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Speed bumps..

wooly

By wooly,
in Hunting Related Pictures

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wooly Newbie

wooly

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Found this guy trying to cross the road when I went to get the mail from the box today. I think he decided to take a nap half ways across, so I scooped him up to get him out of harms way.
Not a very big one compared to others I've seen around here, but still a healthy snapper.
I didn't see any obvious damage to him, so I tossed him in a recycling bin, grabbed my camera, and relocated him across the road down in the creek away from traffic.
As soon as he saw the water, it was like new life sprang into him and he couldn't wait to dive in! Maybe the swarm of skeeters around us had something to do with that. You can see them in a few of the pics.
I know a lot of folks around here make no attempt to avoid these "speed bumps", so I'm glad he I found him in one piece when I did.

 

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wooly Newbie

wooly

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Normally I don't like to disturb or handle any of the critters I come across, but this is one of the few times I'll make an exception.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they really enjoy being around or seeing snapping turtles. Kinda makes me have a soft spot for them knowing they don't get the special treatment some of our cuter furry critters get.

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Doc Proficient

Doc

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It could be that that was a lady turtle off to lay eggs. I think June is about the time that they do that. They can travel quite a ways overland to  lay eggs, and that is often the reason they wind up crossing roads.

 

One year when I was plowing a field, I noticed a whole bunch of snapping turtle eggs that had been laid in the field. This was close to 3 or 4 hundred yards from the swamp and on the opposite side of the road. I re-buried them off to the side of the field, and hoped for the best.

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HectorBuckBuster Newbie

HectorBuckBuster

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I was driving down a road in the National Forest one day and seen a couple cars pulled over. So I slowed down, and there was a snapping turtle about that size in the road. So I stopped, this young tree hugger type lady was getting ready to just reach down and pick him up, I am like you know that is a snapping turtle and if you don't pick him up just right he might bite you and take your finger off.You could tell the turtle was not in a good mood and to be very careful before I made a move. Next thing I know the other vehicle had a older lady I am guessing 60-70 range opens the back of her Subaru and pulls out a ski pole.She tries to use the pole to push the turtle from his head and next thing you know the turtle jumped forward about a foot and about a foot off the ground and grabbed a hold of the ski pole. The look on those ladies faces was priceless at that point.The turtle was latched onto the ski pole and was dragged to the side of the road.

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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I have only ever come across one snapping turtle . It was in a field where I was shooting woodchucks . I picked up a stick and stuck it in front of the turtle . The turtle grabbed the stick in it's mouth and snapped it . I got the hell away from it . Then I realized the farmer had a pond about 100 yards away .

I worked for a black manager one time and he used to catch them and eat them .

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Doc Proficient

Doc

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I have eaten turtle meat, and found that I obviously know nothing about cooking it. We decided that it probably would be tough, so thought the best way to go about it would be to grind it up into burger. If you took a handful of thick rubber-bands and chopped them up, you would have the consistency of our turtle burgers. Obviously that wasn't the right approach. One thing that I heard works good is to make turtle soup. I don't know, I did my thing and I guess I have had enough of experimenting with eating turtles .... lol.

 

One thing that people should be aware of is just how long that neck is, and how far away they can reach, and how fast they can reach out and touch someone. They do deserve a healthy respect, because if they get ahold of you, they can do some ugly damage.

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wooly Newbie

wooly

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I'm not even really sure why I like them so much. Probably because this is really the only time of year they make themselves visible before heading back into the deep, dark depths of the swamps. Other than the nuisance turtles that may take up residence in some ones pond, this is likely the only other time most folks will ever encounter one. With such little contact, I don't think average Joe knows all that much about them other than they have a nasty temperament if provoked. Once nesting season rolls around and folks start seeing these "menaces" out of their natural environment, their ignorance about the reclusive creatures turns to fear, and the feeling of need to eradicate them, or at the very least, not assist them during this vulnerable time while they're out of water in search of nesting grounds. Probably not the best critter to mess with for someone who doesn't know anything about them like Hector was saying.

The success rates of juvenile turtles surviving to adulthood is very slim to begin with. Guess I just like to do my best to make sure the breeding females have the opportunity to lay as many eggs as possible to ensure some survive.

I'm still looking for my first turtle shell but could never kill a live one one to obtain it.
I've seen a few made into turkey calls when topped with a slate surface. That would be pretty cool to do if I ever find one.


 

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Two Track Newbie

Two Track

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My grandfather would have snapper soup anytime one of buddies would catch one for him.

 

That is one of the four harvested citters that he would have and I would not eat:  snapping turtle, raw oysters, clams, soft-shell crabs.  No problem eating some fried frog legs or steamed crab meat.

 

Came across a snapper when heading out turkey hunting last year.  It was in the middle of the state forest dirt road.  Either way I tried to go around, it would and hiss at me.  Gave him a wide berth.  Yes he did stink really bad.  Looked around for a dead animal because it smelled so bad.

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wooly Newbie

wooly

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I like that some of these topics get everyone talking about some of these animals that sometimes get overlooked compared to more favorable game species.

Maybe it triggers some to do a little digging and take some time to learn more about them than they did before the topic started.

In a way, even as hunters, I think we all have a little bit of a "tree hugger" mentality to us. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing when we're talking about conservation and preservation of even some of the less desirable species. Actually I'm glad to see it!

 

Wooly, you have some great wildlife encounters.  Can ask your general area of NY?

 

moog- I'm about 45 minutes south of Buffalo in the town of Wales.

There's really nothing special about it on the surface, but it's a pretty good mix of habitats and terrain features that hold a variety of critters.

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turkeyfeathers Veteran

turkeyfeathers

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I like that some of these topics get everyone talking about some of these animals that sometimes get overlooked compared to more favorable game species.

Maybe it triggers some to do a little digging and take some time to learn more about them than they did before the topic started.

In a way, even as hunters, I think we all have a little bit of a "tree hugger" mentality to us. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing when we're talking about conservation and preservation of even some of the less desirable species. Actually I'm glad to see it!

 

 

moog- I'm about 45 minutes south of Buffalo in the town of Wales.

There's really nothing special about it on the surface, but it's a pretty good mix of habitats and terrain features that hold a variety of critters.

I roll thru Wales heading to Eagle/Bliss to hunt   Great area you got there. 

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moog5050 Mentor

moog5050

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I like that some of these topics get everyone talking about some of these animals that sometimes get overlooked compared to more favorable game species.

Maybe it triggers some to do a little digging and take some time to learn more about them than they did before the topic started.

In a way, even as hunters, I think we all have a little bit of a "tree hugger" mentality to us. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing when we're talking about conservation and preservation of even some of the less desirable species. Actually I'm glad to see it!

 

 

moog- I'm about 45 minutes south of Buffalo in the town of Wales.

There's really nothing special about it on the surface, but it's a pretty good mix of habitats and terrain features that hold a variety of critters.

 You sure make the most of it Wooly.

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Fantail Newbie

Fantail

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Not as dramatic but over last weekend while I was using the 885N w/bucket moving some #4 fill I had to stop the tractor twice and escort box turtles to the other side of the road. One of them sort of leaked water from all sides when I picked it up, thought it tried to wizz on me for a moment. 

I think they are nesting right about this time.

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