Snapping Turtles - Any suggestions on elminating them from our pond?

[centrarchid]

It is very seldom you have just one. In our little 1/10 acre ponds, catching two or three is not a big deal. I would re-deploy gear after first animal captured.

 

[aprophet]

chicken livers are a good bait so is chicken fat I use menhaden to catch them with some folks call it bunker it is a coastal fish anything that puts up an oily residue I have caught them using fishing gear but the cage traps I build I normally catch 3-5 a night in the same trap

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
What kind of trap do you use to catch the > 15 pound snappers? Crab traps?

 

[Buugette]

You can make your own using chicken wire or rabbit fence material cut into rectangular panels. Tie four panels together to make a box and then tie a panel to one end to close it off. You want the trap to be large enough for the turtle to climb in, but narrow enough that the turtle doesn't have enough room to turn around and escape.

Tie a rope to the trap and to an object on the shore, like a rock, a tree limb, or a bush, so that the trap stays in the same place.

Tie a string to the inside of the back of the trap and then tie bait meat--chicken or fish--to the string. Alligator snappers are attracted to meat that smells foul, so let the meat sit out a bit before using it.

Drop the trap in water that's about waist-high.

Check the trap every 30 minutes or so. If you've caught an alligator snapper, or something of similar size, you'll know immediately just from tugging on the rope, because they weigh so much and put up such a fight when they're being caught. You could put a bell on the line so that when you hear it ringing... you know you have something. You don't want to leave it unattended for long, as the turtle can drown.

Pull the trap all the way out of the water and remove the turtle by approaching it from behind and grabbing it on both sides of the shell, between the front and back legs, to pick it up. When you handle it this way, it can't bite you. (You really don't want this animal to bite you, as it boasts one of the strongest bites of all animals.) If, for some reason, you believe the turtle has been injured or drowned... make sure, don't just go in and grab him thinking he has passed. They can hold their breath for extended periods of time and will take the opportunity to bite.

 

[centrarchid]

In many areas, alligator snappers are protected. They are also much less likely than common snappers to occur in ponds away from streams.

I have a lot of experience with common snappers as they are a work related hazard. I have never had one bite defensively while it was underwater. We used to catch them as kids in muddy streams and ponds by finding them with our bare feet. We were never bitten. Bare feet made it easier to determine by feel which ends tail and head were on. Sometimes we caught them as big as 25 pounds.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
What kind of trap do you use to catch the > 15 pound snappers? Crab traps?

1" X 2" Welded wire my traps are rectangular they are 24 wide 48" long and 14" tall the doors are angled in and have a hole cut in the middle on the bottom of the door I catch mostly 15-25 pounders the larger ones only 3-4 turtles can get in the smaller ones 12-15 pounders it is nothing to have 5-7 turtles in the trap. I also use a net type trap depending on what the bank and water is like if you google catfish hoop net or fyke net it is kina like those they work well also but it keeps me up at night tying nets LOL

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
probably won't impress you much but I just step on them and grab them by the tail toss'em in a feed sack and tie the sack closed with some net twine takes about 30 seconds on to the next one

and when I set the trap I set it high enough so the turtles do not drown

 

[Buugette]

Quote:
Impressed... You bet I am. I couldn't do it.

 

[SentryFE]

Just do a google search for turtle trap. There are several types. Just choose the one you feel like making. I have wiped turtles out of ponds with a shotgun. shot will not bounce off the ponds flat surface.

 

[chkn]

Those things are so NASTY!!!