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Well, I Didn't Kill The Snapper...
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
Either that, or there were more than one. If you recall, I told you that I shot at it with a high-performance .223 round from an AR, but the turtle was under about a foot of water. People who know better than I tell me that the bullets probably did not reach the turtle, or if they did, they lacked the energy at that point to kill it.
Well, niece Caitlin was fishing in the pond, and she caught a small channel catfish. As she was landing the fish, the snapping turtle grabbed it. They had a brief tug-of-war over the fish, and the turtle won, taking it into the depths to eat it.
This is unacceptable.
Well, niece Caitlin was fishing in the pond, and she caught a small channel catfish. As she was landing the fish, the snapping turtle grabbed it. They had a brief tug-of-war over the fish, and the turtle won, taking it into the depths to eat it.
This is unacceptable.
Comments
Time for a baited trap.
just catch him and let him go somewhere else. a steel wire trace on a baited hook sounds like it would get him. just cut the wire when you catch him and leave the hook in...it will rust off and wont hurt him.just dont use stainless hooks.when i live in north queensland i caught dozens and let them all live to eat another day.
agreed
Oh that snapper!!! Sorry[:I]
I thought this thread was about something completely different...nevermind!
quote:Originally posted by nunn
Either that, or there were more than one. If you recall, I told you that I shot at it with a high-performance .223 round from an AR, but the turtle was under about a foot of water. People who know better than I tell me that the bullets probably did not reach the turtle, or if they did, they lacked the energy at that point to kill it.
Well, niece Caitlin was fishing in the pond, and she caught a small channel catfish. As she was landing the fish, the snapping turtle grabbed it. They had a brief tug-of-war over the fish, and the turtle won, taking it into the depths to eat it.
This is unacceptable.
Wouldn't be very expensive or tough to wire this together.
I had her hold on and I pulled out my .45 and let the turtle have it, 6 rounds from about 10 feet away. I saw some of the bullets strike the beast, so I know it was hit.
We waited for the water to clear up to find the carcass. There was none. There was, however, a bubble trail moving away from us toward the middle of the pond.
The turtle is Michael Myers.
I see you believe in the phrase " use enough gun."
Turtles are really suprisingly fast, particularly underwater. With the .45 being big and slow even when not in the water, your buddy Michael Myers, may have made a clean get away.
I butchered a snapper once, seven hours after I blew its head off with a shotgun at point-blank range. Its hind legs still moved with coordinated motion, and muscles in all parts of its body twitched in reaction to the knife. I made stew with it and took it to a pot luck. People who ate it said it was good, but the whole butchering scene had been so gruesome I couldn't work up much of an appetite myself.
Later someone told me the way to do it is to freeze the turtle whole, then thaw it and butcher it just before you plan to use the meat. That way it remains as inert as an ordinary dead animal. I haven't tried that yet. May not ever try it.
Too bad you couldn't retrieve the carcass and try the meat.
I butchered a snapper once, seven hours after I blew its head off with a shotgun at point-blank range. Its hind legs still moved with coordinated motion, and muscles in all parts of its body twitched in reaction to the knife. I made stew with it and took it to a pot luck. People who ate it said it was good, but the whole butchering scene had been so gruesome I couldn't work up much of an appetite myself.
Later someone told me the way to do it is to freeze the turtle whole, then thaw it and butcher it just before you plan to use the meat. That way it remains as inert as an ordinary dead animal. I haven't tried that yet. May not ever try it.
Miss the part about there not being a carcass?[:D]
Only a few feet of water will slow any bullet down to point not lethal and snapper shells are thick.
If you kill it eat it.
Or like some one else said catch it relocate it let it be someone else's problem
Miss the part about there not being a carcass?[:D]
I saw that nunn saw bubbles departing, but that didn't mean there was no carcass. Maybe the carcass just swam off because it hadn't stopped twitching yet. As my post makes clear, it may take a turtle hours to realize it's dead.
Yeah, but you DID shoot the Sheriff...
I knew that, of course, but failed to take it into account. I know darn well I hit the thing in the head/neck area. I will patrol the area to see if it hauled itself out on the bank to die.
I fished a big (20 acre) lake when i was a kid.
Do a google search on "FIKE NETS" for turtles.You'll see.
Good luck buddy, i bet if you go to the "Dark" said of town you will find a buyer for'em![;)]
I understand the best bait to use when trapping a turtle is a young pigeon.[;)]
CARP!
quote:Originally posted by swearengine
I understand the best bait to use when trapping a turtle is a young pigeon.[;)]
CARP!
Turtle dove[^]
Chelydra serpentina
The Snapping Turtle can grow to a very large size, 20-40 cm on average. It's shell is dark brown, rough and usually covered in algae. The Snapping Turtle can be found in waters ranging from slow moving rivers to stagnate ponds. Although this turtle has received a bad reputation for allegedly biting swimmers and eating baby ducks in reality it is very shy in the water and will retreat from anything except lunch. On land, when threatened it will live up to it's reputation by snapping and hissing while standing on all fours and rocking back and forth. Basically Snapping Turtles eat carrion, their reputation for killing baby ducks could only come from an over abundance or a number of sick baby ducks and only when the Snappers' other food resources are depleted.
Snapping turtles are freshwater turtles that live in the Americas There are three species: the Alligator, Common, and Florida Snapping Turtles. The Alligator snapping turtle is the largest of the North American freshwater turtles. It may be up to 60 cm long and weigh 90 kg!
Snapping Turtles have large heads which cannot be withdrawn into the small shell. They rely on their strong jaws for defense and can bite hard if disturbed. They live in stagnant ponds, swamps and slow-running rivers. Since the Alligator Snapping Turtle lives mainly on fish, it is slaughtered by fishermen and is now on the endangered list.
Common Snapping Turtles can sniff out carrion (dead animals), which they add to their diet of plants, small birds and fish. They are so fearless and aggressive that on occasion, they have been known to attack swimmers. Because of their unique ability to detect dead and rotting flesh, Common Snapping Turtles have been used to help police search for human corpses!
^ Classification
Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: testudines Family: Chelydridae
Table of Contents
^ Geographic Range
Nearctic: The snapping turtle's range stretches from S. Alberta and east to Nova Scotia in the north, extending south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and into central Texas.
^ Physical Characteristics
Mass: 4.5 to 16 kg
The snapping turtle normally has a shell length ranging from 8 -18 1/2"and has a tail nearly as long as the shell. The tail has saw-toothed keels on it. The shell ranges in color from dark brown to tan and can even be black in some individuals. Snapping turtles have characteristic tubercles on their necks and legs. Plastrons of snapping turtles are very small and leave much of the extremities exposed. Snapping turtle necks, legs, and tails have a yellowish color and the head is dark in color.
^ Natural History
Food Habits
Snapping turtles will eat nearly anything that they can get their jaws around. They feed on carrion, invertebrates, fish, birds, small mammals, amphibians, and a surprisingly large amount of aquatic vegetation. Snapping turtles kill other turtles by decapitation. This behavior might be territoriality towards other turtles or a very inefficient feeding behavior.
Reproduction
Mating takes place from April to November. In the mating process, the male positions himself on top of the female's shell by grasping the shell with his claws. He then curves his tail until his vent contacts the female's vent. Fertilization takes place at this time. After the eggs have developed sufficiently in the female, she excavates a hole, normally in sandy soil, and lays as many as 83 eggs. The eggs take 9-18 weeks to hatch depending on the weather. Interestingly, female snapping turtles sometimes store sperm for several years. Sperm storage allows individuals to mate at any time of the year independent of female ovulation, and it also allows females to lay eggs every season without needing to mate.
Behavior
Snapping turtles are not social creatures. Social interactions are limited to aggressive interactions between individuals, usually males. Many individuals can be found within a small range; snapping turtle density is normally related to the amount of available food. Snapping turtles can be very vicious when removed from the water, but they become docile when placed back into the water. Snapping turtles like to bury themselves in mud with only their nostrils and eyes exposed. This burying behavior is used as a means of ambushing prey. Snapping turtles have a small growth on the front of their tongues that resembles a wriggling worm. To capture fish, the snapping turtle opens its mouth to make the "worm" visible. When a fish comes to investigate the lure, the snapping turtle grabs it with its strong jaws.
Habitat
Snapping turtles only live in fresh or brackish water. They prefer water bodies with muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation because concealment is easier.
Biomes: freshwater lake, freshwater rivers
^ Conservation/Biodiversity
Status: no special status.
Snapping turtle populations are not close to extinction or even threatened. Habitat destruction could pose a danger to snapping turtle populations at a later time. Some individuals are killed for food which does impact the population, but in a very minor way.
^ Economic Benefits for Humans
Positive
Snapping turtles are used by many people in turtle stews and soups. Snapping turtle shells were used in many ceremonies among Native Americans. The shells were dried and mounted on handles with corn kernels inside for use as rattles.
Negative
Snapping turtles consume the young of some game fish. The impact of snapping turtles on these populations is minimal. Snapping turtles are known to kill young and adult ducks and geese, but once again the effects are minimal.