Turtle hunt?

eelgrass

eelgrass

Long Time Member
Messages
31,503
264Magnum mentioned in a recent post that he likes to hunt turtles during the off season. I think it's fair to say that a lot of us in the west have never heard of such a thing, or am I the only one just a bit curious?

For instance, I'd like to know:

How do you hunt turtles? Spot and stalk? Or do you use decoys and calls? Or maybe tree stands? If you use decoys surely you must have a couple hours from the time you see them and the time they get in range. A true test of patience!

Can you hunt turtles on the general license or do you have to draw a tag? Limited entry for trophy turtle areas? Is there a seperate drawing for non-residents?

Any help would be appriciated.

264Magnum, if you read this, I mean no disrespect whatsoever! It just sounded funny. Different areas of the country have different "varmits" to hunt for sure.

Has anyone ever been charged by a wounded turtle? Sorry guys, I can't stop laughing!

Steve
 
Hey Steve
I think you get a gunny sack and wait till nidnight then run out in to the field that your mean uncle sent you too.


Kyle
 
Got my interest pricked, just on pins & needles awaiting a response, just think how hard it would be tracking a wounded turtle down.
 
BFE,

Tracking turtles is actually dangerous, if you have ever been charged by a turtle you know what I am talking about. Its an adrenaline rush for sure.

Drum
 
Death In The Short Grass by Chapstick, I hear the video will be out soon. Actually, Taulman has a suit pending, 9th circus, suing for all the trophy turtle tags in the country better get drawn this year or you may never get to go. Good luck
 
I know here in Colorado some greedy tag dealers are buying up all the landowner turtle tags and selling them at inflated prices! In many of these areas turtles don't even exist but the unsuspecting nonresidents have no clue and are buying these tags based on the brokers name. They spend a ton of money then come out here expecting to shoot a turtle of a lifetime and are sorely dissapointed. Do you homework before purchasing one of these overpriced "slow" tags.

AntlerQuest Hunt Consulting
 
One of my worst fears is to be hunting turtle and then wound one. I would be obligated to go into the brush after it but, man, the thought of getting mauled by an enraged and wounded turtle just makes me quiver.

"A Must Read": Turtle Attacks: Their Cause and Avoidance. Oddly enough it is written by a Canadian where the occurance of turtles are rare.

BeanMan
 
I think I recently read of a turtle attack on the "this happened to me" section of outdoor life. I still have trouble sleeping some nights...
 
Seriously though...
I'm originally from Louisiana and I've never seen this done but have heard about it. I'm not sure if this is how the original guy was talking about (or if it was legal) (I seriously doubt its legal) but you scout a place along a sandy creek looking for big turtle tracks. When you find a likely place you hang some type of meat just at the water's edge about a foot above the water. Then you could either use a snare or setup in a blind with a small rifle and when the turtle comes up to take the bait you either snare them or shoot them in the head. These are fairly large turtles (over 12 inches wide with some close to 18 inches or better). The guy that explained it to me said it was alot like turkey hunting.
Did I mention there wasn't a whole lot going on down there...
ds
 
264MAG..... YOU GOTTA BE MORE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY HERE A MM, AND HOW YOU SAY IT. THIS CAN BE A TOUGH CROWD IN THE OFF SEASON, LOTS OF TIME ON OUR HANDS. SNAP, SNAP!!!!! YD.
 
What gets me is all the poaching that has started of these turtles in the offseason! Did you see the latest entry into B&C?!! It was poached! That turtle was so friendly that passers by fed it corn-nuts! That's not hunting!

LOL

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
 
Personally Turtle hunting is a lot like whitetail hunting. I like to rattle them in. I slam two turtle shells together to simulate turtles breeding. It drive the rut crazed males nuts! I found its a great way to hunt them. :)
 
The hound hunters have been hunting turtles for years, they just don,t talk about it much except around the camp fire when they loose a dog to one.They don,t tree easy.Best time to hunt them is after a lite snow in Nov. when there in full rut...Devlin
 
Did anybody see those Giant Turtles in Cass's last Elk Video? They were right at the end, the un-edited version. I over heard Cass talking to his dad about these turtles that he heard about from his best friends 2nd uncle by marriage from California that they are attracted to different Stink Baits. After hearing about these Turtles I am no longer able concentrate when I am in the field, they are the first and last thing I think about when I wake up in the morning
 
Back when I was hunting turtles in the 50's we didnt have all the fancy equipment used by todays hunters. No high powered optics, rangefinders (a must), or high powered, accurate weapons. It was a simpler time when you'd kiss your wife on the cheek, hug your kids good-bye and just pray you'd come back from the woods alive. It was a dangerous way of life for us but it was a thrill we couldnt be denied. My thoughts wander back to my good buddy Charlie who was killed in the great turtle stampede of '53. You hunters these days got it easy.
 
Yea I remember the stampede of 53,it was horrible,it took 3 days for the dust to finally settle.I remember reading the news paper about Charlie also.They said he shot 8 of them before he was trampled to death.....Devlin
 
devlin
Thanks for remembering my best friend, he fought for his life to the very end. He was fast at reloading that old muzzleloader and took down quite a few of them before he was over taken. The story only gives him credit for 8 but I think the actual number was closer to 12.

I've alway been a bit hesitant to even bring up this topic but you guys have really brought me out of my shell.
 
What's the B&C minumum for turtle? Typical and non-typical?
I wonder if they have a section for "Roadkill Turtle"? I've seen quite a few along the side of the road that didn't quite make it across, maybe I'll have to start picking them up. I suppose B&C won't recognize them if they are cracked though.

Lien2
 
You shouldn't knock those turtle hunters from southern NV,LOL, they set up a stand in a Joshua tree 3 to 4 ft off the ground and wait for them to un bury from the hot desert sun then decide if it's trophy quality, wait for the perfect broadside shot like in all the hunting vids you see on the canned hunts. I mean after all you want a clean ethical one shot kill, one guy was charged from a wounded turtle,(richochet off the shell) turned to run and fell into a sword bush, harpooned the hell out of him and that was it,the wounded turtle consumed most of his body except the boots they say they were Tony Lama turtle skin, I think they determined that it was one of his cousins! Reports say that he was under gunned and that a 500 nitro express is the prefered weapon!
 
Yes, but did the newspapers tell the whole story about Charlie? Sure, he took his fair share of record book turtles, but he was constantly surrounded by controversy. I've heard he did most of his hunting at night on the winter ranges, when the turtles were up to their bellies in frozen snow. He spent most of the summer and fall flying his chute plane over National Forest land as a non-resident, scouting for his upcoming "poaching" trips. I heard he was given several citations, which is why B&C doesn't recognize any of his entries. Of course there are his little cronies who follow him around and idolize everything he did, and they'll try to tell you he pulled his entries from B&C, and that he was set-up, etc, but those of us with land down there know what was really going on. My neighbors relatives in New Mexico caught him green-handed several times, but he thought he was above the law. I guess if you play the game long enough, you get what's coming to you. It's just a shame that so many people think he was a hero, when it was him that started the whole stampede in the first place...

P.S. The largest of the 8 turtles he shot during the stampede would have been the new #1 non-typical if B&C would have let it be entered. I guess the mass on that thing was unreal, someone said it was likely a transplant from Canada, brought down to help out the trophy quality in the turtle herds.
 
I remember back in the 60's when we used to make our annual treck back to Mesa Arizona to hunt the "Green Ghost" during the archery hunt. I made a decoy out of a World War II Japanese pith helmut. I painted the outside where it looked just like a turtle...I would set it on the ground, put on open can of tuna fish under it and tie a string on the helmut back to my tree stand four foot off the ground, and pull the string every half hour, two inches, making the decoy look like it was running. We used to get one or two every year using this method. Ever since Bura Nut moved to Mesa the turtle season has gone to hell. Devlin
 
I can't wait for them to start dropping. I want to break the monotony of winter and find some nice sheds. Anybody seen any turtles that have dropped?

BeanMan
 
LMAO guys. that's the most i've laughed in a long time. ok, here's the deal. i've got a couple different friends with ponds on their land that they try to keep stocked with fish. turtles eat the eggs and generally make it hard for the fish to live. we sit a little ways back in the trees with the guns and when a turtle pops it's head above water it gets obliterated by a barage of gunfire. everything from high power pellet guns to a 416 weatherby have been used. it's a fun way to spend a couple hours with friends and drink beer.

and yes, i have been legitimately charged by a turtle, but that's another story.....


Krusty.jpg
 
Hey BeanMan,
Good news, I was out a couple of weeks ago and happened upon some monster Desert Tortoise sheds.
Later that same day I was walking through some pretty tall brush when I heard something moving, When I looked to see what it was all I could see was a flaged out green tail bouncing off through the brush. I tried to get some photos of it but by the time I got my camera out he was gone fast suckers them desert tortise are (Green Ghosts). He probably was a couple hundred years old he would have gone B&C for sure.
I would rather be lucky than good. And today I got lucky that I spooked him, and he didnt charge me.

Knifeboy
 
Hey BeanMan,
Good news, I was out a couple of weeks ago and happened upon some monster Desert Tortoise sheds.
Later that same day I was walking through some pretty tall brush when I heard something moving, When I looked to see what it was all I could see was a flaged out green tail bouncing off through the brush. I tried to get some photos of it but by the time I got my camera out he was gone fast suckers them desert tortise are (Green Ghosts). He probably was a couple hundred years old he would have gone B&C for sure.
I would rather be lucky than good. And today I got lucky that I spooked him, and he didnt charge me.

Knifeboy
 
264MAG, I AM LMAO.... YOUR TRULY GETTING PUMMELED. THIS POST HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ALL TIME LONGEST POST ON THIS SITE/ ITS ACTUALLY ABOUT SOMETHING THAT TURNED FUNNY. WHO'S NEXT???? YD.
 
In Colorado, like most places out west, the turtle?s winter habitat has been decimated by development. It of course has cause the DOW to implement a draw system. It usually takes 3-4 years to hunt the same turtle unit I use to hunt every year in my youth. Every year during the turtle season when I do not have a tag, I am left with a turtle hunting thirst that cannot be quenched with a stinky elk or mule deer hunt.

Road kill during the migration has also become an extreme concern out here. We will never see the turtle herds as high as they were during the 1960?s.
 
Anyone out there having trouble field judging them turtles, I know it's L x W x H but with my roof prisms the shallow depth of field makes it tough depending on the angle, they always look so much bigger going away, fools me everytime. From my experience better go with the porros you get much better depth of field and will get more accurate estimates. Also, anyone out there know a good trophy turtle taxidermist mine moved to Texas. Drum? Thanks for your help in advance.
 
What upsets me the most is how commercialized all of this has become. Charlie put the turtles on the map, but others have come in with dollar signs in their eyes and have completely ruined what was once a family-oriented hunt, a chance to spend quality time with your children. I'm worried that my kids will never draw a tag with all the people who are applying now days. Not to mention the F&G taking 80% of the opportunity for "conservation" and "auction" tags. I heard that the WTF (Western Turtle Foundation) sold the statewide tag for over $100,000 at their banquet. The loser that bought it hired you-know-who to take him out in the winter range and shoot one out of some ranchers field. Those things are so predictable and you can track them so easily during December. All you have to do is find an active pond and follow the trails to where they are bedding. It ought to be illegal, they're just a bunch of glorified poachers. Now we get all these yuppy out-of-staters moving in and complaining when the turtles start eating their lawns, or harassing their poodles at night. It serves them right that their pets are disappearing, turtles have to eat too. Don't be suprised if you start seeing the turtle numbers drop as the wolves make their way into more of these states. A turtle is helpless against a pack of wolves. They do OK against one, but as soon as the wolves get a taste for turtle, you can bet our hunting opportunities will be gone. And it all started with these high-profile guides paying their little finders fees. If I ever draw a tag, I'll be mailing it back to protest. You can bet on that. Commercialization and wolves have ruined the west...
 
INFORMATION NEEDED/WHERE TO HUNT


I have been accumulating preference points for turtles for the past 11 years. I am now ready to cash them in and hunt. Can anyone tell me a good unit to use 11 points for? As I have been saving points for 11 years I am wanting a 350mm or better bull(?) Turtle.

Thanks in advance.
 
turtle stampede. now dat's funny. i had a kentucky hillbilly spend an hour 'splainin' to me how to hunt, dress, cook and eat turtles once. this guy was into turtles. he was like the dan'l boone o' turtle huntin'. if i'da had another day or so to spend there i'm sure i'da been turtle huntin' with him.
 
I heard unit T-69 has a lot of Booner's coming out of it the last few years. I believe it's in southern Idaho?
I've had the best luck by waterholes, like others have said, a tree stand 3-4 feet off the ground should do it. Look for moisture and you'll find a turtle. Spot and stalk can be productive also, look for drag marks in the sand. And ALWAYS be careful in the thick stuff, they will charge you with little to no warning!
Some day I'd like to take one with my bow......I just don't have the courage yet. That would be the ultimate though......

Lien2
 
As some of you know I get out and take a few pictures from time to time, usually of deer and elk. But during my last outing I was able to get a few pictures of some turtles in my area. If you are thinking about hunting Colorado turtles, bring something in the magnum caliber as these guys get quite large and have a bad temper.

I caught this sleepy turtle out getting some fresh air on a crisp 5 degree morning...
turtlerock.jpg


I heard a noise and turned around and thought I was going to be its dinner...
Turtlebackground.jpg


Then I peeked over the rock to find that their appetites had already been filled...
attackturtles.jpg


AntlerQuest Hunt Consulting
 
DK,
I can't imagine the nerve it took to stalk in that close to feeding turtles. Did your life flash before your eyes when you looked up and saw that turtle ready to pounce on you from the rock? You are the man!
ds
 
Great pictures.. That is way to close for comfort if you ask me.. You are a brave man there DeerKing.. Anybody got some Trail Cam pics of thr might Green Ghost?
 
I found the governor's tag turtle. This is a picture of the turtle. You can tell from his enormous size that this turtle will definately book into the top 5. Note the impressive mass and unique curvature of the shell. This is a high country colorado turtle. They dont grow like this everywhere. I am currently holding a bidding on the GPS coordinates of this fine animal. :) :)
41f6c140450f55f7.gif
 
WOW DK Didn't know them Turtles could be so vicious. Course I aint never been after them big ones in CO. Just a few backwater swimmin holes near home that had some mean ol snappers. It was a necessity to go out and bust a few w/ the ol' .22 to keep em from getting at your ding-a-ling.

ROTFLMAO :) :) :) :)
 
OK before we start seeing a flood of posts questioning the authenticity of DK's pics and whether or not they've been to the photoshop I will nip it in the bud right here and vouch for them and him. I seen him take those very pics and have my own to back him up, yes they are real. Believe it.
 
Well, I was going to try to keep this under my hat for a while, at least until I had my new video finished, but since Sneakem ruined my suprise, I figured I might as well post it now. I was able to get within 5 feet of that giant turtle on opening day and was hoping he wouldn't be harvested this fall, as I had max points going into next years draw and was confident I would be able to draw. Looks like I'll have to start asking around to find another unit to hunt. If you notice, there is an object in the foreground, right in front of the turtle...and it's not a rock ;)

41f6c87653e02303.jpg
 
Sorry. I'm new to Turtle Hunting. How do you count the sections on a turtle's shell? Do you count all of the sections, or just the big ones in the middle? In sneakem's picture would that be a 10x3, or a 13 section? Or do you count all of the little ones around the edge, too, so it's over a 30 section?
 
EELGRASS.... AND YOU STARTED ALL THIS TURTLE CHIT, THIS POST MIGHT HAVE THE MUSCLE TO OVERHAUL MOOSIES POST ON NUTTIN. IT SEEMS TO BE ON A RECORD PACE NOW. POOR MOOSIE. YD.
 
To properly score a turtle you measure the outer circumference of the shell(SC). Then there are 3 width measurement one being midway through the shell and 2 measurements at 1/4 length of the shell H1 H2 H3. Then you count the sections on the turtle (IS). The number of sections can not be more than the total # of inches of (SC). Then you measure each spine at the edge of the shell(G1,G2,G#). A typical turtle can have no more than 8 spines on a side otherwise it is nontypical. Add these together for the gross score.:)
 
I was bow hunting turtles this fall from my tree stand when this big bruiser came charging in. I got so rattled I couldn't even draw on him.
Good thing is, he's still out there...

41f6cd5a5e1f5453.jpg
 
WOW! I am totally overwhelmed (and a little shocked) at all the response to turtle hunting.

Evidently there are quite a few "closet" turtle hunters on this site.

Having never done it myself, I'm wondering....is it ethical to take a shot at a running turtle? (other than in defense of ones own life)

If there are any more turtle hunters out there now is the time to fess up! Only be sticking together can you ensure the future of turtle hunting! "Pass It On"

Steve
 
Sureshot,

In order for a section to be recognized by B&C, it has to be larger in diameter than the diameter of the turtle's head. In this case, he would be considered a typical 14 point. By measuring the square area of each section, then adding his length and width, multiplied by the thickness, you come up with the final score. I estimated this one to be pushing the 400mm mark. Definitely top 5 in the world. Of course I would be hunting him with my bow. Since I'm accurate out to 120 yards, I wouldn't feel nearly as threatened. I figure I could get another arrow into him, or at least have someone backing me up with a high powered rifle to finish him off. I'd prefer not to have someone back me up as it would disqualify him from P&Y, and I figure he would shatter the world record. But a turtle that big would be a trophy none the less. It's too bad Sneakem is already pimpin' him out to the Governor tag holder...commercialization at it's finest.

That's OK though, I know where to look for others. I have family that has lived in the area for years. They usually pull a tag or two each fall. Usually just a cow hunt, but they can be equally as aggressive, especially if they still have their babies with them. Some non-resident hunters brought one by my uncles feed store last fall, it was the biggest cow turtle ever shot that my grandpa could remember. If it would have had the mass of the bulls, it would have went well over 360mm.
 
dslaughter,

That's a good one for sure, especially for a rosie. You must be over on the coast. They don't get as big as the RMT's (Rocky Mtn. Turtles), but from what I hear, they are twice as aggressive. I don't know how you held your composure to get that picture.

P.S. Sneakem is obviously talking about the SCI scores, as they do things differently.
 
Very unethical to take a running shot at a turtle. You owe yourself and the turtle more respect than that. And don't get me started on all the precautions needed to properly take respectful field photos of you trophy Bull Turtle.
 
eelgrass,
The the topic of shooting at a running turtle other than for personal salvation tactics is a broad topic. For Example out here in good old Arizona we hunt the famous Coues turtle pronounced (Cows). And well, we generally try to glass them up early in the morning then put a long stock on them. Every once in a while you will spook one and he'll run on you then you have to make the half day decision on whether or not to shoot him before he goes out of sight behind the brush. Chances are you will only get a few good shots as he is moving through the brush and if you dont have a good clean shot, well thats when it gets really dangerous. As mentioned in previous posts the Desert "Coues" Tortise can be meaner than a wounded bear, I know because my grandpa lost a couple of fingers a few years back. He downed a nice 110mm Coues and when he went to retrieve his B&C prize there was a fly of dust and my grandpa lay there bleeding.
He shouldnt have taken a moving shot.
 
Those turtles are dinks!

Now here is a trophy turtle:

Turtle.jpg


Just to put it in perspective, that hippo weighs 2,500 pounds and as soon as I took this picture, the turtle ate him for lunch.
 
Knife, sorry bout yer grandad sounds like he got off easy, must have the luck O' the Irish to get away with only two missin digits. If there's one thing I've lernt bout huntin turtles is you gotta stay above em if at all possible. If you're below they will often, even without warnin, suck in their legs and head and take off on a dead roll down the hill right at ya!! Like sheep huntin if you hear those rocks rollin, you know somethins up and you better get the heck out of dodge.
 
Here is a pic of the Desert Coues that got my grandad. He grossed 110mm but only neted 103mm due to the broken G3 plate on the right side. I had to finish him off after he got my grandad, I hit him with a 300 rem ultra mag, and that barely stopped him. Anyways he did just like you said he sucked into his shell and stared rolling down the rocks at us and thats what broke his G3 plate. It was a bummer to get the deductions but at least we got him hangin above the mantle now.
 
I never knew there were that many turtle hunters out there otherwise I would have shared this with you early! I shot this specimen with my muzzleloader this past season up in the high country. Looks like after the 120 day drying period (things move a bit slower with turtle record books) he will be listed as the #1 entry with the long gun. To say I'm pretty happy with the accomplishment is an understatement. I've been chasing these elusive beasts for more than 2 decades before finally downing one in this class. Look for a story to appear in an upcoming issue of TurtleCrazy magazine.

turtlemuzz.jpg



AntlerQuest Hunt Consulting
 
Jeff,

This past season in Sonora we killed a few giants as well. It will be featured on the cover of TurtleCrazy Magazine. I love hunting the desert tortoise, I cant wait to see the article in the "tortuga" issue of TurtleCrazy

Drum
 
well, i guess it's time to 'fess up'...that post i did a little while back, on my 4-wheeler, in deep snow, sans clothes...and i said i was scoutin'.....i lied...it's time to come out of the 'closet'....that was hard-core turtle huntin'...that's the only way yer gonna get'um....now get out there
 
DeerKing,
Your freaking hilarious "things move a bit slower with turtle record books".
Thats a dang nice amimal. I never learnt how to age them critters, but I would say that's gotta be about 220yrs old. What did he measure? And what was the age?
Can you use a box call on them their mountain high country turtles? How did you get close enough to use the Mussl on him.
KnifeBoy
 
I can't believe you posted a picture with blood coming out of its mouth. That is so disrespectful!

At least you have your blaze orange on...
 
i have 2 ohio land owner turtle tags going to the highest bidder
this post is even better than the bigfoot post where is bobcat on this one?
 
This is the funniest post Ive read here!! You guys are all a riot!! Hilarious stuff, keep it up. I gotta stay off this Mountain Dew, its blowing out my nose and burns bad

DK, you are one whacked dude :) I can't stop laughing at your pics. Congrats on the record book tort.
 
I've never done a turtle hunt before but do you think that one will fit into my Eberlstock Just one pack? Is a 270 enough gun? Would Schness boots be a good choice? Little helpguys would be appreciated. Thanks Jim
 
Bobcatbess is out scouting for desert tortis in his shoot plane as we speak.He plans on giving one a tune up if he gets a tag.
 
Rookies,

Don't you know that the things are called scutes not sections. darn illiterate rednecks.

Jingow,

IMHO the 270 is enough gun for turtle as long as you stay withing the range paramters of that rifle and use premium bullets. I don't think the 7mm-08 is big enough though, it may just bounce off.

BeanMan
 
DK, I HAD PEPSI SHOOT OUT MY NOSE, LMAO. I WANT TO SEE YOU ON THE COVER OF TURTLE CRAZY. BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO SEE IS A PIC OF SOME LUCKY TROPHY HUNTER PACKING OUT A TURTLE ON HORSEBACK. I KNOW A MM GUY CAN DO IT. YD.
 
I've never laughed so much for so long in my life! I give up. I can't take any more! I'm hooked.:)

DK,can I send you a PM about turtle hunting for next year? Money is no object. I gotta have one of them brutes!

Steve
 
BUGLELK, where do you get off dragging charlies name through the mud? This is how rumors get started. And he can't even defend himself any more. I personally met him one time and he seemed like he was a true sportsman to me. He would never do anything that would bring shame to himself or his family. If you were a real man you would appoligize for the statements you have said.
 
The proper vernacular here is "Terrapin" the only reason I know this is I've got a close friend trying to start up a local WTF chapter.
 
this has got to be the funniest post i've ever read here. all you guys suck, making fun of my off season hunting forays.

after reading all the posts, i've decided to open up my own outfitting business. Oklahoma Reptile Safari, specializing in record class turtles, with the potential for ever elusive frogs as an add-on to the turtle safari. $4500 for one week with a $1500 kill fee. frog tags are $1000, and are unlimited.

here's a before and after shot from last season. this hunter used a glock 10mm. we spotted this pair at first light about 500 yards out. a couple hour stalk got us within pistol range and he did the rest.
41f71e24779a22d2.jpg

41f71e9f78b41607.jpg





Krusty.jpg
 
I'll take you up on it. The price seems fair. BUT do I get a refund if I get turtle FEVER!!!!
 
Yukon, No need to worry about Moosie, I'm sure this post will go down in history and rightfully so. It just backs up my theory and verifies the point I was making with my post.

Carry on, I've actually been on a Turtle hunt and killed some in Louisiana and Texas, but that's neither her nor there. Unlike DK that takes good pictures, mine didn't come out.

Good to see the Humor, for a change, around here.


  • [*] -Moosie
~~If you're going to walk on thin ice, Ya might as Well DANCE !!
WALK the TALK, Or shut the HECK UP !!
 
I grew up in a big time turtle huntin family and as a kid I would stalk my Grandpappy?s old army helmet pretending I was a great turtle hunter that my Dad could be proud of. But I am ashamed to admit that I've never actually bagged a real turtle. I've almost given up turtle huntin many times because I feel like I let my Pa down. It seems like everytime I get close enough to shoot one, I can't decide where to place the shot. I mean is he quartering away or toward me??? By time I thinks about it he's into the next county. I'm thinking of getting some of that new Real Turtle camo, it's expensive but it just might make the difference.
 
Oakbuck,

You should give my old boss a call, he's one of the best turtle outfitters in the west. He doesn't do any of the winter range type hunts, all his hunts are in the high country, around 10,000 feet. There are turtles up there dying of old age!

Someone mentioned wanting so see some pictures of packing turtles on horses, so I attached a couple below. This first one is me packing out a couple B&C turtles from the early rut hunt. You can see our decoys on the last mule. Those "Turtle Wax" decoys from Montana Decoys are amazing.

41f7c066386b4cc2.jpg


Here's a picture of my boss when he was younger and crazier! He actually chased turtles down on his horse and lassoed them, claims to have had a pet turtle that ate Cheeto's when he was a kid.

41f7c3b43d3775e4.jpg


But, like anything that is excting, there is an ever-present danger. As you can see in this last picture, my boss got a little too close to a big cow turtle with some young ones, and he paid dearly for it. The reflexes of an angry turtle are crazy! He's lucky his horse won the Kentucky Derby the year before, otherwise it would have been a lot worse.

41f7c3cd3d499ad8.jpg
 
Moosie was wanting to post a question he had, but he didn't want to contribute anymore to a thread that might end up being longer than his. It's a good question though, and I figure someone out there should have some info on it. Are there any good canned hunts that anyone knows about? Something guaranteed where the turtles aren't quite as aggressive as they are in the wild.

Thanks in advance for any info.
 
Is it true adult turtles will eat a deer a week????

If this is true I suggest the following FOR UTAH

1-HARVEST OBJECTIVE STATE WIDE.
2-STATE WIDE BOUNTY'S
3-CONSERVATION TAGS
4-NO WAITING PERIODS
5-TURTLE HUNTING CONTESTS
6-HAVE THE DWR TAKE OVER MANAGEMENT OF TURTLES (look what they did for mule deer.)(joke!)
7-NATIONAL CONVENTION
 
This is the story behind the trophy turtle picture I posted yesterday. Its really a tragic story, I wish I had the courage to post it yesterday. My brother and I had spotted this trophy turtle while glassing the colorado high country. We decided that we need to get this big guy on film on our new Video "Titan Turtles V". We watched him for days trying to establish a pattern. Finally we had him patterned and placed a tree stand in his path. As the turtle approached our stand and the cameras were rolling he must have caught our wind and could smell the fear! He charged the tree slamming into it with a massive crash. It shook the whole tree and my brother went falling towards the ground. The turtle had hit the tree so hard that I had dropped the gun trying to hold on myself. Needless to say the gun fell rigth in front of the turtle and my brother right beside him. Fearing for his life my brother did the best to escape the turtles jaws of terror by climbing on his shell out of reach. In the pursuing frenzy the turtle crushed the gun with his enormous weight leaving us defenseless. My brother grasped the shell with his life. I watched frozen with fear as the turtle went into a rampage trying to get my brother. The turtle then ran into the thick brush with my brother still holding on for life. A few moments later I could hear the horrifying screams echoing through the mountains. I immediately exited the stand and ran 14 miles to get help. When I returned with the G&F and local search and rescue, I was clinging to hope that my brother had somehow survived the attack. As we searched the area I had last seen my brother and the turtle, we stumbled on to the horrifying sight. There were no bones or trace of my brother except some small chunks left on the bushes. We are awaiting the DNA test for positive identification. How the world and I will miss my brother, he was a turtle hunting legend as his death will be felt around the world. I know that he would have wanted to go this way as turtle hunting was his life passion.
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I cant believe this is all coming back again. You guys have made me pee my pants a little. Not because this is all so funny but because it is bringing back images and feelings that took months even years for my shrink to suppress. It all started on a scouting trip back in the early 80's in an area of eastern Nevada that had very little turtle presence or hunting pressure but my cousins uncle that knew a rancher that lived in Ely was having a problem with what they all figured was a turtle eating a numerous amounts of the calf's that he had. I had gone down to the edge of the pond on the property and was noticing some very large fresh tracks and had been following them nearly 10 minutes (an eternity when tracking turtle for those that have never tried this method, imagine the adrenalin rush) when I turned and noticed that the beast had backtracked and I was the one being tracked now. As soon as I saw the shell had three large, pronounced ridges running front to back across its massive shell I knew it was the ever elusive alligator snapping turtle. What had I gotten myself into? There I was 40 feet from this beast, what could I do? Run? Yeah right! For those that have ever been charged by one know that it's nearly impossible to elude one by running away from it. I had no weapon, no sticks, nothing. It was going to be man verses beast. During this 5 minutes deliberating what to do he had close the distance by nearly 3 feet. I told my self that there was nothing I could do So I ate my sandwich and chips then wrote a last will and testament. By this time the turtle was only 10-12 feet away, do or die time. I just charged it, during the scuffle I must have blacked out, next thing I know the rancher is shaking me and I awoke with my hand down the turtles throat and it wasn?t moving. Apparently I had stuffed my hand down its mouth in defense and he must have choked on it and died. I know, I know, yeah right, you killed a turtle with your bare hands. It happened and it's something that haunts me to this day. Here are a couple pics that we took, one with the rancher just after I pulled my hand out and the other is it after I picked it up from the taxidermist. I went with the semi sneak form. Sure scares the hell out of the little ones during family gatherings. Any guesses as to what this big non-typical scored? The weight was 192 dressed.

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I think we all know now what made the Smiths from California go to their toolbox!

Drum
 
Moosie,
There are a few "Low Fence" hunts around. But finding a good ranch could be hard. These turtles are going for a very high price, I mean people will do anything to get a turtle these days. The people running these farms are serious about what they do and if you think they are not for real about what they do just check out this guys place and see the struggles they have in that industry.

http://www.turtleman.com/home.html
 
BUGLELK,

Just curious what kind of guy your boss is, what was he doing? taking a leak or something? Did the turtle bite the whole tip of his penis off of did he just bite through the sides?
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-05 AT 10:53AM (MST)[p]This guy posted a picture of a turtle he took on a LE turtle hunt. I don't now about you but it really yanks my chain when this happens. He should have let this fellow grow to reach his full potential. Its not like he drew the tag for meat anyhow. Its sportsman like this that ruin our odds of taking a trophy turtle. Is this one even Legal???
41f7d4ec5ea5e7aa.jpg
 
BUGLELK,

Is this guy your boss? I heard that he was busted by F&G for being a turtophile. Here is a pic of him caught in the act. Man I guess thats one way to break a turtle, notice the discomfort in its face. Guess we know why he had those penis stitches now.
41f7db3c6b018416.gif
 
Because of my job as a state wildlife biologist, I rarely post. I was hoping one of you sportsmen would raise the issue rather than me, but this is so important I guess I need to do it.

I'm talking about the devastation of the Northern Yellowstone turtle herd since wolves were introduced. I remember the amazing bull turtles migrating out of the Park into Sunlight Basin and through Gardiner in the late 80s and early 90s. Good luck finding them now!

The Feds have been wrong on every front, with their predictions about what would happen when they brought back the wolves. Now, they are claiming that wolves have CHANGED THE BEHAVIOR of the turtles, and as a result the turtles aren't hammering riparian areas anymore, and aspen and willows are coming back. HAH! Based on that "science", the uplands should be full of turtles now, right?? I challenge anyone to produce a genuine photograph of a large herd of turtles with lots of turtlets and a proud, bugling bull terrapin, taken in the park since they introduced those Canadian meatgrinders. Check out the FWP and G&F winter range counts if you don't believe me, those wolves are eating every darned turtlet and most of the adults too!

Those of you who don't have wolves yet better enjoy it while it lasts. Last year, in the north end of the Wyoming range, I could hardly find a turtle, and there were wolf tracks and slicked shells everywhere!
 
Ansonlynn is right. I can remember a trip I took with my parents when I was younger. There were herds of turtles all over in the Park. I haven't seen a turtle herd bigger than 5-6 turtles since those days. I went back a few years ago to try and get some pictures, ran into this lady at a trail head. Evidently she worked for the Park Services and had caught some guy from Wyoming trying to sneak this shell back to his truck. Unlucky for him, the size of this bad boy landed him a felony and he lost his truck, binoculars, everything.

41f7e7d9023fe85b.jpg


I know Fish and Wildlife was concerned about the wolves at first, especially when they found 5 or 6 of the originally transplanted wolves dead from apparent turtle attacks.

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On a side note, I'll bet some of you recognize this beauty. I was lucky enough to be invited into the hunter's home before he sold the turtle to Cabelas. I heard he got $1 million for it. For those of you who don't know, this is the world record typical turtle shot in the late 60's by Nathaniel Ninja. The Ninja Turtle scored 463 7/8mm. He claims it weighed well over 500 lbs and had been seen in several of the local rancher's fields all summer. They figured it was killing livestock which contributed to it's weight. One of the locals disappeared one night while walking home and rumor has it there were some pretty big turtle tracks near where he was last seen. Old Nathaniel is quite the hero around those parts...


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Has anyone ever hunted the Brown Turtle, the one with the hump on it,s shell on Kodiak Island? I,ve never had the guts myself....Devlin
 
BUGLELK, THAT WAS ME WANTING THE PACKSTRING PACKOUT PICTURE... LMAO. OH AND I THINK YOUR RIGHT ABOUT MOOSIE NOT WANTING TO POST...... POSSIBLE MM RECORD AND ALL. THIS POST IS ON A TORRID PACE. TAKE ER EASY, YD.
 
Someone out there able to remove the picture in post 77 its way to big and it screws all the posts up making them all hard to read. no offence meant.
 
I was hoping to see a couple of european mounts, you know the kind, heads and legs pulled in covering their ass and denying there are terrorists out there.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-05 AT 03:40PM (MST)[p]92 posts. The problem is that no one takes turtle hunting seriously. Some of us have molded our lives around it. It may be the greatest game aniumal of all time. Have you ever bow hunted turtles. Trust me you don't want to find out what happens if you can't penetrate shell.:) oops 93 posts now
 
Hey Chef,
You got any good recipes for turtles?

And im calling BS on that photo
posted with the quarter next to the
turtle there is no way there is a
quarter that big, you can totally tell
that the quarter was blown up then
put into the picture. LOL
Anyone want to try and prove me wrong
okay but I still call it BS. All
the photos that DeerKing posted,
now them are good true non fake photos.
 
my name is intimidater37 and i am a turtleholic

canned turtle hunts canned turtle soup its all the same
 
Thanks a lot you guys! As the one who started this post, I gotta tell you, you are killing me!:)

Last night I got banished to the spare bedroom because of a serious case of the "giggles". All I could think of was Death in the Shortgrass, land owner tags, turtle stampedes, and on and on and on..........

My wife said that if it happens tonight, she is seriously thinking of "blocking" this site from our computer for a few days! So STOP IT!

Since I couldnt sleep last night I decided to do a little research on turtle hunting in the deep south. Did you know that because wounded turtles are so vicious, most southern states require non-residents to hire a licensed professional hunter in order to hunt! In the past, wounded turtles were often left to terrorize the locals long after the non-residents went back home.Can't blame them I guess.

Steve
 
You guys can forget about getting turtle tags next year, SFW and RMTF are getting 40% of all turtle tags to auction off to the rich. Figurs as soon as you guys show interest in the sport it will only be the rich hunting them again.
 
Sneakem your #37 post I could swear that I seen that bruiser hunting in north central CO in Sept i'm sure of it I spotted a Moose shed went over to pick it up and there he was humping it!(points down) I think he is wintering around the dunes over by Walden, obvoiusly there is not enough females over there, hope he makes it thru the winter! Had to wait for him to finish, that turtle butter on the horns was rank!
 

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