Flying Turtles!!

40 years ago in the summer we hit the 1/2 dried up creeks with 1/4 inch 4 ft rods. We probed the mud puddles for snapping turtles, work a hand down through the mud and feel for the bumps on the tail end of the shell,always want to grab the tail. Dollar a pound live weight,wasn't hard to make 50$ on the weekend.
 
Originally Posted By: K22Did you eat them?

Yes, I trap snappers for meat after July 4th. That way they have laid most of their eggs for the year.

I also shoot a few each year on private ponds where the owners wants them gone.
 
It sounds to me like I must've almost hit the life lottery! People posting about not being able to legally shoot turtles at any given time of year. "Lets go fishing" was almost where I learned to shoot and a guaranteed acceptance for me or my brother to go shoot a brick of .22. Now I have to read about certain seasons to shoot turtles and I feel terrible for all you people that have weird/goofy laws.
 
Originally Posted By: SubpaRIt sounds to me like I must've almost hit the life lottery! People posting about not being able to legally shoot turtles at any given time of year. "Lets go fishing" was almost where I learned to shoot and a guaranteed acceptance for me or my brother to go shoot a brick of .22. Now I have to read about certain seasons to shoot turtles and I feel terrible for all you people that have weird/goofy laws.

I agree, we have taken all of the fun out of a couple of kids, a brick of ammo, and a couple of rifles...What could go wrong! And who knows what will get shot...turtles were certainly on my target list. That was 1965. Now warp to 2017. We are up to our butts in regulation, every bullet you shoot could send you to prison, and about the only live critter one can shoot, requires a hunting license, and hunters education training. Back in the day, my training comprised of my Dad taking me out behind the barn, set a can on the fence post, and said, "Here take my rifle, can you hit that?". The can flew, and my Dad said, "Looks good, try not to shoot anything you don't want to shoot", and off into the woods of my youth I went. Don't get me wrong. Today I am a state certified Hunters Education Instructor, because today's youth aren't that kid from 1965, that had shot a BB gun since 1960, and kept himself in BBs, by dispatching sparrows and starlings, raiding the chicken grain, for the bounty my Father paid. But we have gone so crazy with regulations, that dispatching a snapper, or shooting a crow, with the wrong type of firearm, can get one in serious trouble with law enforcement...At least with Trump in the WH, we may see this regulation pendulum swing the other way.

Squeeze
 
us old guys done used up all the fun squeeze.

it is dam sad the kids of today and the future will never know what they missed. God, please help the world. especially the usa.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI don't think any of them were related to OT. Don't have to lead them, they just set on the pond bank and wait. Nice thing about the 22-250 and the 50 Nosler, not a lot of "evidence" left.

Tim-is it illegal to shoot turtles where you live? They're thick as fleas here.
You might want to check the fishing regulations page 15 there are
five turtles that can't be taken one of them is the alligator snapping turtle,if you want to shoot turtles you have to have a hunting license.
 
Checked the regs. Pond turtles aren't on the list. An old man told me one time when you got one finger pointing out, you got three pointing back. Truth be known, I would bet everyone that hunts or shoots has shot a critter of some type that wasn't quite legal. If you say NO, my BS bell is ringing!!
 
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Not sure what the law was in KY when we were teenagers but we put the hurt on them. There were 4 small farm ponds on a neihbors property and he always said that after it got so infested with snappers he didnt have any catfish. I dont know how true that is but i sure did fish them alot and never caught one so maybe he was right. After we got rid of most of the turtles some beavers moved in on a couple of them and then you couldnt catch a fish in them. I guess they scared or harassed the fish cause they sure wouldnt hit on anything. Also they kept them stirred up and muddy looking.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogChecked the regs. Pond turtles aren't on the list. An old man told me one time when you got one finger pointing out, you got three pointing back. Truth be known, I would bet everyone that hunts or shoots has shot a critter of some type that wasn't quite legal. If you say NO, my BS bell is ringing!!

If the finger pointing reply was in regards to my post,there was know intent to point fingers,just putting the information out there to try and keep anybody from running afoul of a game warden as most of my turtle shooting was done on public hunting areas.
 
Not anyone in general catmech. Seems as though some like to criticize things that if the truth was known.......well you get the point. No harm no foul!! Jails will be full if we get busted for shooting pond turtles.At least I'll have company.
 
In the late 60's, we would go to Greenville Tn for a week. We took two pick ups, both loaded with turtle traps. We would set the traps, then start graveling with our hands in the small stock pond for snapping turtles(mud turtles). We came back with over 200, all sizes. We had our traps turned inside out by the large turtles. Often, the turtles would be so large, that it would take three of us to pull one out of the bank of the pond.

People in that area were so poor it was hard to believe. There would be a family of share croppers living in a van or small trailer working on their small plot of a tobacco harvest. We got to know some of the families very well over the course of a week or so. Locals shot the snappers with a shotgun. We got the land owner together with the share cropper and had a "turtle Fry" on Friday night. None of them knew what we were cooking, we told them it was chicken. We had a stew and fried the small turtles...they ate till they were miserable full, fried turtle, boiled corn, loaf bread with turtle gravy, and stew.

Snappers wipe out fish in local ponds that are usually used for livestock. The other turtles can be wicked on fish also. Many of the farmers loved to take their friends and family to fish in these ponds, and it was typical for the youngsters to end up shooting turtles with their pellet rifles and 22's along with the snakes, tad poles, musk rats, and bull frogs. All this was like another World.
 
That's one good story right there, Keith. I aint never had turtle but you make it sound pretty yummy. Would like to say that I have tried it.

And you are SO right about the poverty. I have been gone from Tennessee 18 years now and I have seen some destitute people living there and even more so in some areas of Kentucky. Just entire towns of people scraping by the best way that they could. Good people but just poor people. A lot of them looked like they could have popped right out of Life magazine pictures of the depression era. For real.
 
Alligator snapping turtles, good to eat, are proteced in Texas. Some moron thinks that they need to be protected. Red ears arenthik as fleas in most places. I may shoot one in the pond and then stop and get one out of the road. I brought home a little snapper the other fay that was about the size of a silver dollar. Smallest one that I have ever seen.
 
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I have ate them a couple of ways and liked the stew better than the fried. Its kinda odd to look down in your bowl and see the spine broke up but it was good.
 
I was learned at an early age to step on the shell and pull the head out to cut off before trying to remove the fishhook. I was always amazed out how long the nerves keep the snappers moving well after they where killed. Soon you will see the red ear sliders on sandy roads trying to dig holes to bury eggs. Very common to see a lot of little yellow eggs shoot out when crushed with a truck tire..

You should never kill box turtles... box turtles are cool
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Cleaning a snapping turtle is easy.

First, put a stick infront of his head, he will snap it and will not let go. Cut off his head with a sharp butcher knife. Immediately immerse the turtle in boiling water. All the outside shell protection will come off. Flip him on his back, and cut around the edges of the under shell, it will cut and come off easily, then clean him like a chicken.

Best to stew them over 5 lb weight or they will be tough. Very unique flavor on a snapping turtle, and what is really amazing is that different parts of the turtle taste different.

Eating animals like this goes back to my dad and grand parents having to raise children during the Depression, where they had to hunt and fish to have something to eat. Snapping turtle is very good eating, make no mistake about it. Having snapping turtles in local fish ponds is horrible for the fish population.

I grew up having a Men's breakfast first Sat of every month, men from different churches would get together and cook, Christian men of all races...in the 60's. The men would always bring their son's and nephews, would serve the community in various functions, it was a great experience. Now there is a similar group that gets together called Iorn Men.
 
I looked at the Oklahoma hunting regs online. Whole section on reptiles, including turtles. Looks to me like there are places in OK where turtles are a nuisance and fair game. I suppose turtles get shot for the same reasons we shoot p-dogs in the west. When in Rome...
 
I've shot my share as a kid, the small paint turtles mostly.

A guy in my hometown was known to eat snappers so everyone would bring them to his business (mechanic) if they came across one. He threw them in a barrel of water for a few days I think to "clean the muddy taste out" as I recall. Any truth to that helping the flavor?
 
Yes, the ones that we trap are put in a horse tank for a couple weeks to "clean out". Water change day is a hoot, lots of turtles roaming around while the tank is rinsed and new water added.
 
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