How many of you guys go after snappers (TURTLES) for table fare? Do you fish them or trap them?
I went fishing for them with a friend of mine. We caught 3 of them in 2 hours. The biggest one had a 16" shell. I've never done this before but he told me they were good!!! So I went. We just used a treble hook with a little bacon wrapped around it and left it sitting on the bottom. It seemed to work very well because we caught other fish also!
It was alot of fun!!!
What's a good recipe?
Cant say I ever have.
My dad talks about it all the time, but after hearing some of the gore storys that went with it since I was 10 years old, kinda shied me from becoming interested enough to do it.
Well, I grew up noodling for them from the time I could walk to were they had to carry me threw the deep holes till I was in my late 20's. After my grand dad got to were he could not go anymore due to health reasons I kind of quit.
Now I just set bank lines to get them or jugs. Just enough to put in some table fair.
As for eating them, there awesome! All we do is clean them up real good roll the in flower and deep fry them till they are crisp. Fix a big salad, and some Zesta crackers and were good to go!
Say? What ya doing with the shells?
Brent
Brent,
Do you have all your fingers? There is no friggin way I would dig around in the mud for a snapper!!!!
My friend cleaned them, I assume he dumped them but I'll check. If I go again I'll save them if you want.
What do you do with them?
Nope! I am missing part of a finger! But its not from a turtle...lol
We did get nailed every once in awhile though. Not much you can do about that but if you hunt smart you can take the odd down in your favor. And don't jerk your hand if you do get bit, that makes it worse and what ever you do don't turn loose of one and then go back and try to get him...lol
Its been several years now sense I have done it and not sure now that I have lost the drive if I could even get back into it or not?
I make possible bags out of the shells..........
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/keekee/101turtle.jpg?t=1183760800)
Brent
Brent,
Nice looking bag. The black powder group will like that.
My cousin and I started talking with a man that went by the name of Little Turtle at Friendship years back. He claimed he was a descendant of the Miami tribe and thus wore the turtle shell. My cousin asked if he could look at it, got permission, turned it over and there were maggots on the inside of the shell. He had not cleaned it. Needless to say, Little Turtle was quickly left in the dust as my cousin headed to the wash room to clean his hand. I loved it.
Jerry
That's just plain nasty Jerry...... :puke:
I was sitting here enjoying a couple dozen pancakes too........... :rolleye:
I bet I can't eat but nine or ten now...... :pout:
:wink:
That is a sweet looking bag Brent......... :eyebrow:
Ewww! Maggots....... :puke:
That's un real Jerry! And nasty....lol :roflmao:
I take the spine out of my shells and sand them down, then line the inside of the shell with Rabbit or Coyote fur the inside of those shells a rough and the fur adds a nice touch.
Brent
If I ever see "Little Turtle" again, I will suggest that he give the fur a try. Of course, he wold probably just skin the rabbit, not scrape it or tan it, and line the turtle shell. Or better yet, just tell him to get one from you.
Jerry
Jerry, maybe that was Little Turtle's lunch box you were lookin' at. :roflmao: :roflmao:
:puke: :puke: :puke: and some more :puke:
How much is one of them bad boys Brent? :wo:
I'd be interested in getting one of those for a Christmas present to someone. :biggrin:
Quotemaybe that was Little Turtle's lunch box you were lookin' at.
:roflmao: :roflmao:
Bop,
It depends on the size of the shell and how much work goes into the beading and fancy stuff. That bag in that picture sold for 100.00 at a show. I have had some bags go for as much as 400.00 to the right person. And allot of it depends on if it is all traditional, glass beads, sinew, what kind of leather I use, and what kind of fur is inside the bag, size of the shell.
But I would be happy to make you a deal. I wouldn't charge you or any FNF member near that much.
Brent
Brent is giving FnF discounts. That is GREAT!
Jerry
Heck ya we go after them for table fare.
HInt, this works well......
Take them to the local car wash if you don't have a pressure washer and wash them real good. AThen let them set in a barrel of clean water for a day odr so before you clean them. Takes all the smell out this way(well, 99% of the smell)
Brent, have ya a few still drying out. Cam got a nice painted box turtle tonight, but he say's it's his pet for now.... :shrug: I'll send them your way as soon as we are done fishing for them and hopefully you should have several to keep ya busy. :wink:
How do you clean them and what part(s) do you eat?? The legs?
You can eat all the meat on them.
We take a nail and nail them to a tree through the tail where the bottom of the shel is facing out. Then we take a sharp knife or cutters and cut the shel between the front and back legs on each side of the shell. After you get the bottom half of the shel off we make a cut around the upper legs so you can take a pair of pliers and pull the skin off. Then cut the legs off.
We boil the legs till the meat is falling off the bone then take the meat and roll it in a flour mix and fry them in oil. I'm telling ya if you like meat your going to love this. Cam eats it as fast as he can get it off the bone before we ever roll it in the flour.
And it don't taste like chicken....At least I don't think so.
Interesting. I've seen a few snappers at a ranch I take my boys to. May have to give them a try.
I thought ya just boiled em right in the shell and made turtle soup :nono: :shrug:
^ :rolleye:
We have found a guy that will buy them for like 65 cent a pound. But they have to be alive. So we are in the process of making a turtle trap as the ponds we fish are loaded with them. If you see one turtle, theres hundreds you don't see. Trust me.
Next time your at a fancy eating place look at the menu. If they have turtle listed I bet its the most exspensive thing on there.
I love eating turtle.It has got to be some of the best eating there is.Me and some of my buddies had a turtle fry a couple of weeks ago.There are sevral different ways to catch them.Traps work good.Turtle hooks work just as well,and they are cheap.Then there is the old reach up under the bank and pull them out way.This is a little more dangerous than i like.One of my buddies got bit by a muskrat doing it this way.
check your state laws before trying this. in pa (my home state) you can put out set lines, ther is a certain size hook you have to use; its 3 " in length and 1"across the gap (from point to shaft) use a strong cord (nylon card usually has a pound test on it and you want at least a 100 lb test) and its best to anchor the line to a tree branch that moves but doesnt beak real easy. as best possiable try not to make your sets where there is debrie on the bottom because if they tangle up under water they drown (i dont eat those because i dont know how long they are dead, i check my lines first thing every morning. as far as bait any tough bonless meat works but i find fillet of carp best; fillet the carp leaving the skin and scales on in piesces about 4" by 2" thread it on the hook and throw in water. ther are certain areas of streams and ponds that hold more snappers but that a different story. when one is caught bring it in on the line and grab it by the tail; keep it away from your body while carrying. its best to transport in a big drum because they can and will climb out of the bed of a pick-up truck. i agree with the cleaning method suggested earlier but didnt see anything about cutting the head off and believe me it makes cleaning them easier if the head is off. i still have all my fingers, been bit a few times (was careless) and can tell you the bruise it leaves takes a while to heal up.
I trap turtles and sometimes catch them by hand in the river if the water is clear and I can see good. No way would I go feeling around in the mud for them. :rolleye: :rolleye: I like to cook turtle in the crockpot. I add a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, and whatever spices I want. Slow cook on low for about 8 hours. Delicious.
Quote from: bambam on March 08, 2010, 07:45:52 PM
I trap turtles and sometimes catch them by hand in the river if the water is clear and I can see good. No way would I go feeling around in the mud for them. :rolleye: :rolleye: I like to cook turtle in the crockpot. I add a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, and whatever spices I want. Slow cook on low for about 8 hours. Delicious.
Man when I saw you on a thread about snappers I was 15/5ths afraid to open it :innocentwhistle:.
But it didn't stop ya did it Barry? :nono:
bambam dont snapping turtles have mushroom inside them already?
Quote from: FinsnFur on March 08, 2010, 08:52:47 PM
But it didn't stop ya did it Barry? :nono:
bambam dont snapping turtles have mushroom inside them already?
No there's not muchroom inside a snapper. They're usually full of crawdads and fingers. :iroll: :iroll:
Bambam, you'll do LOL :alscalls: Jimmie