Lizards might not wanna look! ( Fishing Trip ended early!!!

[RatLTrap]

Well guys, I went fishing, but it ended early when I was trying to free a bluegill stuck between two rocks ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY IN THIS THINGS MOUTH GETTIN SWALLOWED!

[flbassman]

Oooooh, thats pretty nasty. You shoot that sucker in the head?

[RatLTrap]

I didn't have a gun with me, but it sure scared the hell out of me! Look at it though its smiling for the camera!

[Christopherkeene9]

saw one of them at the ramp on monday @ lake monroe!! Almost didn't see him in time

[JB]

I usually catch one a year, a few years back I netted two giants that were either mating or killing each other, flipped one in the boat and the other one got out, ended up taking it to a buddy that loves that meat

[bass kicker]

what are they

[JB]

snappin turtle

[bass kicker]

ok i see it know up north at this one lake my dad use to live on he caught a 40# snapper a .22 couldnt penatrate the shell

[WTL]

Yea, you people who shoot turtles are friggin imbeciles. I can understand snakes, but turtles...yeah, whatever....

Of course the fact that I've had a pet turtle for a year in a half might be adding to my disgust. Turtles actually have a lot of personality as pets, much more than rabbits or some cats.

[JB]

yea, but a snapper will bite your wrist off in a heart beat if ya get with in a foot of it...I don't target them , but have caught 15-18 pounders on my spinnerbait, once on a cricket, and many other lures.
Theres so many people around here that like the variety of meats , they
cut the neck off and open around the edges of the shell/body and either make turtle soup or fry or bake the meat..I don't see any dif. in harvesting turtles than going rabbit or deer hunting, at least we aren't killing just for the sport of it...

[RatLTrap]

Hmmmm that is actually a snake not a snappin turtle.

[lizardsrule]

Well that was pretty mild of a picture I must say, whew. Glad you didn't get any closeups though LOL.

READ MY SIGNATURE, and believe it!

Lizards

[WTL]

JB, if you are dumb enough to get your wrist bitten in two by a snapper then I reckon you deserved it. JMHO. I don't mind if they are hunted, but only per the laws of the state and for food. What I can't stand is people who shoot something that takes no skill to hit, then let it die to no use. Its not sporting.

[KenDammit]

People are so hostile here, lately.

In some places snapping turtles are a nuisance. They can destroy farm ponds for sure.

They can kill birds, fish, other land animals..a lot of things.

[flbassman]

Ok, I would never shoot a snapper. That looks like a copperhead to me, and those should be shot in places where children and dogs play. The other day, I snagged a moccasin on a bandit. I was bumping the bottom, felt a thump, hit it, and there was a fight. Figured I had foul ooked a catfish, until that beast broke the surface, 3 feet long, mad as anything, headed straight towards me. He snagged up in some bushes, writhing around like anything, S I went home, got the pellet gun, and put three in his skull. Didn't catch any bass after that, in fact, I just went home.

[skeeter944]

that sure does look like a copper head.

[IL.bassin36]

Just a water snake but they do bear a resemblence.

Trap will have few poisonous snakes as far north as he is. I live 2 hours south of him and have only seen 2 copperheads and 1 rattlesnake around here in my life.

Now my trip to the Wattensaw, Arkansas I saw at least 1 rattlesnake, copperhead and cottonmouth. And that was a 1 day field trial. If I lived down there and hunted, I'd move

[JB]

Actually when you do catch a turtle by accident you only have one way of dealing with it, and thats to take that stinky critter by the tail and either get your lure out or cut the line, my reference to the wrist being bite was the fact that a snapper will snap faster than you can blink and its neck comes out of the shell about a foot, and they always turn to try to get ya...I've seen them snap a broom handle in too before, so sorry I didn't recognize a snake in the picture, I was viewing it on a 10 year old pc with low resolution, didn't get a good look at it till I came to work on the flat screens.

[flfireman]

Probably would have shot that.

[WTL]

If you hook a snapper big enough to do that much damage, as far as I'm concerned its no different than hooking a gator. Would you grab a gator by the tail? Hell no, you'd cut the line, even if that gators got a Sammy stuck in its mouth.

Again, my main problem is with idiots who think that its a fun idea to see if a x calibur bullet can penetrate a turtles shell. Maybe it can, maybe it can't...what does it prove either way? Its just worthless. Its like those kids you knew growing up who liked to stomp on toads for no reason, or ride over kittens with the lawnmower.

[RatLTrap]

WTL I didn't see him say nothing about running over kittens with the lawn mower, or stepping on toads... let it go... its not that big of a deal.

[flbassman]

Originally Posted by KenDammit

People are so hostile here, lately.

I'm with ya there. Maybe theres something in the water?

[WTL]

Trap I'm just making a point. You're right its no big deal, and if anybody takes what I've said to be hostile to anybody in particular then thats just a misunderstanding.

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by WTL

Yea, you people who shoot turtles are friggin imbeciles. I can understand snakes, but turtles...yeah, whatever....

Of course the fact that I've had a pet turtle for a year in a half might be adding to my disgust. Turtles actually have a lot of personality as pets, much more than rabbits or some cats.

Now see here, my good fellow! If you've ever seen a farm pond that was impossible to fish 'cause it was truly infested with starving turtles, then you'd happily pick up a .22 and a brick (500 rounds) of ammo and get to work.
Something I see fairly often is, while dove shooting around a pond ("tank" here in Texiz), a dove falling into the water and, if not yet dead, being eaten alive by swarms of turtles. Of course, the already-deceased ones don't last long either.
Turtles do serve a useful purpose, but need to be thinned out now and then. The survivors are grateful for less competition for food.

FR

[JB]

Being raised on a farm, ya often see a half dozen or more snappin turtles migrate from one field over to your pond. We usually have about 4-6 8 lb. turtles poppin thier heads out on windy days, with a few big ones that lurk around, they get that muck and moss growing on thier backs, and smell awful... Some come to the pond with hooks/beef and hang the lines on jugs, I dont see it any dif. than fishing for food..these guys take advantage of natures bounty, and get to eat a unique meat blend that many have never tried.