There is a snapping turtle in my pond!

[Darin115]

My father used to use the following method. If you have a tree close to the pond tie a wire leader to the tree and then to a hook. Bait up the hook with a piece of chicken fat or a piece of cut blue gill. Toss the baited hook in the water. Come back later and collect your turtle. They are hard to kill. I always grabbed them by the tail and pulled hard. The wire leader will pull his head out and you can cut his throat or chop his head off. If you don't have a tree you can drive a stake in the ground and tie your leader to that.

If you use a baited hook on a float you have to wait until it comes near the shore to retrieve it. Or go out in a boat to get him. I prefer just walking to your line and pulling him in.

I had a really large snapping turtle in my pond years ago. I just shot it with a 22 rifle. He crawled up on the bank and died. You just need to keep in mind bullets can skip off water. Make sure you are shooting in a safe direction.

I also watched a large snapper drag a full grown duck underwater and drown it. You need to get him out of the pond.
There is no way I would go swimming and try to catch him. You could come out of the water missing a finger.

Darin

 

[ChickPrincess]

My father used to use the following method. If you have a tree close to the pond tie a wire leader to the tree and then to a hook. Bait up the hook with a piece of chicken fat or a piece of cut blue gill. Toss the baited hook in the water. Come back later and collect your turtle. They are hard to kill. I always grabbed them by the tail and pulled hard. The wire leader will pull his head out and you can cut his throat or chop his head off. If you don't have a tree you can drive a stake in the ground and tie your leader to that.

If you use a baited hook on a float you have to wait until it comes near the shore to retrieve it. Or go out in a boat to get him. I prefer just walking to your line and pulling him in.

I had a really large snapping turtle in my pond years ago. I just shot it with a 22 rifle. He crawled up on the bank and died. You just need to keep in mind bullets can skip off water. Make sure you are shooting in a safe direction.

I also watched a large snapper drag a full grown duck underwater and drown it. You need to get him out of the pond.
There is no way I would go swimming and try to catch him. You could come out of the water missing a finger.

Darin

And don't think you can grab one on the shell behind it's head. They are able to twist that head around and get you!

 

[centrarchid]

And don't think you can grab one on the shell behind it's head. They are able to twist that head around and get you!

Always go for tail. I have never had one attempt to bite while it is under water. They are very much afraid of critters larger than they are even in water. Once brought out of water as by seine or hook and line, then they become willing to bite.

 

[Darin115]

Also if you shoot them and kill them you need to retrieve them. If not in a few days you have a stinking rotten floating mass of nastyness.

If you are going to grab a turtle you need to grab him by the tail or one hand on each side of the middle of their shell. If you grab the shell near its head you will get bit.

My buddy used to catch them and sell them to people. He carried them in a burlap sack until he got home. One day he was not thinking and he threw the sack across his shoulder with a large snapper in it. The thing bit him thru the sack and his shirt. It was a nasty wound. They say they wont turn loose until it thunders. I think that is a old wives tale because that one turned loose pretty quick but the damage was already done.

You can kill all the turtles out of a pond but the males will travel from pond to pond in search of a female. We find them crossing the highway on occasion.

Darin

 

[centrarchid]

I do not handle snappers by shell unless very small (less than a pound) or very large (> 25 lbs) since they are very good at scratching. Shell grabbing for me is reserved for soft-shell turtles owing fact they lack long tails. It takes experience to handle the head region of snappers and is not practical to learn just handle an occasional animal for predator management. If you are not into eating turtles whether for soup / gumbo or some other dish, then releasing into another location a mile or so away will be an effective method of removal. Dressing snappers is a lot of work even after animal is dispatched. The thunder-stuff is hogwash.

 

[duckinnut]

I would try to catch it alive and bring it to the nearest Chinese restaurant. They will shower with all the food you want, more so if it is big. My father killed about a 15 pound one on the lake he lived on and took it to the restaurant and man they did love it and gave my dad a big old bag of food for it. They said "next time you no kill, bring live". At least it didn't go to waste and the food was good. Turtle soup is considered a delicacy to the Chinese, but I will pass.

 

[moomoodiddy]

i luv turtles but hate snappers me and my sister have been catchin um since we were 5 and every spring when we have baby ducks us and our uncle go crazy for some turtle soup...net, fishin line, shotgun, bait line...good luck

 

[GrandmaChickie]

Just had to share this "turtle story." My dad and little sister went out to check his trout line one day--she was about six. They had caught a snapper, so Dad pulled it up to the bank, cut off its head and threw the body back in the river. The d*mned headless thing stood up on its hind legs and walked up the bank towards my little sis--gave her the screaming heebie-jeebies! And she has hated turtles since.... True story.