Any Snapping Turtle Trappers?

travis_

travis_

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London, ON
I am thinking about trying my hand at trapping snapping turtles in Southern Ontario this summer.

I have never done this before nor do I know anyone that has, so I thought someone on here may have some guidance. I am curious about recommendations on the type of trap to use, how to handle them safest and how to most humanely kill them.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Sounds interesting and always fun to try something new. Trapping for the meat? Would definitely try some turtle if it were available. Have you looked up laws and regulations? Should be the first thing you do. Good luck with your new endeavour.
 
jongun said:
Sounds interesting and always fun to try something new. Trapping for the meat? Would definitely try some turtle if it were available. Have you looked up laws and regulations? Should be the first thing you do. Good luck with your new endeavour.
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Yeah I plan on trying to eat them. Should hopefully be interesting.

In my region the season opens on July 15th. The regs say I can use either a "funnel" or "box" trap, however, I am having a difficult time locating what that specifically refers to...
 
Watched a fella harvesting them somewhere in Ontario many moons ago. He had hip wadders on, slowly walked threw shallow swamp water with a long wooden cane. Snapping turtle grabs end of wooden cane. He lifts it up out of the water, followed up with a quick machete chop to the neck. Bingo! Turtle soup that night.
 
Used to catch rock bass and sunfish with the neighbours and to make sure we weren't catching the same fish over and over we put them in one of these...
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Once, when we were going to let the fish go a snapping turtle had his head stuck in the trap door on the bottom.
 
Yeah over the years I have caught a few fishing. I have also seen them come up to docks and boats to attack live fish on snaps. They are quite bold.
 
Just watch your fingers. Tried photographing one once, amazing how agile that beast was , wanted a side shot, but every time I moved, it was facing me, jaws agape. ;)

Grizz
 
They way we did it when I was A kid ,we would take a bucket ,put in the water half full/ deep and them use a board as a ramp up to the bucket, some kind of meat as bate on the board on the end over the bucket.the turtle up the ramp to the bate and fall in the bucket. You could do the same with a cut down plastic barrel for them big snappers.
 
Grizzly Adams said:
Just watch your fingers. Tried photographing one once, amazing how agile that beast was , wanted a side shot, but every time I moved, it was facing me, jaws agape. ;) Grizz
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I was surprised how fast they move when they want to first time I let mine out inn the backyard he buggered off into the garden before I could turn around to see where he was
 
MY granddad would walk the creeks with a steel rod that had a hook on it ,He would poke along the bottom till he hit the shell then slip the hook under the shell and pull the turtle up to the back ,he always kept the turtles alive in a fresh water tub for a few days before butchering them ,Dutch
 
I'm pretty sure a large snapper could take a mans finger clean off. Remember messing around with one on my grandparents farm when I was a kid. Tried to put a 5gallon bucket over its head and it snapped and cracked the bucket from the rim nearly to the bottom. Yeah I'd say these creatures deserve a fair amount respect especially from those pursuing them on their own turf.
 
I don't know the seasons or allowed methods of trapping snappers at your location but a method to trap them is to wire a leg-hold trap to the bottom of a block of wood. Bait the pan with a chunk of meat and tie the loose jaw open with a piece of thread. Anchor the wood block to a stake or the shore and float the block in the lake/pond etc. The snapper will scent the meat and get caught by the head in the leg-hold. Expect the turtle to drown so if you want to eat him check the trap often. This is a good method of pest removal for snappers in a stocked pond.

270 totheend
 
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