Snapper Migration

suzuki wrote:

…and even tiny freshly hatched in our yard. Cute as hell but still just as mean!

Yes, we usually find a bunch of the freshly hatched ones in late August. They’re not much bigger than a quarter!

What is their preferred nesting habitat? Sandy hillsides? I havent seen any crossing the road around me at all.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I have a video we got last year on Chisago lake 2 big big snappers matting with my son in the back ground yelling about how they were wrestling. So I kept saying yup, they are fighting bud lol. Was pretty neat as you don’t see that every day

Your son was mating with two big snappers?! Every man’s dream! Kinda creepy that you were recording video though…..

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Two days ago, first thing in the morning spotted this big gal – and later two others- coming up from the lake. This one heads to my neighbor’s leaf compost pile area to lay her eggs. Already looking forward to whenever they hatch, scurrying around the yard. The next day the neighborhood fox walked past my window in the direction of the nest. Then I scurried out there to shoo it away like an expectant father
He’s already eradicated the squirrel and rabbit population, but he has a family to feed too I guess.

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The only turtle I won’t pick up (again ) are soft shell. I grabbed one waaaay back by its hind feet and let’s just say they are fully capable of smelling their own arse!

blank wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
I have a video we got last year on Chisago lake 2 big big snappers matting with my son in the back ground yelling about how they were wrestling. So I kept saying yup, they are fighting bud lol. Was pretty neat as you don’t see that every day

Your son was mating with two big snappers?! Every man’s dream! Kinda creepy that you were recording video though…..

This snapper thread just keeps on giving

suzuki wrote:

The only turtle I won’t pick up (again ) are soft shell. I grabbed one waaaay back by its hind feet and let’s just say they are fully capable of smelling their own arse!

This one got me, right after I unhooked him. He ate a huge hook with cut bait on it.

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Those softies used to wreck our baits as a kid while fishing for Catfish on the Minnesota River. They’d gut our creek chubs and just leave the head and meat still on the hook. Eat the belly right out…

You can pick up a softshell by the rear of it’s shell but you need both hands to grab the shell on either side of it’s tail. That’s about the only place it can’t bite you and you best keep your arms extended away from all your other parts. As a kid I think I brought home every turtle I ever hooked or caught by hand. When I met my wife at the age of 28, I had two red eared sliders that I’d found near dead when they were the size of a quarter. They were stuck in the stringy algae all splayed out with their eyes closed and mouths hanging open. I let them go a few years later when they were about the size of a coffee cup. Had two snappers dig nests in my gravel driveway this week, one Wed night after the tornado and the other yesterday morning. Happens every year and about once every 4-5yrs a nest full makes it. Something usually digs them up within the first few days.

picklerick wrote:

Something usually digs them up within the first few days.

We find a lot of raided nests on the sandy bank at our cabin. Mortality has to be really high.

We saved all the chopped up leaves and pine needles last fall to mulch the garden this year. We have about 70 trees on our two acre lot so there was quite a lot of it. In the front near the bottom of one of the pallet bins was a pile of eggs. From the size of them definitely snappers. My wife broke one before we realized it was there. Piled a bunch back on top and let it be. Should be a lot easier for the little guys to get out of there than the gravel in the driveway. Hopefully they make it.

Here I thought this was going to be a schematic of all the comings and goings of EPG’s Exs and Southern Belles.

Woke up one morning at the cabin and seen this by our shed. Looks like a snapper by the size of the eggs and hole. Critter found it, damn nabit!!

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glenn57 wrote:

Woke up one morning at the cabin and seen this by our shed.

Had the same find right next to our dock a few weeks ago. The turtles have been super active the past few weeks. I normally swim a bit in the mornings, and one morning I literally had to scare away two snapping turtles as I swam out. I didn’t really want to bump into one.

Found this little guy today about six feet from the mulch pile nest. Set him by the edge of the lake since he was going the wrong way.

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