Hunting Turtles

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

That is some crazy stuff. I would never have imagined they would be up in clear water, much less.be able.to move. I figured they'd be buried in the bottom mud, asleep.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Same here, Never would have thought they'd be out in the winter like that

 

[phylodog]

I wonder where that video was taken. With this cold snap those turtles might not be used to the type of cold that freezes the surface. I'd have probably knocked a hole in the ice to allow them an open area to grab a breath. I don't know that they'd have used it or it would have stayed open long enough to be useful but couldn't hurt to try.

 

[Hookeye]

I don't purposefully catch them.
Have seen them being cleaned.........no thanks.
Soup of fried? Darn good stuff.
Used to bowfish (wade) a little spot...........til I saw a monster in the lower pool.
Friggin' creeped me out big time...........yup, that big.

 

[Hookeye]

I wonder where that video was taken. With this cold snap those turtles might not be used to the type of cold that freezes the surface. I'd have probably knocked a hole in the ice to allow them an open area to grab a breath. I don't know that they'd have used it or it would have stayed open long enough to be useful but couldn't hurt to try.

375 H&H would "knock the hole"..........dunno how much refraction/deflection ice would have (affect aim) LOL.

 

[223 Gunner]

I have cleaned many snappers. I take pliers and grab the bottom jaw and stretch their neck over a stump or block of wood and use an axe to de-head them. The trick to stop them from fighting after de-heading is lay them on their back and pour a pan of boiling water over them. Works great. Then cut around the edge of the belly shell and remove it then split the skin on the legs and remove them.

After I get the legs and neck out I soak in salt water til next day, then I de-bone and cut it in small chunks and roll in your favorite batter and deep fry. Mighty fine eating.
,

Sounds pretty brutal. Hopefully when you die, you get some better treatment.

 

[abeguzmanmarine]

I have cleaned many snappers. I take pliers and grab the bottom jaw and stretch their neck over a stump or block of wood and use an axe to de-head them. The trick to stop them from fighting after de-heading is lay them on their back and pour a pan of boiling water over them. Works great. Then cut around the edge of the belly shell and remove it then split the skin on the legs and remove them.

After I get the legs and neck out I soak in salt water til next day, then I de-bone and cut it in small chunks and roll in your favorite batter and deep fry. Mighty fine eating.
,

no thank you.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Sounds pretty brutal. Hopefully when you die, you get some better treatment.

He did say they’re decapitated first, the scalding is used to stop residual muscle movement.

 

[Fargo]

Sounds pretty brutal. Hopefully when you die, you get some better treatment.

They have a decentralized nervous system such that the body will continue to move even after the brain is removed. How is beheading them more brutal than any other way of killing them?

In my opinion, anyone willing to put in the work that it takes to dress out a snapping turtle is pretty damn dedicated to the idea that if you kill it you eat it.

 

[Double T]

I've participated once. We waited til sundown and cut off the head, then the claws. Then we rinsed it out with the garden hose. Don't remember if the heart was still beating, but my uncle said it's much easier to slow them down at sundown. I think he just didn't want the neighbors seeing.

That said, if I'm fishing and a turtle is on the line, I lose the hook/lure/whatever. Waaaay to much hastle.

 

[phylodog]

That said, if I'm fishing and a turtle is on the line, I lose the hook/lure/whatever. Waaaay to much hastle.

My Grandfather taught me that turtles had an easier time getting a hook out of their mouth than I would fighting them and it sure seemed to be correct to me. About the only time we ever hooked them was while using minnows for crappie or bass and we used small gold hooks. If we caught a turtle we'd just cut the hook off and more often than not they'd pop back up a few minutes later without a hook in their mouth. Strangely they would stop chasing the bobbers.

 

[223 Gunner]

They have a decentralized nervous system such that the body will continue to move even after the brain is removed. How is beheading them more brutal than any other way of killing them?

In my opinion, anyone willing to put in the work that it takes to dress out a snapping turtle is pretty damn dedicated to the idea that if you kill it you eat it.

Just his description is very detailed and vivid. I personally do not hunt animals, I am not against it at all. And yes I would say his level of dedication to eat what he kills is above and beyond.

 

[two70]

My Grandfather taught me that turtles had an easier time getting a hook out of their mouth than I would fighting them and it sure seemed to be correct to me. About the only time we ever hooked them was while using minnows for crappie or bass and we used small gold hooks. If we caught a turtle we'd just cut the hook off and more often than not they'd pop back up a few minutes later without a hook in their mouth. Strangely they would stop chasing the bobbers.

Snappers aren't all that hard to catch. I learned by accident that smacking a turtle in the head with a bobber while it is on the surface is a surefire way to guarantee a bite and hook up. Oddly they seem to go for the bait instead of the bobber and it works every single time. Softshells, on the other hand, are much harder to hook.

 

[robgoblin32]

Snappers aren't all that hard to catch. I learned by accident that smacking a turtle in the head with a bobber while it is on the surface is a surefire way to guarantee a bite and hook up. Oddly they seem to go for the bait instead of the bobber and it works every single time. Softshells, on the other hand, are much harder to hook.

Trapping turtles is much easier than actively fishing for them. Unless you know a spot is hot with them, it's much easier to set and forget. Be careful about area regulations, and species; but it's my understanding that with a small game/ OR fishing license you're able to collect UP TO 2 of each species as a daily limit SO LONG as you're hunting/fishing. If you're trapping, that requires permit.

 

[two70]

Trapping turtles is much easier than actively fishing for them. Unless you know a spot is hot with them, it's much easier to set and forget. Be careful about area regulations, and species; but it's my understanding that with a small game/ OR fishing license you're able to collect UP TO 2 of each species as a daily limit SO LONG as you're hunting/fishing. If you're trapping, that requires permit.

Forget trapping them, it is even easier to simply pick them up when they start traveling via land in late summer! I've seen minor traffic jams caused by multiple people trying to wrangle big snappers crossing a highway.

 

[robgoblin32]

Forget trapping them, it is even easier to simply pick them up when they start traveling via land in late summer! I've seen minor traffic jams caused by multiple people trying to wrangle big snappers crossing a highway.

Aint that the truth though! I golf around the area as well, and you see some pretty ancient looking reptiles crawling out of those ponds when the water levels start to fall.

 

[KGS]

I use limb lines and use cut up fish for bait. I've heard chicken gizzards work well also and they stay on the hook better than some other baits. Cleaning them can be a chore but if you know what you are doing it's easier. I put them in a wash tub and pour boiling water over them until submerged and then I let them soak for 30 minutes. This softens up the cartilage around the underside of the shell and makes it where you can cut through around the underside edges easier. Once you get through that part the rest is not to bad. You can just peal the body out of the top part of the shell and dress it like any other animal.

 

[patience0830]

I've smelled the inside of all kinds of critters over the years on the farm and after i smelled the innards of a snapping turtle, I'm darn sure not gonna eat one.

 

[Mgderf]

I've smelled the inside of all kinds of critters over the years on the farm and after i smelled the innards of a snapping turtle, I'm darn sure not gonna eat one.

Ever smelled the inside of a freshly butchered deer?
That smell does NOT induce confidence that it would produce a tasty meal.

 

[bobjones223]

I've smelled the inside of all kinds of critters over the years on the farm and after i smelled the innards of a snapping turtle, I'm darn sure not gonna eat one.

Ever cleaned a rabbit?