Author Topic: Turtle trappin (Read 1404 times)

mahoney1092 · « **on:** July 06, 2012, 08:52:32 AM »

I have been trapping turtles using jugs and haven't had much luck any other ways or hints to help out?

hillbill · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2012, 12:56:22 PM »

what are you useing for bait? years ago i caught a lot of them in farm ponds using a stout piece of trotline cord and stout hook with a live 3 or 4 inch black perch hooked in the tail, with a large egg sinker about 2 ft from the bait.

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2012, 04:19:09 PM »

Gotta agree on using local fish for bait, can't count the number of times we've had them trying to steal bluegills off of a stringer. We usually just catch them with some type of bank line. I would also suggest trying some kind of chicken parts for bait, livers or chicken guts, etc.

mahoney1092 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2012, 10:31:18 AM »

I was using pork liver then ran out and tried chicken gizzards and heart but they didn't work out to well i think the chunks were to small i was going to try some blue gills

hillbill · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2012, 10:51:30 AM »

i know when using the baits you are talking about when catfishing i do catch sum mud turtles and soft shells but no snappers. however when using live bait you will get a snapper once in a while.

Bugflipper · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2012, 07:29:04 PM »

I always used hoop nets. When it was butchering time for the chickens all of their innards got thrown in a freezer bucket. When it was time to use I would tie up a hand full in hardware cloth. Let it sit in the sun for a few days then put it in the center of the trap. Would usually have several turtles and catfish in it the next day. If I didn't check it the next day it was a pain in the butt to try and get in because all of the weight would be in the last hoop and I'd be afraid to tear the net. Would usually have to snatch out some turtles before trying to pull the net in the boat. Not a lot of fun when all of his neighbors are trying to bite you too. We also used wire traps but I never got more than one at a time in them. Catfish guts also worked good. But the snapping turtles liked rotten meat better than fresh. I never ate one but didn't want to be passing on something to someone else that was eating rotten meat so that's why I used the hardware cloth. Just the scent would bring them into the trap.

mahoney1092 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 10, 2012, 01:30:05 AM »

I put live blue gill and chopped some in half and put it on the hooks also seeing how that works out hopefully it will work

Macthediver · « **Reply #7 on:** July 11, 2012, 01:59:31 AM »

Not allowed to fish turtles here far as I know. But when we hoop net trap them we bait with carp or other rough fish chunks. We put the fish in a large gallon coffee can size can with holes punched in the can. They get wired inside the trap. lets the juice and smell go down stream without small turtles eating all the bait.
Mac

RdFx · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2012, 04:31:17 AM »

Mac you setting today?

RdFx · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2012, 04:33:06 AM »

Bugflipper, you better not like to eat chicken as they love rotten maggoty chow!

Bugflipper · « **Reply #10 on:** July 15, 2012, 05:14:26 PM »

Quote from: RdFx on July 15, 2012, 04:33:06 AM

Bugflipper, you better not like to eat chicken as they love rotten maggoty chow!

Have seen studies where there are more germs inside peoples' mouths than the exterior of a maggot.

RdFx · « **Reply #11 on:** July 16, 2012, 10:59:14 AM »

Your right on bugflipper. Nurses say more infection comes about with human bites than animal bites..... interesting for sure...LOL.

hillbill · « **Reply #12 on:** July 18, 2012, 12:46:01 PM »

Quote from: RdFx on July 16, 2012, 10:59:14 AM

Your right on bugflipper. Nurses say more infection comes about with human bites than animal bites..... interesting for sure...LOL.

thats cuz biteing people dont brush there dang teeth!id rather get bit by a dog than sumone with green teeth.

Macthediver · « **Reply #13 on:** July 19, 2012, 01:27:38 AM »

RdFx
I've been busy, actually drove out east to NH for my nieces wedding over the weekend 2830 mile roud trip. Took the time while I was out there to drive down to Hampton beach. So I kicked off my cowboy boots and walked into the Atlantic with my jeans on. I can now say I've seen and walked in an ocean for the first time.
Anyway with that party to go to and another this coming weekend, then NTA quickly coming up. My turtle trapping is going to start after we get back from NTA. My son is interested in stocking up a little turtle for a game feed the FD he belongs to does each year. If we can find what we want and a few more. I might bring some to Marshfield for the T-man feed there. Our one carp shooting trip this spring was a bust, so I'm hoping to catch some turtle bait at my carp party this weekend.
Mac

RdFx · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2012, 12:25:58 AM »

Sheesh Mac , talk about making the miles...! I have some ponds lined up that i know snappers are in and will take one or two out of each one. Keeping the populations stable..... snappers need all the help they can get with the preditation on thier egg nests ect.... When one sees all the preditated nests, you wonder how any snappers live to grow up to reproduce. See at Owatonna.

Macthediver · « **Reply #15 on:** July 20, 2012, 03:04:03 AM »

Lee
Man your right about the preditors hammering the eggs. I spent a weekend on Castle Rock Lake with my brother and sister. We did the whole drive around the lake one day when it was drizzling. We stopped at more than one to walk up to the water from different places. Every place there was sand, which was pretty much every place we stopped. You could see where something had dug up turtle eggs. I'm sure they weren't all snapper nest, but there was a lot of dug out eggs. Here on the Big Miss you can find nest dug out on every sand bar. Not only do the coon, skunks, possum, fox, and coyotes dig them up. The seagull and crow clean up anything they leave uncovered. Always seems to be some turtles around though. Their not like they were though when I was a kid. Back then at egg laying time, you could just pick one eating size snapper up pretty much anywhere with in a 1/2 mile of the river. We never took but a couple and would usually bury any eggs if they hadn't layed them. Used to be and old timer near here would go out and dig couple hundred eggs every spring. He had a fenced sand box in his yard and would put all the eggs in there. Once the turtles hatched he'd take them all back to where he dug the eggs and let them go. Probably be breaking a ton of laws now days if he did it. I know at one point he was teaching his grand daughter to how to do it. Not sure if they still do it or not haven't heard anything in years.
Mac

RdFx · « **Reply #16 on:** July 20, 2012, 03:39:05 PM »

Supposedly if digging eggs up or if you find turtle laying eggs in vunerable area. You mark the top of eggs as they are in sand nest and when you rebury , you bury upright with x on top.... ive heard this a couple of times but dont know if this is true. I did rebury some eggs many years ago without taking in consideration of the postion of eggs and none hatched....

hillbill · « **Reply #17 on:** July 21, 2012, 01:20:06 PM »

i would like a couple of nice snappers for eating.im waiting closer to fall

Bugflipper · « **Reply #18 on:** July 21, 2012, 06:21:27 PM »

Quote from: RdFx on July 20, 2012, 03:39:05 PM

Supposedly if digging eggs up or if you find turtle laying eggs in vunerable area. You mark the top of eggs as they are in sand nest and when you rebury , you bury upright with x on top.... ive heard this a couple of times but dont know if this is true. I did rebury some eggs many years ago without taking in consideration of the postion of eggs and none hatched....

Saw that on some show, maybe Dirty Jobs with alligator eggs. They said they wouldn't hatch if not in the same position. Assuming they would drown in the egg white part?

Macthediver · « **Reply #19 on:** July 23, 2012, 09:57:56 AM »

Never heard any of that about marking eggs not sure what the old timer did. I do know he hatch a lot of eggs over the years so he must have know what to do with them. Once I get out after them stinkers and they do stink. I'll shoot some pictures so I can post them.
Mac