Hunting turtles?

I helped the local game and fish department one year control the turtle population in some small kids only fishing ponds. These ponds were in town so we used 22 LR's and of course the ponds were closed to the public and we only did the shooting during non peak hours of the day.

As far as hunting turtles I have only had to bag a few snappers when I was checking set lines and up comes a 3 foot long snapper on the end of the line. A quick shot to the head with an old H&R 922 and lights out. Be careful around the mouth. even when dead they can clamp down and their jaw locks and you have to cut the jaw and use pliers to get it apart (had to do this for a stray dog that found a snapper. had to whack the dog over the head to knock it out and then went to work getting the turtles jaw apart to release it from the dogs paw.

Don't worry the dog turned out ok and my buddy adopted him as he is still running around 9 years later. the dog doesn't mess with turtles anymore.

oh, also did try to store some turtle meat in a deep freezer once and it wouldn't freeze and all spoiled even though the temp in the freezer was close to 10degrees (lots of frozen turkey, deer, etc..).

JOE
 
We don't have much in the way of turtles around here- I would think that most folks (I would hope) would shy away from shooting one here on the high plains. But darned if it don't bring up a good question- How does one go about cleaning one of them critters? Is there much meat on one, say a 1 or 2lb specimen?

We have them here, but I haven't seen one in several years.
 
I know the cajun guys we sold snappers to liked them pretty big...
Having read the book "Survive the Savage Sea" I understand the meat to weight ratio is low...
We used to go barefoot in the "coulee" (county ditch) and when we felt might be a turtle shell we reached down, sometimes having to hold our breath and submerge our head to grab it... How I still have 10 fingers and 10 toes is a mystery to me:rolleyes: just one more attempt at a darwin award I guess but me made lots of money bootleggin' turtles and venomous snakes...
Brent
 
Wassa matter, you guys don't know how to cook a turtle?:D

Neither do I but my inlaws do and it was very good. I don't shoot em but if one of my inlaw turtle chefs was with me I sure would.
 
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I agree. Killing things is not "fun". Eating 'em is, but I don't eat everything I shoot.

Are you kidding me, I love to go out and hunt and KILL an animal. I enjoy going out and shooting turtles on a family pond. If you don't shoot them they will eat all the little fish. There is no way I would try to eat one.

I live in Arkansas and enjoy taking advantage of the extended snow goose season. There is nothing more fun than taking out an electric call and killing a truck load of geese, and then I give them away.

I see no difference in riding out and shooting some turtles, FOR FUN, and shooting coyotes or crows.
Click to expand...

That's the most consistant statement I've seen on here.

I'm having trouble seeing the diffence between between enjoying smoking Coyotes or other varmits and shooting turtles in a pond.

If you don't enjoy the killing part why not just go out there with a camera rather than a weapon?

Personally I have them coming out my ears at the ranch in my stocktanks and though my MAC-10 with .22 conversion kit probably isn't very effective it's rather amusing. But if your seriously trying to thin them out, I'd go with a 12-gauge and #6 shot when they poke their heads up.
 
Snappers: An article in Sports Afield (IIRC) some years back detailed some info on them. The largest of which the writer knew was around 105 pounds. The longevity is unknown: He said there was a credible report of a snapper taken from the Chattahoochee (again, IIRC) on the AL/GA border, back around the WW II era or maybe earlier, which had a stone arrow point in its shell. That would mean well over a hundred years old.
 
I've never seen it necessary to shoot them myself. The right ones are indeed tasty and can be caught by means other than a bullet, like simply with a hook and line and a knife.
 
yeah i want to know about the cleaning part. i dont want to assume, cause you know what happens then! but i'd venture to GUESS that you just pull on the legs and cut them out of the sockets and chuck the rest.(?) is there any meat inside the shell worth getting. i have a feeling its 99% guts but like i said i dont know what i'm talking about w/ turtles.
 
While I suggest a search for snapper turtle butchering or cleaning on google I do know that that the cajuns split the shell and got to the "shoulder and thigh" meat inside. Some also captured the blood. Some used it in the soup and others well... I dunno... I do know that the blood from sea turtles was a CRUCIAL part of the survival for those in the true story "survive the savage sea" as were the eggs from females.
I also know that the Acadian (cajun) folks from canada arrived destitute and were willing to feed on anything for the most part. The reason for their rare diet is largely based on heritage... Not one usable morsel was to be wasted on down to the fat in the crawfish head which was to be "sucked out"... Eat 'dat tail and suck 'dat head...
Brent
 
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