# Turtles. How do I get rid of them??



## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Seriously. We have a major snapping turtle infestation in our pond. I've seen 2 of them in the past 2 weeks up here at the house.
One was huge! It bit the shovel when I tried to scoop it up! Another was trying to lay eggs in front of our deck.
How do I get rid of them? We have catfish in the pond, and our horses drink out of it.
And NO I don't want to eat them...:-?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

You should have killed the turtle while she was laying eggs...(if you are trying to get rid of them)

1 shot behind the ear....leave the gun take the canoli!

you will have to shot them or catch them with hook and line with meat bait...

snapping turtle are mean and nasty


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

If you are in the country, and it's legal to do so, shoot them.


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## just mike (Jun 25, 2014)

.22 to the head. If I was a little closer I would come over for the meat-turtle be GOOD. Or you could just get some Cajuns from the next state west to handle it for you, tell them where they are . Problem solved.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Call Deebo. 
Seriously, I have heard of a turtle log, it drowns them, but doesn't discriminate. It will kill all turtles. 
Its a log with treble hooks strategically placed so that they drown each other. Cruel, but effective.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Get you a trap and some hot dogs and leave it in the pond.


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## Wallimiyama (Oct 18, 2012)

Soup! Best way to get rid of 'em...add 'em to a big pot of Turtle Soup!!!


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Deebo said:


> Call Deebo.
> Seriously, I have heard of a turtle log, it drowns them, but doesn't discriminate. It will kill all turtles.
> Its a log with treble hooks strategically placed so that they drown each other. Cruel, but effective.


I like this idea. Will look into it. Thanks Deebo.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> Get you a trap and some hot dogs and leave it in the pond.


You talkin about a live trap? Or a fish trap..? We have some live traps, but wouldnt they rust under the water? And won't the Catfish get caught too?


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

I can put the horses up, to shoot the turtles, but I'm worried about a bullet deflecting off the water or the shell of the turtle. 
Another that concerns me, is the rotting carcasses in the water. The horses do drink out of this pond.
We don't shoot armadillos with a .22 for that reason.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

BagLady said:


> You talkin about a live trap? Or a fish trap..? We have some live traps, but wouldnt they rust under the water? And won't the Catfish get caught too?


Yes you'll probably catch some catfish too in a basic trap. If they're still alive you can throw them back or eat them. If they get chewed up by the turtles then leave em in there as fresh bait for more turtles.

Here is a turtle trap. I'd bet you and hubby can rig up something like it.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Found this, many options:
http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/rec_fishing/pdf/turtletexas.pdf


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Sorry, no pictures, to long ago. My uncle would build his own from a piece of 2 x 12 x 12 inches long or would 2x4s, or 2x6s to make the 2x12. he would take a muskrat trap and nail it to the center of the board, bait it and float it upside down. If you are concerned about other animals get into it, wrap some chicken type wire fence around the board and staple it in place as a fence so only a turtle coming straight up from under water can get to it.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> Yes you'll probably catch some catfish too in a basic trap. If they're still alive you can throw them back or eat them. If they get chewed up by the turtles then leave em in there as fresh bait for more turtles.
> 
> Here is a turtle trap. I'd bet you and hubby can rig up something like it.
> 
> ...


I like that idea! Thanks Ark.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> Found this, many options:
> http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/rec_fishing/pdf/turtletexas.pdf


Good info on there Kauboy. Thanks.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

paraquack said:


> Sorry, no pictures, to long ago. My uncle would build his own from a piece of 2 x 12 x 12 inches long or would 2x4s, or 2x6s to make the 2x12. he would take a muskrat trap and nail it to the center of the board, bait it and float it upside down. If you are concerned about other animals get into it, wrap some chicken type wire fence around the board and staple it in place as a fence so only a turtle coming straight up from under water can get to it.


That sounds pretty easy. We do have some critter traps, not sure if they're muskrat...but should do the trick.
I'll be discussing all these options with my Hubby, and see what he wants to build. Thanks.


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## Therussianbear (Dec 22, 2012)

My Snapper just climbs out of his home "pan" and roams around the back yard and looks in on us. Feed you'rs some raw chicken and it will leave the catfish alone. Through our winter it hibernates in it's pan. when we first got it it froze solid in it's pan,thought it was a goner,thawed out and it was good to go,did not bother it a bit.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

I guess I could go one step further, and round them up in the live traps, and keep them on leashes as "guard turtles"...
Or maybe I can sell them to restaurants in the city.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

BagLady said:


> I guess I could go one step further, and round them up in the live traps, and keep them on leashes as "guard turtles"...
> Or maybe I can sell them to restaurants in the city.


Hilarious! Who in their right mind would walk through a field full of hungry snapping turtles? Ive seen em bite sticks clean in half.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

Google turtle soup recipes--- enjoy


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Tie some muslimes to a post near the pond, spray them down with pig grease. When the snapping turtles come out they will eat the muslimes and you can catch them. Winner Winner muslime dinner!

An oldie but a goodie, one of my favorites about Snappin Turtles. Enjoy.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Slippy, it nice to see a man willing to help out the wild animal life in the US


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

BagLady said:


> I can put the horses up, to shoot the turtles, but I'm worried about a bullet deflecting off the water or the shell of the turtle.
> Another that concerns me, is the rotting carcasses in the water. The horses do drink out of this pond.
> We don't shoot armadillos with a .22 for that reason.


Shotgun. Problem solved.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Train them to guard the watering hole. That way nobody will sneak in and steal or contaminant the water.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

may have been stated-but shoot them, kill them, and eat them


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

A long piece of rebar with a hook on one end and sharpened on the other. Drag them out with the hook and stab them with the sharp end. Only pick them up at the back end.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Auntie said:


> A long piece of rebar with a hook on one end and sharpened on the other. Drag them out with the hook and stab them with the sharp end. Only pick them up at the back end.


Auntie is starting to scare me just a bit...:encouragement:


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Slippie, I didn't know your a ED BASSMASTER FAN. 
I love Skippy.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Slippy said:


> Auntie is starting to scare me just a bit...:encouragement:


What will scare you more is that I have done it.


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Call the Turtle Man!






lol


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

To get rid of turtles you need to build a highway through the pond and then the cars will take care of the turtles.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

My thought is on the catfish.... I thought they are bottom feeders.... So dead turtles in your pond the catfish will eat.... Nature has a way of recycling


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

pheniox17 said:


> My thought is on the catfish.... I thought they are bottom feeders.... So dead turtles in your pond the catfish will eat.... Nature has a way of recycling


How does the fish get through the shell? Dead turtles will attract scavengers and that's not good with horses. Kill them when you see them.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

James m said:


> How does the fish get through the shell? Dead turtles will attract scavengers and that's not good with horses. Kill them when you see them.


The shell is not 100% of the turtle.... The head, tail, and leg areas are exposed....


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Mish won't admit it, but she is a connoisseur of turtles, as long as they aren't too small
View attachment 11424


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

paraquack said:


> Mish won't admit it, but she is a connoisseur of turtles, as long as they aren't too small
> View attachment 11424


Is that a keeper or do we have to throw it back.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

View attachment 11425

Turtle Stew Recipe : Robert Irvine : Food Network
and invite a few friends over.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Don't know it for a fact, but heard there are 7 different flavors of meat on a turtle. Also heard turtle soup is waay good. No personal experience. Must be tough stuff if its needs to cook long enough to make soup!? I see them all the time on the road that crosses the refuge. My understanding is that they can only be harvested certain times of the year, think you need a license or permit to harvest too.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Grew up just west of Oshkosh. My uncle and I would always find a few turtles from the Fox River hooked on our lines. My mom would use pressure cooker and I remember the same" story" about 7 different flavored meats. All I remember was it wasn't bad tasting, but then I was farm boy.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Really, once a farm boy, always a farm boy! Nothing wrong with that!!! We are the salt of the earth!!

Yea, we cooked whatever we caught or shot, no neverminds.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

paraquack said:


> Grew up just west of Oshkosh. My uncle and I would always find a few turtles from the Fox River hooked on our lines. My mom would use pressure cooker and I remember the same" story" about 7 different flavored meats. All I remember was it wasn't bad tasting, but then I was farm boy.


Not bad tasting? Or just not finger licking good? When I grew up we weren't too picky!  Never ate them, but we ate whatever we managed to scour up. Would really like to try some turtle soup!


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The fastest and most final way to get rid of the turtles?

Drain the pond! you can put the catfish in some other water as the pond drains and you can tell where they are (or where the turtles are not).


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Give them ooze and train them to be ninjas


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## beast (Nov 1, 2014)

make a wooden frame of 2x4's about 4 times the size of the biggest turtle youve seen
put a roof sloped up from all 4 sides with an open peak at the top big enuff for the largest turtle to fall thru
wrap the rest of the frame in 1x2 rabbit style fence wire then add some kind of floatation to the whole thing
you want it to sit in the deeper water so a couple inches of the lower edge of the top are below water
once you set it out the turtles will climb up to sun themselves and cuz its slippery theyll climb right to the top and fall inside
then you just reach in with a good net and scoop out turtles
we used these on the fish farm i ran to rid ourselves of turtles
they work great and the turtles dont drown like in a fish trap


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your studious and humorous replies. I like the log idea the best. (Deebo)
2nd place is Auntie's homemade "Slippy Stick". 3rd Place goes to anyone who wants to come and catch some snapping turtles!!
The one that bit my shovel had to have weighed 30lbs!! 
I don't want to eat reptiles. But, if I had to have something to eat, it would be turtles before snakes...:-?


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

not eat reptiles? why not? they would eat you.
snakes an't bad in of taste(I guess cause they smell like em too) fish to me.
turtle hat a whole new ball game there there great.


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## darsk20 (Jun 1, 2015)

Ever time we go to St Augustin, FL I always get turtle, frogs an alligator. Done right they are all worth eating.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Invite them to dinner


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

I finally won something.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

They really are OK to have around and clean up stuff in the pond. I wouldn't try to get rid of them. Just name them and be happy. They won't chase you, won't be aggressive towards you and they will likely leave the horses alone.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

GTGallop said:


> They really are OK to have around and clean up stuff in the pond. I wouldn't try to get rid of them. Just name them and be happy. They won't chase you, won't be aggressive towards you and they will likely leave the horses alone.


In a small pond they will eat every fish in it. You wont even pull out a set of fish lips on a hook and line.


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