I decided last night to take the dog out duck hunting to a local pond as I missed opening day due to moose hunting. I was setting my decoys when a flock of woodies came in so I called the dog to my side, we were watching the birds comming in when he yelped and ran out of the pond. I could see the blood in the water and didn't know what happened, so when I checked his paw he had a 4" wound on the front of his paw and was bleeding a ton. I looked back into the water to see what happened and saw the bubbles in the water and knew right away what it was. Of course it was after hours and I had to page the vet but still had him on the table within 45min. So 20 stiches and a $552 bill later my hunting partner is an the DL for 3 weeks. I have been hunting that pond for 15 years without incident but I guess my luck ran out. I forgot to take a picture but let me tell you it made a mess that took over 2 hours to repair and even the vet couldn't believe the damage. So I guess I'll be bow hunting for deer now till he is back in action.
Snapping turtle VS my lab's paw
- Thread starter doubleman
- Start date
Sorry to hear about the pup, but I am surprised he didn't lose a few toes.
I had a friend that got bit by a big one while swimming in a pond. It bit right threw his sneaker, it took 40 or so stitches to patch up, top and bottom of the foot. You could see the jaw impression quite well, even after it was a scar.
I use to have a few as pets when I was a kid. They can actually be quite docile when handled regularly but once mine got to be 5 lbs or so they got set free as I like my fingers the way they are. Feeding time with minnows or feeder goldfish was always entertaining.
I had a friend that got bit by a big one while swimming in a pond. It bit right threw his sneaker, it took 40 or so stitches to patch up, top and bottom of the foot. You could see the jaw impression quite well, even after it was a scar.
I use to have a few as pets when I was a kid. They can actually be quite docile when handled regularly but once mine got to be 5 lbs or so they got set free as I like my fingers the way they are. Feeding time with minnows or feeder goldfish was always entertaining.
Snapping turtles can get pretty large, much larger than the small painted turtles. A large one can approach 40 lbs. and be a foot and a half long.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
opens july 15th i believe and stays open until the end of august?
time to get some revenge and blow that snappers head off
great eating! be careful though as snappers can still be dangerous when they are "dead". a couple years back i chopped the head off of one and left it in the yard to bleed out. i went out a while later and its body was still so strong that i couldnt even stretch its legs out! it was like this thing was still alive...just missing a head.
apparently if you leave the head attached it can still bite like a "live" one.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
they can get much larger than that. i remember when i was a kid up at moira lake i hooked a log. turns out that log was an enormous snapper that looked like a sea monster. i also saw one at the grand river thats shell was easily 2ft long if not bigger.
down on lake erie at fin and feather we watched a huge female laying eggs. when she was done laying and had the eggs covered my dad and his buddy grabbed her and weighed it. i forget the exact weight but it was in the 50's.
Turtles are covered in the Ont Hunting Regulations, under small game. No Guns allowed for legal harvest.
Frogs and Turtles
Snapping turtles and bullfrogs may be taken under the
authority of a valid sport or conservation fishing licence.
No commercial harvest of snapping turtles is permitted. You
may only take snapping turtles by box or funnel traps or by
your bare hands. You may not remove the upper shell from
any snapping turtle until immediately before it is prepared
for consumption.
NOTE: It is illegal to harvest bullfrogs or turtles in
provincial parks or Crown Game Preserves.
Frogs and Turtles
Snapping turtles and bullfrogs may be taken under the
authority of a valid sport or conservation fishing licence.
No commercial harvest of snapping turtles is permitted. You
may only take snapping turtles by box or funnel traps or by
your bare hands. You may not remove the upper shell from
any snapping turtle until immediately before it is prepared
for consumption.
NOTE: It is illegal to harvest bullfrogs or turtles in
provincial parks or Crown Game Preserves.
Found one around that size when i was a kid, managed to coral it into a bag, drug it home for my parents to see while it was hissing and clawing it's way out of the bag.
Not sure which one my mom hated more, that, or the big ass half dead rat i brought into the house to try to nurse back to health.
Dad got a kick out of it though.
My great uncle Aquila Beam (don't sweat the name, he is long dead) used to set baited hooks for them at the mouth of the Grand river. He would drive a t-bar fence post down into the mud and bait a catfish hook on 4 foot of wire leader with rotten meat. He would check about once a week. I have seen shells the were about 2 foot in length. He would make soup out of them.
As a kid, two of my homes were near turtle breeding grounds: one was near a large pond, and the other was on a small river with a still bay.
From the size of the baby turtles (no bigger than a small toad--can walk around in your hand: maybe two or three inches long tail included) you would never guess how big they become.
Being a kid, I used to torment them and poke at them with sticks. Cartoons let on that turtles are slow, but I tell you when snapping turtles go in for a bite, they are fast as lightning, and they can snap a walking stick (1.5" diameter) right in two with ease...
They look prehistoric, too...
Size difference from birth to adulthood:
From the size of the baby turtles (no bigger than a small toad--can walk around in your hand: maybe two or three inches long tail included) you would never guess how big they become.
Being a kid, I used to torment them and poke at them with sticks. Cartoons let on that turtles are slow, but I tell you when snapping turtles go in for a bite, they are fast as lightning, and they can snap a walking stick (1.5" diameter) right in two with ease...
They look prehistoric, too...
Size difference from birth to adulthood:
I had a science teacher who told us that a friend thought it would be amusing to pick up a large snapper on the side of the road and stick his tongue out at it. Apparently, he lost about a 1/3 of his tongue and you can't really understand what he says anymore.
My dogs paw
Here's a pic of the stiched up wound its not nearly as bad looking as before which makes me feel better about the healing/hunting down time because we both want to go.
The vet didn't have any camo bandages so we settled for hunter orange.
Here's a pic of the stiched up wound its not nearly as bad looking as before which makes me feel better about the healing/hunting down time because we both want to go.
The vet didn't have any camo bandages so we settled for hunter orange.
- Location
- London,Ontario
Yes they can, with a small game license.
So sorry to hear about your pooch bro. Good thing the dog is ok now!
Snappers are legal and have a season, just not sure what the dates are.
I'd be sure to hunt down the SOB turtle as legally as possible, in you're particular neck of the woods before it causes you more grief..
Hint on killing vermin;
I believe that farmers\ landowners can kill anything on their land causing harm or danger to livestock by any means necessary. Never mind box traps or other means.
Shoot the ba$$....d.
Enjoy you're turtle soup.
I'd be sure to hunt down the SOB turtle as legally as possible, in you're particular neck of the woods before it causes you more grief..
Hint on killing vermin;
I believe that farmers\ landowners can kill anything on their land causing harm or danger to livestock by any means necessary. Never mind box traps or other means.
Shoot the ba$$....d.
Enjoy you're turtle soup.
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