[redddfred]

Not tryin to steal nobodies thunder, but....

My rule of thumb is if it will fit in a 5 gallon bucket, it's too small for me to mess with. Once you got it in the boat, leave arrow in the turtle until time to kill. Them critters don't like anything outta the water.

For killing, I get them to bite down on a gaff, stretch the neck-takes a strong arm or two people-hatchet the head rite behind the skull Save all the neck meat you can.

Here's where I differ from most folks; I hang any turtle for several hours/overnight to bleed em out. Even after 12 hours minus head they can still walk off on you and squirm a lot. In colder weather, I hang them longer. Once bled, the wrist joints are cut, feet severed and then no clawing.

The shell joints are easy enough to cut when you feel for the hinge. Dont cut any innards, makes meat icky. Cut out the legs at the shell joint, the whole neck and the strange muscles connecting. The back strap takes some good nippers to sever the bones, and a narrow blade to carve out that good white meat.

The tail has plenty of meat on big snappers, skin it out and leave whole for the stew pot; all the big bones are easy enough to fish out of the pot.

Soak in salt water for a time until the blood leaches out or in milk. If using in a day or so, refridgerate. If freezing, dry the meat as best as you can and vacuum pack.

I learned the cleaning process from a little hermit guy in NY who could have a 40# sectioned out with a pocket knife in 10 minutes. I have it down to a science with my chop block, hatchet and a narrow blade but take a bit longer to get all the meat and save shell.

The link has a recipie at bottom of the page that I have used and made many a believer out of folks who never ate this fantasmo wild game. I also grind it in an 80/20 mix of pork butt and smoke some really fine sausage.

http://www.texasbowfishingassociation.com/turtle.pdf

 

[skyshark186]

We used to shoot them in the head in a shallow creek thats full of them. I dont care for the meat, so I usually gave them to a friend that likes them. We got tired of trying to pry arrows out of their face, so we started carrying a little 22 pistol and just grabbing them by the tail. If you pull them backwards underwater they stick their head straight out, 2 in the gord and they are done.

 

[Trentsmith]

SNAPPERS IN MICHIGAN HAVE TO MEASURE 13" AT THE TOP OF THE SHELL SO WE CANNOT SHOOT THEM I USE A LARGE DIP NET BUT YOU CAN EASILY LIVE TRAP THEM AS WELL.YOU NEED TO KEEP THEM IN WATER FOR A WEEK CHANGE IT OUT DAILY BASICALLY THE TURTLE WILL POOP OUT ALL OF THE GRIT GRAB THE JAW WITH A LARGE SET OF CHANNEL LOCKS AND WAK HIS HEAD OF THEN THROW IT DEEP INTO THE WOODS THE HEAD CAN STILL BITE FOR OVER A DAY BE SURE TO NAIL IT UP AND LET IT BLEED OUT THAT WILL HELP WITH THE MUSCLE MOVEMENT(OTHERWISE THE MEAT WIGGLES WHILE U CUT IT)THER ARE VERY HELPFUL HOW TO ON YOU TUBE ON BUTCHERING YOUR TURTLE BE SURE TO GET THE MEAT FROM BEHIND THE V BONE AT THE TOP OF THE SHELL TURTLE BACK STRAP!

I passed out twice reading that out loud!

 

[Throughthegills]

I passed out twice reading that out loud!

:laugh: Do it again and post us up a youtube video of you reading it this time! :laugh:

 

[Buckmark311]

i love eating snapper

i dont prefer the red snapper tho.... thats just trouble

 

[feathercast]

With the channel locks, grab the bottom jaw, stick a knife in its mouth & cut the joint at the back of its jaw. No muscle to bite down then.

 

[Throughthegills]

Going postal on their heads with a beating stick just effectively enough to immobilize their biting equipment is a pretty good idea also. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. :tu:

 

[Throughthegills]

i dont prefer the red snapper tho.... thats just trouble

I've heard tell that for every soul a ginger steals, they earn a freckle.

 

[SuckerSchwacker21]

I've heard tell that for every soul a ginger steals, they earn a freckle.

It's true!! got a couple of them soul stealing ginger friends! Tired to suck the life out of me once. Kicked'em square in the face, most effective method to thwart the soul stealing. :laugh:

 

[Throughthegills]

It's true!! got a couple of them soul stealing ginger friends! Tired to suck the life out of me once. Kicked'em square in the face, most effective method to thwart the soul stealing. :laugh:

Sounds effective yet barbaric and illegal all at the same time haha!

 

[SKEETER]

It's true!! got a couple of them soul stealing ginger friends! Tired to suck the life out of me once. . :laugh:

did you realize somthing was wrong when she wouldnt stop?

 

[aimlow76]

W

sure shot pinched down..pulls rite out.

Sure shot won't even hold a turtle lol

 

[stickemdeep]

Hit them with a bang stick wifh 12 gauge buck shot and your problems solved

 

[Brent t]

It just opened up on June 15th in Illinois to shoot turtles and frogs!!! Got this one the day it opened!!! Surprisingly it was really easy getting the three blade grapple out of the shell with the help of a hammer claw, a couple taps with the claw around the arrow and it pulled right out!!!

 

[glassbow201]

The problem is getting that arrow out with 3 guys at night in a 14 foot boat! And the fact that it is now wounded and needs to be cleaned asap instead of starving it for a week or two.

But from shore and willing to butcher it that night, no problem.

I remember a whole week when I was little kid when there was a 30 lb snapper in the bath tub with an arrow in it. At least we had a curtain! I think what happened was my dad got called in double time for like a week. Eventually an uncle came over and they chopped its head and boiled it to clean it.

I trap them nowadays and do it much differently.. knowing what I know now, I don't think I would put an arrow in another one.

No way a common snapper gives 1/2 back in meat, though I wish; 1/3 is more realistic.

 

[Copper15]

SNAPPERS IN MICHIGAN HAVE TO MEASURE 13" AT THE TOP OF THE SHELL SO WE CANNOT SHOOT THEM I USE A LARGE DIP NET BUT YOU CAN EASILY LIVE TRAP THEM AS WELL.YOU NEED TO KEEP THEM IN WATER FOR A WEEK CHANGE IT OUT DAILY BASICALLY THE TURTLE WILL POOP OUT ALL OF THE GRIT GRAB THE JAW WITH A LARGE SET OF CHANNEL LOCKS AND WAK HIS HEAD OF THEN THROW IT DEEP INTO THE WOODS THE HEAD CAN STILL BITE FOR OVER A DAY BE SURE TO NAIL IT UP AND LET IT BLEED OUT THAT WILL HELP WITH THE MUSCLE MOVEMENT(OTHERWISE THE MEAT WIGGLES WHILE U CUT IT)THER ARE VERY HELPFUL HOW TO ON YOU TUBE ON BUTCHERING YOUR TURTLE BE SURE TO GET THE MEAT FROM BEHIND THE V BONE AT THE TOP OF THE SHELL TURTLE BACK STRAP!

Page 14 of the of the fishing rules guide says it is unlawful in MI to take a reptile with a bow.

 

[D-Bo Fisher]

Pretty sure you can take turtles in with a hunting license. I'd read the guide before you take my word on it tho.

 

[Buckmark311]

U can just take some bailing wire and hook the turles mouth, pull back and twist at the back. it cant bite then. Also if you dont have a hammer just poke the arrow through a leg hole and take the tip off. pulls out alot easier then.

 

[TheShot]

I used to work those turtles a lot, soup mostly. Once picked one up while bass fishing, 25 maybe 30 lbs. Grabbed it by the tail, pulled it in the boat, partner says no way! Now what ya gonna do with it. I cut it's head off, dropped it in an empty cooler...wound up having to tie the lid down. Got home...this was a Sat. morning trip, home after lunch. No time to butcher it right then so I figured Sun morning would work. Put the turtle in 3 paper grocery bags, laid it in the back of the fridge...forgot it lol The next THURSDAY had some family over for supper, wife screams at the fridge, "What have you got in here NOW!!" LMAO "Nothin babe, used all the bait and.......oh chit!! NO WAY!" That thing was scratching away at the bags. lol I was forced to get my own fridge for the garage after that one. I've always dropped em in a barrel of clean water for a couple weeks too, changing the water every couple days. That water gets nasty for the first week sometimes! hate messin with em any more but sure miss that stew.

 

[crazy ps]

Do your self a favor leave them turtles alone. You get more sweat in the meat haulin it off and mickydees is way better.