Little guy

[15meter]

I went back and checked the date on your post because snapping turtles haven’t layed their eggs yet this year.Can’t explain the little turtle but in Ohio they won’t lay for another month plus

Most likely one from last years brood. They grow slooow.

Best story is my oldest sister commenting that she never sees turtles in SE Michigan. I sent her probably 8 photos in 2 weeks of turtles I had spotted on the road or in my yard. Then told her to look off the transom of her and her husband's boat while it was sitting in the dock. Those green sticks that were poking out of water were turtles. She had to get out the binoculars to prove me wrong.

That didn't work.

She never was the most observant one in the family.

30+ years in the same dock and never noticed.

[Rapier]

The Great Blue Herons around here do a fair job of keeping the snapping turtle population down to a medium roar in our two ponds. Every once in a while I catch a big one that got through the Heron mine field and need to whack those. They and the soft shell turtles will eat a bunch of fish in a pond, plus the snappers eat small birds and baby ducks, catch them by the foot and drag them under and drown them. Small version of an alligator. If you just catch one and get your hand close, you will get a lesson in life. They could teach a bulldog a thing or two about clamping down on something.

[country gent]

I thought last years would be a little bigger than this but you are probably right.With those little legs it was a chore traveling the 75-80 yds from the ditch across the road to where they are now.

I was taught by an old neighbor how to clean and catch them. He waded barefoot in the ditch when he felt one under his feet he reached down and felt the shell ridges rough and sharp was towards head smooth was tail. A big turtle can remove fingers if they get hold of you. A smaller one is even painful. The "beak" is sharp and cuts. Ive had a few that the head wouldnt fit in a mason jar.

[Handloader109]

Saw a std box turtle heading across the road yesterday when we went to town. Lots of dump trucks running out of the quarry around the corner from us. He avoided all of them... wasn't sure if he would

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