Snapping Turtles..

[nic53]

Does anyone have any history with trapping snapping turtles? Gonna try it for the first time this year. So any advice or tips would be nice.. Thanks!

[dakids]

They bite!!!!!    They taste wonderful.

[corny13]

This is the best way to catch Snapper's the guy looks like my Cousin...

[Randy Kaar]

I have caught a few and even the small ones are mean!

randy

[Cody Gruchow]

ya like said they BITE...HARD...they are also quicker than they seem....

[mahmoodmahi]

Try a turtle hook, it is bassically just a gaff that you bait and then hook in to the turtle when it goes for the bait. I've watch it done in virginia, and all they do is just wait with the turtle hook in the water and then pull it up once it hits. Otherswise you can always just bottom fish, or cut bait in likely areas, seems like I catch at least three yer cat fishing.

[mahmoodmahi]

have a look at this

[nic53]

This is the best way to catch Snapper's the guy looks like my Cousin...

That is pretty crazy... Im thinking more of the lines of trapping them in a cage trap. I like my fingers! haha

[GRIZ]

Have you gotten your lic. They no longer issue a commercial turtle lic in MN but you can get a lic to use 3 traps.

I've had better luck in rivers and creeks than in ponds with cages. Hang a good sized chunk of carp or other oily fish in your bait bag(1/4 hardware cloth). Place cage so the mouth is downstream. Make sure the top is out of water so turtles can breath. Stake good so a heavy current will not wash it down stream.

[Mayfly]

We are going to need updates on this and pictures! Sounds like a heck of an adventure. Why do you want to trap them??

 

[Randy Kaar]

Turtle meat is real good in booya!

randy

[nic53]

We are going to need updates on this and pictures! Sounds like a heck of an adventure. Why do you want to trap them??

 

Randy is right they are very tasty! And i will keep you posted and try to get some pictures on here.

[stevejedlenski]

so how do you prepare something like this? a few guys tried in the BW a while ago and it didn't look very good, they boiled the meat and the water turned green! they said it wasn't good.

[Randy Kaar]

Been a long time since I had it, But remember that you have to hang it to drain the blood. Then rinse the meat real well. We got the meat from a guy, I know the head can still bite even when cut off!

randy

[GRIZ]

It's not really needed to bleed them, what is more important is let them sit in a tank of clean water for 4-5 days to clean out their system. Make sure and get all the fat off as nothing could taste good cooked in the same pot as that.

The head can still bite even after dead. I've witnessed it up to 2 days later in fact but thats if the turtle is butcher in the traditional manner of lopping off the head. An older fellow explained to me the reason for this is the shock to the central nervous system doing it that way.

He showed me a better way. That is by hanging from the neck cut off the tip of the tail about 3 humps up from the tip. Let them bleed to death this way and the nervous reflexes are practically non existant when cleaning. By gosh it worked, well at least on the limited 30-40 I've done this way. I wished I would have known of this back when doing hundreds a yr commercially.

[nic53]

Yeah i have seen them bite after the head being chopped off. I have heard from a friend at work who use to trap is to shoot them in the head with a .22 and they will go limp and wont bit. I am gonna try that and see what happens.

[Randy Kaar]

Yep Griz, I now remember... He put them live in a big tank and let them purge. H e then cut the heads off and hang them tail up to bleed. Them damn heads would still be watching you as you walked by and be snapping at you.

One time we were going down a dirt road and this huge snapper was crossing the road, We had to stop, This young punk with us just had to get out and mess with it. I told him to leave it alone.
So he grabs a stick and proceeds to tease this monster, I think it was a she who was about to lay eggs, so she wasnt in a good mood anyways...What Jeff didnt know is they have long necks and are pretty quick and when pissed off are very mean... After some blood loss and a whole lot of him whining, We grabbed a bigger stick and hit this monster on the head and she finally released her death grip on Jeff's ankle... She proceded on her trip... Jeff died of a heart attack at 35, 15 years after the attack... We still laugh at that memory...

randy

[nic53]

Went to buy a turtle trapping license at the local bait shop. Told them what I needed and they looked at me weird and i had to show them in the rule book that you need a turtle license. He looking on the computer and found nothing so he called the DNR and found out you have to call them and they will send out a application to fill out and send back to get one. I did not expect this to be such a run around figured it would be the same as any license. Is this because not many people do it or anyone have any idea whats with it?

[GRIZ]

You follow the same procedure getting any commercial lic. Even though this is not a commercial lic it is allowing you to use commercial type equipment. Guess thats what I'm thinkin about it but yea they could make it more simple. Also they will give you tags for each trap to use, thats how they can keep the limit down to 3 traps a lic. There is other red tape too if you want to get lic again next yr. Not much just fill out a harvest report and another application.

[thunderpout]

Turtle meat is real good in booya!

randy

      Randy...... I think most any meat is "real good" in Booya!   I remember as a kid in Boy Scouts, we were based out of St. Johns the Baptist in New Brighton, and every year theyd do the Booya feed there, and indeed it looked like most every meat(or should I say most ANY meat ) was in that stuff..... smelled like a rendering plant when theyd have those cauldrons bubbling away.....   Ah the memories!

[Randy Kaar]

Havent done turtle in long time, But dump chicken, beef, ox tails and any vension I can find. I think this fall I will do a batch! That stuff does smell good!

randy