because he wouldn't even go back near the pond. For weeks that duck would NOT go around the pond. Then he got a little braver and started hanging down around a pontoon dock we have parked on the edge of the pond. I told my boys that day, "he's getting too brave and a big old turtle's gonne be laying there waiting on him if he don't watch it". That was the last day we've seen him.
My shop sits about 15-20' higher than the pond and makes a great place to sit in the rocking chair and watch for them. I can see about 3/4 of the pond from there with no sun glare off the pond. Just keep an eye out for a big dark spot coming to the surface and then the head pops up out of the water. I've probably shot 30+ with my 10/22. A friend of mine told me that a 22 wouldn't penetrate their hull at that distace (about 50yd), but I cought one crossing the driveway one day and head shot him. Then I put 3 shots into his hull and walked down to see for myself. All 3 shots went in. I shoot everyone I see.
...
Soggy Bottom Outdoors
Gold Member
I concur with most all posts here but.........be sure it is a common snapping turtle and not a "alligator" snapper. They are endangered and therefore protected from hunting and you could receive a hefty fine for it. A catch and relocate might be a better idea for these turtles.
brin
Super Member
Google for a turtle trap...bait it with chicken...catch turtles...kill, clean and make soup.
M E Race
Silver Member
Basic southern turtle trap. 3ftx3ftx4ft welded wire box with one end closed and the other end with a flat flue angled inward with about a 4 inch gap in center. Use clips on the closed end so you can open it to place bait (hang from top were they can't reach it from outside) and remove any caught turtles. When you place it in pond or stream leave at least 6 inches of top out of the water. If not they will drown. Once caught let them bite on a broom stick and chop head off. Beware, the head can still bite after it's cut off,and they will take fingers off with one bite! Once the head is off turn on the side and use hatchet to cut shell between legs on both sides. Crack open like an oyster and go after it with a sharp knife and skinning pliers. I'm not to keen on turtle soup or stew but I love it fried.You will be surprised at how much meat is on a large turtle. NEVER TRY TO PICK UP A LIVE SNAPPER FROM THE SHELL,THEY CAN REACH AROUND, AND YOU WILL BE GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH THE TURTLE!
creekbend
Super Star Member
I respect your views, but I, myself would rather kill an "Alligator Snapping Turtle" than attempt to capture it and relocate it. I just wouldn't tell anyone. Those Boogers are fearless. They look like they come directly from the Age of the Dinosaurs. I've had experience with them in the Glades.
Don87
Elite Member
No alligator snappers around these parts. But if there were........that's the best idea...........shoot and shut up.
lizdp2
New member
I too had the same problem. Had some comments going in this column back in May. Unless you sit there patiently with a gun, that's not going to work. I found the only thing that works is a turtle trap, cost near $100.00 but it works. Caught not only 2 huge snappers I had seen, but 4 more that surfaced one by one over the summer. I used Dollar-store frozen fish as bait. When caught, you must RELOCATE them. We put ours in a large river about 4 miles away. They follow the stream bed routes and get into your pond that way. They are persistent. They are nasty. Don't put your hands near them even when they in a trap. Feel free to contact me.
TimberXX
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We caught monster turtles in a 40 acre lake 20 years ago. We caught a sun fish, filled it with large bass hooks, and attached
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TimberXX
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... And attached the hooks to two Clorox bottles. We has to use steel leaders after several failed attempts.
These turtles were so large I saw them take down full size geese.
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