Snapping Turtle Removal

[fluffhead31]

We have a little fish pond, roughly 20' x 10'. We have kids so we had to put a fence around it. A few weeks ago this female snapping turtle who i presume was in the area laying eggs wanted to get in the pond but she was getting caught in the fence. Several times i got her untangled and pointed her away from the pond but she kept coming back and getting stuck so i eventually opened a section of fencing and went to bed. Not surprisingly, she is now in the pond and I want her gone! She is destroying all of the vegetation and probably eating the fish and frogs (though i have no proof). I tried removing another section of fencing and making a nice easy path for her to walk away on her own but she hasn't found it. The turtle is big and intimidating...the picture attached doesn't do it justice. The neck sticks out a good 8-12" and looks thick and strong.

Any thoughts on how to get her our of there (other than a 12 gauge ?? She is tough to see...usually hiding below the lily pads and disappears when humans approach.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds like your first experience with a snapping turtle?? You definitely NEED her gone, beyond WANTING her gone. Turtles will destroy your pond and yes,,, definitely eating anything they can catch. The turtle will not leave now unless the food source dwindles. Next Summer when you see the damage done to your pond you'll wish you had went the gun route. I prefer a .22. Takes patience sitting on the bank when the turtle is active and a quick shot when the head appears.

 

[k0ua]

Sounds like your first experience with a snapping turtle?? You definitely NEED her gone, beyond WANTING her gone. Turtles will destroy your pond and yes,,, definitely eating anything they can catch. The turtle will not leave now unless the food source dwindles. Next Summer when you see the damage done to your pond you'll wish you had went the gun route. I prefer a .22. Takes patience sitting on the bank when the turtle is active and a quick shot when the head appears.

Agreed. Take it out..

 

[murphy1244]

You may have to drain it but the do sell turtle traps.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Sounds like your first experience with a snapping turtle?? You definitely NEED her gone, beyond WANTING her gone. Turtles will destroy your pond and yes,,, definitely eating anything they can catch. The turtle will not leave now unless the food source dwindles. Next Summer when you see the damage done to your pond you'll wish you had went the gun route. I prefer a .22. Takes patience sitting on the bank when the turtle is active and a quick shot when the head appears.

He's right. You need to get rid of it now.
.22 target practice.

 

[mudcat47537]

I prefer a .22 and a jug or tea sitting in a chair under a tree. Sip the tea until the turtle gives you that opportune head shot, but don't be in a hurry the longer you wait patiently the farther they will come out and the better shot they will give.

 

[texasjohn]

Call Turtle man and give him some cupcakes!:turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle:

 

[TripleR]

I bow to the wisdom of ovrszd and others, for me it's a Ruger 10/22 with Leupold scope, on the bigger ponds my grandson sits in the back of a pickup with his .17 bolt gun and scope. My father in law use to have some luck fishing for them and they are quite tasty.

 

[ovrszd]

I bow to the wisdom of ovrszd and others, for me it's a Ruger 10/22 with Leupold scope, on the bigger ponds my grandson sits in the back of a pickup with his .17 bolt gun and scope. My father in law use to have some luck fishing for them and they are quite tasty.

My Dad loved to fish for them and eat them. A major undertaking to cut one up. Supposedly seven different kinds of meat. :licking:

I couldn't get by the thought so never tried it. Was always an adventure to be fishing in a john boat with Dad and him hook a turtle. He'd bring it right in the boat with us and then hold his pliers in front of it until it would strike, then catch it by the beak and cut off it's head. I miss those adventures with my Dad, although I hated it at the time!!! :laughing:

 

[Dan Hunter]

Turtle trap 3.1. I built one that was quite successful for the pond at the ranch but the moving parts needed regular service. This unit has no moving parts. It's sitting on a pond in town for "testing".

 

[ovrszd]

Turtle trap 3.1. I built one that was quite successful for the pond at the ranch but the moving parts needed regular service. This unit has no moving parts. It's sitting on a pond in town for "testing".

So what do you do with the turtle once you've caught it??

 

[JohnfromPA]

When I was around 19, I caught a big snapping turtle like that in the creek behind our house and moved it over to a large creek (almost like a river) so it wouldn't end up someplace it didn't belong or get tortured by the a-hole kids in the neighborhood. A big plastic trash can and a piece of meat is all you need.

 

[farmgirl19]

I would have never let it into the pond. It will eat the vegetation, as well as the fish. If you want to trap it, to save taking a shot in your pond, fine. But once trapped, kill it! They are very prolific, and also can carry diseases such as Salmonella. If you are careful, you can catch the turtle with a fishing hook, baited with chicken liver. Once caught, cut its head off.

I just find the .22 easier and quicker.

 

[whistlepig]

I have caught several using 50 pound test line with a steel leader, big hook, and a chunk of meat. I would tie the the line to a tree on the bank.

 

[farmgirl19]

Yes, I learned the technique when fishing for catfish and I kept catching snapping turtles. Now, i just use them for target practice! If you get a shot exactly right, you can split the shell, and that leave fish food in a stock tank (pond, to non-Texans).

 

[creekbend]

My Father had three ponds on the Farm when I was growing up. Instead of shooting the Snappers and chancing a ricochet, we would catch a couple of Blue Gills, cut out the eyes and put one eye on a hook. Even though the turtle sometimes won't be hooked securely, the turtle will keep his jaws tight until you get him on the bank. Then we took an axe to the turtle. BTW, most Snappers won't relinguish their hold until you dispatch them.

 

[brin]

My father in law and I trapped snapping turtles in the lake on our pond and we ate them...Turtle soup...Try it...Google for a recipe...don't waste those turtles...Take a stick and let him bite it then cut off his head with a hatchet...now your safe and then go from there...Good Eating..

 

[farmgirl19]

I have often heard about turtle soup. Never tried it though. Maybe I will have to find a recipe and consider it now!

 

[whistlepig]

They do make excellent turtle soup.

 

[farmgirl19]

That settles it! This winter, I am going turtle "fishing"! I love to cook, and in the winter, I ALWAYS have a pot of soup on the stove to simmer. (Yes, home-made, from scratch!) This gives me one more variation.

I have to ask......Does the turtle give everything a fishy taste or smell? I might not want it simmering on the stove all day. :confused3: