A turtle story............

[Bob Wright]

In another thread I mentioned my former neighbor, Herman. Another one:

Herman and a friend were fishing in a lake just across the state line in Mississippi, when they got a turtle on their line. Most folks put a .22 bullet into the critter to calm it down and get it ready for the pot. But this one seemed unusually big, as really big snapper. So, it seemed like a good idea to land it and put it into the boat. They did this, noting it was a really big snapping turtle. They got it into the front well of their Jon boat, but it seem to want to be near them. They kept pushing it back with a boat paddle, until that critter snapped down on the paddle. It left a bite out of that wood just the profile of its jaws.

Well, they got the turtle on the ground, took pictures of each of them standing on top of the shell. Back in Memphis they took it to the Memphis Zoo, and they accepted it for display in the aquarium. The zoo quarantined it for thirty days, and Herman died before seeing it on display.


Bob Wright

 

[Merle1948]

In another thread I mentioned my former neighbor, Herman. Another one:

Herman and a friend were fishing in a lake just across the state line in Mississippi, when they got a turtle on their line. Most folks put a .22 bullet into the critter to calm it down and get it ready for the pot. But this one seemed unusually big, as really big snapper. So, it seemed like a good idea to land it and put it into the boat. They did this, noting it was a really big snapping turtle. They got it into the front well of their Jon boat, but it seem to want to be near them. They kept pushing it back with a boat paddle, until that critter snapped down on the paddle. It left a bite out of that wood just the profile of its jaws.

Well, they got the turtle on the ground, took pictures of each of them standing on top of the shell. Back in Memphis they took it to the Memphis Zoo, and they accepted it for display in the aquarium. The zoo quarantined it for thirty days, and Herman died before seeing it on display.


Bob Wright

How big was it & how much did it weigh? :shock:

 

[Bob Wright]

In another thread I mentioned my former neighbor, Herman. Another one:

Herman and a friend were fishing in a lake just across the state line in Mississippi, when they got a turtle on their line. Most folks put a .22 bullet into the critter to calm it down and get it ready for the pot. But this one seemed unusually big, as really big snapper. So, it seemed like a good idea to land it and put it into the boat. They did this, noting it was a really big snapping turtle. They got it into the front well of their Jon boat, but it seem to want to be near them. They kept pushing it back with a boat paddle, until that critter snapped down on the paddle. It left a bite out of that wood just the profile of its jaws.

Well, they got the turtle on the ground, took pictures of each of them standing on top of the shell. Back in Memphis they took it to the Memphis Zoo, and they accepted it for display in the aquarium. The zoo quarantined it for thirty days, and Herman died before seeing it on display.


Bob Wright

How big was it & how much did it weigh? :shock:

I never knew for sure, but the thing was maybe 42" or so front to back of the shell. Nobody wanted to really get too close to measure! Each one of the men stood on its shell.

Bob Wright

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Sounds like an alligator snapping turtle. I believe they can reach 150 - 200 pounds,

Terry

 

[SAJohn]

I once saw an alligator snapping turtle crossing a rural road in the Eunice, Louisiana area that I'll wager was significantly over 200 pounds. When you see one away from water like that it means the turtle is a female with a nest. Their babies can drown if the nests are not well away from water.

Trivia: Alligator snappers have been known to kill and eat small gators. They have also been known to eat lady fingers. Though not verified, a 403 lb one was found in Kansas of all places in the 1930's.

 

[Bob Wright]

I awoke one morning to find one in my back yard. Not nearly so big, but looking fierce none the less. I called the local game warden and he said it was a female looking for a place to lay eggs. There is no body of water near me! And then lost it in the foliage of my wife's flower beds. Now I couldn't have it lurking in those!

As I was talking to my neighbors, one claimed it. "It's yours? What are you going to do with it?"

"Eat 'em." was the reply. I told him to come and get it. He asked if his grandchildren come come and watch, and I said sure. In no time my backyard looked as if a ball game were fixing to be played there.

Well, he got it up with two shovels and put it in a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow tumped over, the snapper got out, and my back yard was suddenly empty! That turtle hissed like a puff adder!

He did finally succeed in getting it home and quiet reigned again in my neighborhood.


Bob Wright

 

[#1rugerman]

One night I went to visit a friend of mine, while I was at his house it rained really hard, on my way home I came on a large snapping turtle in the road, I got in in the trunk of my 1966 LTD and headed home, I could hear it raising hell in my trunk. When I got home I got the turtle out of my trunk and into a large washtub. That’s when I saw how much damage that turtle did , it bit a hole in my may pop spare tire, it bit the wires into that went to my left tail light, but worst of all it crapped all in my trunk. As revenge I killed it and we had fried turtle and turtle stew, took a long time to get that smell out of my trunk