Remove or kill the thing.

they eat a lot of stuff,
if you are overly concerned about it upsetting the balance of the area wildlife,
relocate it
or

ask around to see if one of the Vet's at the Am Legion want it for supper.

He needs to go into a creek or river being that big.

He was just a wee little thing during the civil war.

Celebrate Easter ... let it live.

Friend of mine has 40 acres along a very slow moving river. His uncle catches snapping turtles and sticks them into an old clawfoot tub out on the back porch with a lid on it. Every day or so for a week he changes the water in the tub until it's clean. After that process is complete, he makes the damned best turtle soup you've ever tasted.

“Common” snapping turtles do not live to be that old, certainly no where near 100...most scientist and biologist say 30-40 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity. If it is a common kill it if you want or leave it be but I wouldn’t mess with relocating (it is mating season it may relocate itself).

If it is an alligator (unlikely but possible) they can live to be very old, are protected due to low population, and should be left alone.

quote:

Originally posted by Garret Blaine:
“Common” snapping turtles do not live to be that old, certainly no where near 100...most scientist and biologist say 30-40 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity. If it is a common kill it if you want or leave it be but I wouldn’t mess with relocating (it is mating season it may relocate itself).

From wiki-
“Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years”

The common snapping turtle can clearly reach a century. This information came from recapture data of a wild population.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Garret Blaine:
“Common” snapping turtles do not live to be that old, certainly no where near 100...most scientist and biologist say 30-40 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity. If it is a common kill it if you want or leave it be but I wouldn’t mess with relocating (it is mating season it may relocate itself).

From wiki-
“Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years”

The common snapping turtle can clearly reach a century. This information came from recapture data of a wild population.

That wiki quote is in disagreement with numerous other information available. Maybe wiki is right but when it contrasts with other (multiple) resources, including state biology pages, It would be the last one I trusted. But, if you want to develop such a strong opinion based on a website that absolutely anyone can populate with information you are “clearly” entitled to.

quote:

Originally posted by Garret Blaine:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Garret Blaine:
“Common” snapping turtles do not live to be that old, certainly no where near 100...most scientist and biologist say 30-40 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity. If it is a common kill it if you want or leave it be but I wouldn’t mess with relocating (it is mating season it may relocate itself).

From wiki-
“Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years”

The common snapping turtle can clearly reach a century. This information came from recapture data of a wild population.

That wiki quote is in disagreement with numerous other information available. Maybe wiki is right but when it contrasts with other (multiple) resources, including state biology pages, It would be the last one I trusted. But, if you want to develop such a strong opinion based on a website that absolutely anyone can populate with information you are “clearly” entitled to.

There are other sources other than wiki, although mentioning a specific study. This one backed up by references.

https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/snappers.htm

It is postulated that 100 years is possible, and that spans of 75 years have been documented due to a shorter activity season. Despite your snark, I choose to believe it is indeed possible by keeping an open mind. “Clearly” you can choose to disbelieve it if you decide in your head that it’s not possible or probable.

I am in the turtle soup crowd. Otherwise leave him alone.

Law be damned, I know of a young sailor who forcefully captured, hogtied, wrapped in a blanket and drove over 50 miles to , ahem, re-locate an alligator. Just so he and some local bikini clad local fauna could swim around the houseboat where he was stationed...even knowing that, ata the time alligators were protected. I’d say if ole boy is that large, and you can catch him, grab him and take him elsewhere. And be quiet about it.

I've gone out a few times to see if I could get a photo of him, but haven't had much luck. There are at least two other smaller turtles out there that like to sun themselves on a log. They're jumping in the water when I'm over 100 feet away. Today I did see a big cloud of silt in the water in the same place I saw him the other day. I'm assuming he was there again and went for deep water when the others jumped in.

What's the best way to catch a big turtle short of catching them on land if they happen to be out of the water?

I'm in the relocate crowd.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
I've gone out a few times to see if I could get a photo of him, but haven't had much luck. There are at least two other smaller turtles out there that like to sun themselves on a log. They're jumping in the water when I'm over 100 feet away. Today I did see a big cloud of silt in the water in the same place I saw him the other day. I'm assuming he was there again and went for deep water when the others jumped in.

What's the best way to catch a big turtle short of catching them on land if they happen to be out of the water?

All manner of turtle net traps out there. I've always seen the hoop net type used. For one that size you might have to search a little, or build your own.

I say relocate. I have two snapping turtle stories.

When I was a kid a friend and I fished and played around a river in NJ. One day we saw a large, over 20 lb, snapper. We found his nest in the bank, went home got a pitchfork and stabbed him through the shell, not killing him. Neighbors ran the Trailside Museum in Watchung, NJ and he became a part of their zoo. I visited on occasion and there he was with the marks on his shell.

Years later I was visiting my Dad who lived on a small suburban lake. A fellow was fishing and caught a large snapper, asked us to do something with it. We called the County Park Police and they sent out an officer. He asked if we could kill it, he would take the turtle to a restaurant he knew would make soup. I chopped his head off with an axe and off he went. He was large enough to cover the bottom of a bushel basket. Wish he'd been relocated but they had no protocol for that.

That was somewhat disturbing watching him butcher a moving body.

My pet turtle Clinton Tortoise would not approve. Redskins fans will understand the turtles name.

I vote for not doing that to the turtle. Find him a new home.