Turtle Bustin'.............

[Bob Wright]

Many yars ago, when I was just a little tyke, maybe eight or nine years old, my Dad and I were in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee for a family reunion. We we at the house of my Dad's cousin on the Saturday before, and the grown-ups were tsalking grown-up stuff. I was sort of bored and left out. My Dad's cousin saw me and took me into the kitchen. From behind the door she took a .22 rifle, and she got a box of .22 Shorts from the pie safe and gave them to me. She said, "Why don't you take this and go down to the pond and shoot those turtles." I gladly did so.

Notice she never said "Do you know how to use this?" or "Will you be real careful?" or "Don't shoot your eye out." Just, "Take this .....and go shoot."

Wish I could get my hands on that rifle now. It was an old Remington Rolling Block .22 R.F. And, yeah, I busted a few turtles.

Bob Wright

 

[golferboy426]

I hope you ate them

 

[stevemb]

Yeah, a great memory ! Had family with a farm, uncle would hand me a 20ga and a box of shells and say shoot anything with feathers in the cherry orchard. I remember going into an old country store in Va. owned by Quakers, to by .22 ammo. Older Sis wanted me to shoot the crows that were stealing horse feed. The older gent that ran the store told me where his farm was, and invited me to come over and try for some woodchucks there. Another man allowed how his pond might have too many bluegills. Sigh, memories.

 

[Ugly Hombre]

Remington rolling block 22..

Those were very fun and nice shooters- wish they made them again at a good quality and fair price.

Family member had one that I hunted with as a kid, he sold it for a song.. big mistake.

Like to have one in 357 or 44 as well.

 

[ronto]

Any particular reason to kill pond turtles? I kill things that I eat or are destroying my property, animals, or crops, not for fun.

 

[Bob Wright]

Any particular reason to kill pond turtles? I kill things that I eat or are destroying my property, animals, or crops, not for fun.

From what I learned later, turtles were supposedly killing the bream and crappie fingerlings.

Bob Wright

 

[Merle1948]

Any particular reason to kill pond turtles? I kill things that I eat or are destroying my property, animals, or crops, not for fun.

From what I learned later, turtles were supposedly killing the bream and crappie fingerlings.

Bob Wright

And they play hell with baby ducks too! :roll:

 

[JPGLSG]

Well, I guess I was just bad, I didn't care what they did in the pond, I just liked shooting them with my scoped, Winchester 22. lever gun. Grad Dad have 12 ponds on his farm and I was the Turtle Terminator. Bob, thanks for the trip in the way-back machine !!!!!

 

[bedrockfred]

We used to shoot rats at the dump with .22 shorts from a old winchester pump action , sure do wish now, we did not kill all those old bottles, would be worth lots of money now! :-(--bedrockfred

 

[JPGLSG]

BedRock speaking bottles, I got the worst razor strop whopping in my life for shooting one of those glass insulators, on the poles, the green ones, the temptation of it all !!!!!!

 

[volshooter]

I reckon most of us down here had shot things for fun. Count me in. I would not shoot mud turtles for fun and I would harvest snappers to eat.
Seems to me things lately are getting more focused on killing things for fun. Kind of odd here.
I like to shoot wood bees, wasps, coons, crows, wild dogs/cats, yotes and hogs for fun. I guess I am bad too. I may get up in the morning and go stomp a few velvet ants for the fun of it.
My point is I notice a "why kill it?" mentality lately. Is it just me?

 

[Jim Puke]

I have shot and will continue to shoot turtles...FOR FUN...sorry this hurts your sensitivities, RonT.

 

[Skoopski]

Couldn't tell you how many thousands of rounds I shot into the pond growing up, I could probably go down and dredge the pond and never have to scrounge for lead again...

Took dad's old (to me) Remington 550-1 out just about every day after school (until I found girls) and go rabbit and squirrel hunting, that would usually end with me either at the pond our range and burning through however many rounds I had in my pocket. Luckily I still have dad's old .22- got it up and running again here recently after burning out the sear spring.

 

[Merle1948]

I reckon most of us down here had shot things for fun. Count me in. I would not shoot mud turtles for fun and I would harvest snappers to eat.
Seems to me things lately are getting more focused on killing things for fun. Kind of odd here.
I like to shoot wood bees, wasps, coons, crows, wild dogs/cats, yotes and hogs for fun. I guess I am bad too. I may get up in the morning and go stomp a few velvet ants for the fun of it.
My point is I notice a "why kill it?" mentality lately. Is it just me?

Nope - I see it too. Perhaps it has to do with our perception of public image? :idea:

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Makes a cool sound when you hit the turtle. Son and I have shot a few in the rice ponds around here. NO WE did NOT eat them.
I guess now when people trap a mouse or a rat they have it for dinner :wink:

 

[graygun]

Makes a cool sound when you hit the turtle. Son and I have shot a few in the rice ponds around here. NO WE did NOT eat them.
I guess now when people trap a mouse or a rat they have it for dinner :wink:

or catch and release

 

[graygun]

We mostly shot junk at a dump with my brother's single shot .22 in the early 60s. I have shot a few other things along the way.

 

[stevemb]

You shouldn't judge those times, by these times. Hind sight.

 

[ronto]

I have shot and will continue to shoot turtles...FOR FUN...sorry this hurts your sensitivities, RonT.

You don't hurt me one bit. I just don't consider killing things for fun if they are not bothering me. You have the same logic as those 19th century people who shot buffalos for fun...a real class act don't you agree and quite stupid.

 

[Skoopski]

[/quote]You have the same logic as those 19th century people who shot buffalos for fun...a real class act don't you agree and quite stupid.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure none of them hunted them solely for fun. They sold the hides... Not saying it was a good idea, but there was a purpose behind it.

 

[Mobuck]

The only time this century I've been called out by the game warden was over shooting a turtle that was killing baby ducks. I stood straight up and told him I did what I thought was right at the time and he could do likewise. I didn't get a ticket but did have to stand to for a serious discussion of the regulations.
Snapping turtles don't live on moss or algae--they eat meat(fish, ducks, frogs).
In MO, it's only legal to "take" turtles using hook and line or a turtle trap(it might be legal to hand catch them or maybe the wardens don't want to tangle with anyone crazy enough to catch a big snapper by hand).

 

[Colonialgirl]

You have the same logic as those 19th century people who shot buffalos for fun...a real class act don't you agree and quite stupid.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure none of them hunted them solely for fun. They sold the hides... Not saying it was a good idea, but there was a purpose behind it.[/quote]

Sorry, BUT apparently it was great sport to shoot buffalo from moving trains as you were traveling west. I've read of that practice several times but long enough ago, I cant site the book.

 

[eveled]

There were so many Buffalo, it didn't seem like it would matter how many they killed for fun. Think about that, buffalo as far as the eye could see, seemed like an endless supply.

 

[stevemb]

Wish they'd been shooting wasps, or 'skeeters, or(your choice).

 

[Cracker-American]

I guess now when people trap a mouse or a rat they have it for dinner :wink:

I could not agree with this sentiment more.

 

[RolandDeschain]

My suspicion would be that most of those objecting to turtle busting have never owned a pond or lake with turtles…..

 

[Tom W]

I suspect I'm evil, too... Oh well, someone has to carry the mantle.

 

[tsubaki]

Is treating Armadillos and Crows like moving targets a bad thing too?
And I'll have to defer from my Coyote prejudice.

 

[JPGLSG]

Is treating Armadillos and Crows like moving targets a bad thing too?
And I'll have to defer from my Coyote prejudice.

You know.....I just don't know if that is bad or not. I was going to ask what everyone's opinion was on dispatching squirrels. I had to deal with two of them today that just would not leave the green blueberry on the bushes along. We do have a pair of Red-Tail hawks nesting in the back woods that prowl up close to the house. I seen them get a few live ones and dead ones.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Well,
Wifie pays me a Bounty on Armadillos that get in her flower bed. Not going to tell ya what the payment is No I don't eat the nasty POS. If some on this forum think that is bad. I will UPS them to you