quote:

Alligator snapping turtle, leave it alone.

Although I didn't get that good of a look at him, based on his size I'm assuming he's an alligator.

shoot, shovel, shut up.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I vote for buying a bottle of sherry and making Chef John Folse's Turtle Soup

Mmmmmm, we have all of his cookbooks - legit, old school southern cajun cookin'!

I’m with Sig2340. Some of those snappers are incredibly old. Why kill it when you could relocate it? The thing has probably been around a long time why not help it live a little longer?

If really feel it is a real threat to the ecosystem of your pond, then relocate it.

Shoot, soup, shut up.

Once, I was swimmin' 'cross Turtle Creek
Man, them snappers all around my feet
Sure was hard swimmin' 'cross that thing
With both hands holdin' my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMddte6yD2w

They travel in the spring looking for love

quote:

They travel in the spring looking for love

So a spring breaker then? Like all of God’s creation—-all about procreation.

Call the game warden or fish and wildlife.

Mom had a neighbor who looked forward to his Thanksgiving turtle.

Shoot, boil , eat.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
shoot, shovel, shut up.

I am in the eat camp!
Though not soup! Pan fried snapping turtle fritters so delicious.

My FIL would chastise you if you caught a turtle and didn't bring it to him to eat.

My uncle had 3 ponds on his farm, he would allow you to fish in them on one condition... that you killed every turtle you could catch.

If you see one there are usually a lot, or there will be, and they ruin the fishing.
One that big I would let live but would relocate to a river if possible.

Hundred years old? Maybe relocate. Otherwise catch, rinse out, and make soup. Save the shell..

I kind of doubt if the Missouri Game and Fish people would go to all the trouble of relocating it for you. I get a feeling they would tell you to do it if it is a problem.

Hey, I have no problem dispatching anything on my land that may be a danger to my family or pets but you need to put me into the catch and release crowd as well. That thing has lived a really long life and is no danger to you or your family. Do some research and find out the best way to trap it and then relocate the old guy somewhere else but be sure there is water nearby. Good luck.

quote:

Otherwise catch, rinse out, and make soup.

I'm probably an oddball around here in that if it's not a pig, cow, or chicken I'm not overly interested in eating it.

quote:

relocate the old guy somewhere else but be sure there is water nearby.

I have neighbors on both sides with ponds much larger than mine. Maybe he was just passing through. Either way I have another house down near the Mississippi. If I can catch him, after I take some photos, he can go live in the river.

Gimme a bowl of turtle soup.
And make it snappy!!

About thirty years ago my wife picked up an alligator snapper from a ditch in a residential area of a small Oklahoma town. It was about 1 inch in diameter. Took him in and put him in a fish aquarium and raised him for probably a little over a year until he weighed maybe two pounds. We then turned him loose in a large pond near our house.

To this day I think about him every time I drive by wondering if he is still alive and doing well.

Relocating to a river seems to be a pretty good solution.

I am also in the "catch it and relocate it" group.

If it were an animal that reproduce like rabbits and had longevity measured in months, then a meal is a meal. But things like turtles, only have one or two opportunities and a tough time making it to full life, so a little "live and let live" is a good thing.