Snapping Turtles
- Thread starter GoetsTalon
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Buckmaster
Senior Member
That's a big ass turtle for sure. But there's a hefty amount of trick photography going on there as well.
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I use the old bite this stick and machete chop method. One that size would catch a 22lr.
When I was younger, we used to hold a "Roctober Turtle Fest" at our property. We had a group of buddies that worked in excavating. They used to get contracts to clean ditches in cities like Bowling Green, Findlay, and some other towns. They would get dozens and dozens of turtles every year. They would purge and clean them and freeze them for the party. It was like Bubba in Forrest Gump. We had turtle soup, fried turtle, grilled turtle, smoked turtle, BBQ turtle, etc... Basically a big ass party with turtle, smoked fish, beer, and horseshoe tournaments
Had a neighbor when I was growing up that would catch snapping turtles all the time, he used the bite stick and machete method as well.... Fuggers would stay locked on for a long time....
Buckmaster
Senior Member
A couple years ago I had a snapper crawling across the front yard. I caught it and purged it for a week.
When it came to beheading time.....I had a new meat cleaver, a pair of pliers, and my wife.
I teased the turtle to bite my pliers, I pulled out his neck, and loped it off with the meat cleaver in an expedited manner. While I did the deed my wife was standing on this turtle's back.
I was shocked to see the turtle raise her a good 6" off the ground while I did the deed, meanwhile blood was pumping a couple feet out of its neck. Those suckers are strong!
She said, "Never Again".
We had BBQ turtle on the grill that night....well...I did. (see turtle in 55 gallon drum)
When it came to beheading time.....I had a new meat cleaver, a pair of pliers, and my wife.
I teased the turtle to bite my pliers, I pulled out his neck, and loped it off with the meat cleaver in an expedited manner. While I did the deed my wife was standing on this turtle's back.
I was shocked to see the turtle raise her a good 6" off the ground while I did the deed, meanwhile blood was pumping a couple feet out of its neck. Those suckers are strong!
She said, "Never Again".
We had BBQ turtle on the grill that night....well...I did. (see turtle in 55 gallon drum)
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There is or was a Volunteer fire department in Mahoning County that would hold a turtle soup picnic(stag) every august. Npt sure if it still takes place.
Springfield Township Volunteer Fire Dept-New Middletown-Petersburg area. They must have quit staging it, several years since I saw it advertised.
"He also puts some large ones in his turtle zoo at his business, Big Foot Turtle Supply, in Bessemer."
"Anderson sells frozen turtle meat and provides turtle meat for a number of events, including the Laurel High School Conservation Club's Sportsmen's Night Out in February and a Turtle Soup Stag dinner every year in Petersburg, Ohio, for which he supplies 100 pounds of turtle meat. He said it takes 12 to 14 turtles for this dinner."
"Anderson sells frozen turtle meat and provides turtle meat for a number of events, including the Laurel High School Conservation Club's Sportsmen's Night Out in February and a Turtle Soup Stag dinner every year in Petersburg, Ohio, for which he supplies 100 pounds of turtle meat. He said it takes 12 to 14 turtles for this dinner."
That's about 25 minutes from me, have been they that area a few times over the years..
I have caught more snapping turtles in body hold traps than I can count. It is one of the most frustrating things, especially if they are still kicking and I have to get them out.
I just looked it up and it says it is illegal to take turtles by shooting including archery equipment.
It used to be legal to bow shoot them. I guess they changed it. I never liked shooting em anyway. Whenever I had newbees in the the boat and we saw one they'd invariably wanna shoot it...I basically told em 1...If you shoot it your taking it home and eating it. 2 If you shoot it Im not helping you in any way to land it or get the arrow back out of the sucker....Detered a lot of turtle shooting. Early in the yr we'd see a lot and I would often maneuver the boat up next to them and lie down and grab em off the bottom. Caught some pretty big ones that way.