What to do about Snappers

[Yukon227]

I've done that a lot. Until I started seeing the results, turtles starving to death with their nose and snout shot off and I was positive it was taking their brains right out. It was my own pond and I was the only one shooting them. It bothered me enough I didn't kill them that way any more.

+1 to you! It's one thing to eliminate a pest. But in my opinion totally wrong to make something suffer.

 

[glock19man]

that is one big turtle.

 

[Yukon227]

A few weeks ago I was coming home from town and saw an suv stopped with it's flashers on....4 people outside the vehicle trying to herd a 15 pound snapper off the road...one had a sweatshirt and was going to throw the shirt on top of it and grab it that way...I stopped and asked if they needed help. I could tell they were not at all familiar with anything outdoorsy. I walked up put one foot on its back, grabbed it by the tail and carried it to the side ditch...they flipped out like I was Steve Irwin or something....all I said was "I saw this on TV once"

 

[gvbcraig]

that is one big turtle.

That one I relocated to the Wabash river, you should have seen me putting it in a 50 gallon trash can and duct taping the lid.

Don't want to go through that again.

 

[iamaclone45]

Was at my parent’s house today and we found this big snapper at the edge of their driveway. We figured he must have moseyed on over from the pond across the street.

Took us about 10 minutes to get him to go inside an empty trash can so we could carry him across the street back to the pond.

 

[Zoub]

For $75k an episode I'd cultivate a cajun accent no problem.

For only 5k I will loan you my Justin Wilson albums so you will be more authentic. Not his cooking shows from the 80's, his comedy from the 60's.

Get yer doble barrel shoot gun son, we gonna get dem ducks.

http://www.justinwilson.com/

 

[fennsta_78]

A family I know loves to eat turtle. They would catch them and put them in a big tank with fresh water for at least a week. It helped to clean them out. The last one they caught, they cut the head off and hose clamped a garden hose to it's neck. Turned on the water and flushed it out.

Every year, my neighbor would make 50 gallons of turtle soup and that is how we cleaned them. We used to have 5-15 turtles in blue drums out back. Sometimes they would sit in those barrels for 6 months till we got enough weight to make the soup. Good eating but got a nasty attitude.

 

[cumminspwrd02]

Snapping turtles are definately some mean suckers. Caught my fair share of them when i lived with my parents. I'd always find them either in the road in front of thier house or in their yard. I use to pick them up with a coal shovel, i'd flip them over first, pick'em up and take them to the nearest pond, mom and dad had several ponds near them.

 

[abnk]

Why do you not want them there?

 

[gvbcraig]

Why do you not want them there?

They eat my game fish, bull frogs and smaller turtles. Since we spotted the snappers, no one wants to go swimming in the pond anymore. I would feel better about kids playing around the yard without the snappers around. The one in the photo came out of the pond and was walking through the yard.

My question back to you is, why would I want them?

 

[abnk]

My question back to you is, why would I want them?

I think wildlife is cool. If I lived in FL, I'd probably allow an alligator live in my pond.

 

[gvbcraig]

I think wildlife is cool. If I lived in FL, I'd probably allow an alligator live in my pond.

Well actually I do that also, I float 4 alligator heads in the pond, it keeps the Canada Geese away.

 

[met eng gun nut]

that turtle looks delicious!!! Back in Missouri we would use a trot line with 12" steel leaders and half of a sunfish. get a bunch of guys together and hang the snappers from the trees by a nail and start skinning.....ahhhh good times

 

[Jeffrey]

I would call the turtle man

If this guy could not take care of your turtle problem, I dont know who can.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Gn8EQ0azXpQ
Enjoy

 

[Yukon227]

Well actually I do that also, I float 4 alligator heads in the pond, it keeps the Canada Geese away.

I saw that a few years ago not too far from here....only the geese were sitting on top of the floating heads...the geese in my area wouldn't know an alligator from a giraffe ...I don't think they've ever been south of US 40 let alone all the way to florida or somewhere to be scared of a gator

 

[Jack Ryan]

I think wildlife is cool. If I lived in FL, I'd probably allow an alligator live in my pond.

Every one who don't own a pond thinks that until they put a hundred grand in to the ground and a dam and then a few years in to stocking it to get a nice place to fish and enjoy. Then a couple years after that the fish are gone and there's a bunch of turtle heads popping up all over.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

Every year, my neighbor would make 50 gallons of turtle soup and that is how we cleaned them. We used to have 5-15 turtles in blue drums out back. Sometimes they would sit in those barrels for 6 months till we got enough weight to make the soup. Good eating but got a nasty attitude.

Im assuming those turtles in the drums were live? Im not usually all PETA, but thats pretty messed up to keep a live wild animal in a container like that for 6 months. I have no issues with killing them, but no need to be cruel.

 

[Yukon227]

Im assuming those turtles in the drums were live? Im not usually all PETA, but thats pretty messed up to keep a live wild animal in a container like that for 6 months. I have no issues with killing them, but no need to be cruel.

Not trying to start a battle over ethics here but did you eat any meat or eggs yesterday? If so was it all 'free range'? Most animals for food are kept in confinement today. You ever been in a chicken farm? Or a modern dairy? Is he better off to kill the turtle quickly and waste it? Or keep it in clean water for a bit then eat it?

 

[goinggreyfast]

Just don't let the men go skinnydipping.

"Once I was swimming cross turtle creek. Man them snappers all around my feet. Shore was hard swimming cross that thing..." ~ Chuck Berry

 

[E5RANGER375]

I grew up catching them, we just would tie a line to a tree or bush on the bank and throw the hook and bait (any kind of meat) out in the water overnight. the next day be careful when you approach your line because a lot of the time they will come up on the bank and wait in the brush. cut the line, grab him by the tail while holding him out from your body with his breast facing towards you and your good to go. when you pick him up take the flat part of your foor and step on the front of his shell where his head is then reach around for the tail. these turtles are SUPER fast so you need to know what your doing or you might loose some fingers figuring it out.

to kill them before cleaning we always would just whack them in the nose with a 2x4. then grab their jaw with plyers and pull the head out and cut it off. the head CAN still bite you after its cut off so I always would bury the head.

they taste sooooooooo damn good!! I wish I had somewhere around indy to catch them. id be in heaven.