Two rescues in one day

[gumpus]

The snapper is about the size of a half dollar and probably one day old. Every year we see the little guys and way too many get squished by cars so sometimes we help them get to the river.

The box turtle "ran" out in front of my car so I had to stop. It couldn't quite climb the curb (although the climbing technique was excellent) so I gave it a boost.

 

[Alan Gage]

Nice saves. On my normal walk they created a carp barrier consisting of large rocks to keep carp from traveling from the lake to the slough. In the spring turtles heading to the slough fall into the gaps in the rocks and get stuck. I check every day or two. Usually about a dozen each year.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I'm a sucker for turtles. Glad you helped those two out.

 

[Erica]

Thank you for saving the turtles. I save them too. Stopped several lanes of traffic to pick up a large turtle, put him in the well of the passenger seat and took him out to a strand where he rapidly moved across the ground and into the water.

 

[SouthernKevlar]

As I walk my dog along the road by our neighborhood's small lake, I usually help several turtles along during each of the warm months. They are mostly Painted Turtles, Snapping Turtles and Box turtles. The Snappers usually get moved along with the help of a large stick, but at least they are safely out of the road.

 

[gumpus]

As I walk my dog along the road by our neighborhood's small lake, I usually help several turtles along during each of the warm months. They are mostly Painted Turtles, Snapping Turtles and Box turtles. The Snappers usually get moved along with the help of a large stick, but at least they are safely out of the road.

One time I had to leave a snapper in the road because I could not find a stick and the turtle made it very clear that it didn't want my help.

 

[Gamma1214]

You can safely pick up snappers by the tail (admittedly, it IS safer to use sticks, shovels & buckets). Unlike other turtles, their mouths can reach every other part of their bodies

 

[SouthernKevlar]

If I were a turtle, I think that I would rather walk along while being herded with a stick than having someone grabbing my tail.
Personally, wouldn't want to risk a foot-wide Snapper getting a taste of me!

 

[Crawforde]

Safe is a relative term, and if the turtle is heavy it may not be good for the turtle to pick it up by the tail.

 

[lowangle al]

I saved lots of turtles on my lake from a one way trip to New York City, courtesy of this guy. It's a private lake and the guy told me he had permission to be there from his niece, who lives on the lake. She said she never gave any permission and was not a fan of him taking turtles. She asked him to bring the big one back, but he didn't. He hasn't been back since, and that was in 2022.

I found out from another guy that he has multiple tubs on his property filled with turtles that he then takes to NYC to sell. Supposedly the guy is a millionaire with lots of real estate holdings. He told me he takes them because his nephew likes to eat them, so he's a liar, trespasser and probably a poacher too. If I ever see his traps again I'll remove them.

 

[Erica]

I saved lots of turtles on my lake from a one way trip to New York City, courtesy of this guy. It's a private lake and the guy told me he had permission to be there from his niece, who lives on the lake. She said she never gave any permission and was not a fan of him taking turtles. She asked him to bring the big one back, but he didn't. He hasn't been back since, and that was in 2022.

I found out from another guy that he has multiple tubs on his property filled with turtles that he then takes to NYC to sell. Supposedly the guy is a millionaire with lots of real estate holdings. He told me he takes them because his nephew likes to eat them, so he's a liar, trespasser and probably a poacher too. If I ever see his traps again I'll remove them.View attachment 147283View attachment 147284

That is distressing, what this man was doing. I’m glad you have put a stop to it.

 

[lowangle al]

Yeah, I don't know if what he was doing was legal or not, but at any rate he felt guilty enough about it to lie. He also told me that he like our lake because he sneaks into our local water company resevoirs to catch turtles and that their security is always after him.

 

[Erica]

Yeah, I don't know if what he was doing was legal or not, but at any rate he felt guilty enough about it to lie. He also told me that he like our lake because he sneaks into our local water company resevoirs to catch turtles and that their security is always after him.

Groan.

In Florida all turtles are protected, except possibly the soft-shell.

 

[Crawforde]

When I was in Florida we saw people illegally trapping large numbers of turtles for sale. A call to the FWC can help.
For a couple of years I was working with amphibians and reptiles in the western marsh of Lake Okeechobee for work.
Legitimate live traps will be flagged and marked with the responsible Agency/ Biologist contact information.
Poachers usually hide their traps.

 

[gumpus]

Yeah, I don't know if what he was doing was legal or not, but at any rate he felt guilty enough about it to lie. He also told me that he like our lake because he sneaks into our local water company resevoirs to catch turtles and that their security is always after him.

It seems like the niece is in the best position to hold him accountable. If it's illegal take him to court. If it's legal but against her wishes then ban him from visiting. If I had a relative that liked to visit so he could hunt on my property against my wishes that would end abruptly and dramatically.

 

[jdeerfoot]

A nephew of mine is a longtime conservation warden with the Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources. He has told me they catch many offenders via citizen tips. Sometimes the offenders make their arrest and conviction very easy by posting photos/comments on social media.

 

[Crawforde]

This place also sells live bait, propane and cell service
One stop shopping on the way to the lake.

 

[Gamma1214]

Around here, most farm ponds have snapping turtles and some get large enough to start negatively impacting fish populations. The largest are often harvested like any other game in order to manage predator populations within those environments. It is even legal to sell the harvested turtles if you have a commercial permit (required by fish & boat even on private land but only for commercial sales- personal use requires no permit).

Personally, I know very few people who trap snapping turtles (and none who do so commercially) but, if made well, the soup can be quite good. They're kind of the opposite of trout... flavor is bland but texture is great (I like the flavor of wild trout but the texture always leaves something to be desired). Now... if somebody could cross breed trout flavor & snapper texture, I might hunt those bad boys to extinction!

Incidentally, since my previous post, I've learned that it is not recommended to lift snappers by their tails unless you intend to harvest them. The weight of the turtle itself can cause spinal damage. In addition, rumor has it that, if you "rescue" (ie: assist) a turtle, always take him across the road in the direction that he was headed. He was, supposedly, going that way for a reason and will persist on his path if you move him to the roadside behind him.

 

[lowangle al]

The guy probably has a commercial permit and other than the trespassing is most likely legal. There is a good monetary incentive to sell turtles. A turtle in good condition with a 15" shell can bring $300.00.

My friend and I killed one back in the 70's. I butchered it up and made soup. Snappers have different kinds of meat, some looks like fish and some looks like beef and everything in between. I guess the soup was good, I used my mother's beef barely recipe and that's what it tasted like. Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of beef barely.

I used to have run ins with turtles on a farm pond I used to fish. They would eat the fish off of your stringer if you didn't keep an eye on it. One time I left my stringer attached to the back of the boat with the bow pulled up on shore for the night. When I went to get something out of the boat it was gone. A turtle must have grabbed the fish on the stringer and pulled the boat free, I found it about a hundred yards away with the fish gone.

 

[yknpdlr]

"You're gonna need a bigger boat".