Are there laws against capturing wild turtles?

[Wolf-Kim]

Hello all, I was just wondering if there were any "rules" against trapping or killing turtles in the pond. We have truckloads of them in our pond and they have gobbled up my family-in-law's early attempts at keeping mallards.

My family-in-law use to try to shoot them with a .22, but this is very time consuming, ineffective, just too many darn turtles, and the turtles get wise to it after the first couple are killed.

I've looked up ways to create turtle live-traps using chicken wire. But before I go through the hassle of making traps, I would like to know what I can "legally" do with those turtles that are trapped. Is it illegal to kill them or rehome them. I would rather relocate them somewhere else, instead of having to deal with a couple hundred dead turtles laying around. (My family-in-law's dogs LOVE to eat and drag dead stuff home with them)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

-Kim

 

[HobbyChickener]

there are no laws here that would stop you. We clean out "green heads" yearly to keep them down in the ponds from river over flow. It makes good practice for a kid as far as shooting goes too.

However with that said I would just ask a game warden and they could answer any questions.

 

[d.k]

* Certainly that depends on the breed of turtle, and THAT depends on positive identification. AT LEAST 4 fairly common species of turtle here are considered "protected" one way or another. There ought to be info o/l for your state.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

You might want to try turtle soup my wife likes to cook them up they are very good eating. I hate to see them go to waste.

 

[Struttn1]

It is very difficult to keep a pond turtle free. Even if you were to kill all the turtles in a pond it won't be long until more start showing up. They travel across land basically hopping from waterhole to waterhole be it lake, river, pond, creek or whatever.

 

[dacjohns]

Check with your state department of natural resourses, fish and game, or whatever it might be called in NC.

Here is a place to start. I didn't look at it so I don't know if it covers turtles.
http://www.ncwildlife.org/

There might be laws against moving them also.

 

[ticks]

if they are snappers, give this a try
http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/turtle-traps/093510000004.aspx

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
What he said. And here are some simple recipes I saved a long time ago from an old book:

Dressing Out a Turtle: Scrub the decapitated turtle with laundry soap and a stiff brush until it is clean. Get a container of water boiling, big enough to hold the turtle. When you have scrubbed off the leeches and green growths, boil the whole turtle for 30-40 minutes. Take the turtle pot and dump it outside on the grass and leave it until the turtle is cool enough to handle. Turn the turtle upside down and cut out the under shell. Again let it cool. There are different flavors of turtle meat. Some of the choicest lies along the backbone and it is almost hopeless to try to get this out if the turtle has not been boiled first. Now is the time to work with two dishpans. I toss the good meat into one and the discards into the other. When in doubt taste. Muscle meat tends to be good, fat is often of low quality. Seek the liver carefully. It is often excellent, but the gall bladder must be cut away and discarded or its acrid taste will permeate, and your friends will wish you had never come upon a turtle.

Fried Turtle: Fry like chicken or pheasant.

Turtle Soup: Cook slowly, simmering over low heat with onions and a little salt. Meat stock or bouillon may be added. Taste the soup when the meat is tender. Now is the time to decide whether to make plain turtle soup seasoned with sherry, or whether to add tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc.


Another soup recipe: Deboned meat from one small turtle. One each cup of chopped potatoes, onion and celery. One quart of turtle stock made from the bones. Cook all together until vegetables are tender. Add enough milk or cream to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve.

 

[SueNH]

I have snapping turtles come in to lay eggs in a sandy spot on my property. I have this big, deep sled I use to move bales of hay in the winter. I poke the turtle in with a stick and take them to a spot in the river where the current is strong but not turtle smashing.
Washes the problem downstream away from my property and ducks.

I think she's beautiful in her own special way.
I couldn't kill somebody for wanting to be a mama, just wanted her to be a mama some other place.

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
I think so, too. And it's fascinating to think that they've been around since the age of dinosaurs.