# Run for your lives! Snapping Turtles in Utah!



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Hip, hip, hooray!!!! Snapping Turtles found in the Weber River:

http://www.standard.net/Environment...ghtings-prompt-alert-in-Weber-River-area.html

I'll be down in 90 minutes.

.


----------



## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

I almost lost a finger to a snapper last year that ate a glo bug I was throwing for bluegill down in St. George....


In other news, up until then I had no clue how to tell the difference between a snapping turtle and a non-snapper.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey, I'm gathering up my turtle recipes now.

I'm thinking a new fishing section on the Forum: "Reptiles and Amphibians"

.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

The Standard Examiner put up a map with the snapper location. Hot-spottin bas**&^%s!! Is that private property? If so, I'd like to buy it:

http://www.standard.net/Environment...ghtings-prompt-alert-in-Weber-River-area.html

This is the biggest Utah outdoor story since the introduction of the White-tailed Ptarmigan in 1978.

.


----------



## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

Why are they illegal to catch or possess? 

I have had turtle before and would love to have turtle again.


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Hip, hip, hooray!!!! Snapping Turtles found in the Weber River:
> 
> http://www.standard.net/Environment...ghtings-prompt-alert-in-Weber-River-area.html
> 
> ...


Before you come all the way down here from Evanston, you may want to take another look at the last part of that article - "They're also illegal to possess."

WTF? Snapping turtle meat is absolutely delicious. When I was a kid growing up in Michigan, my Aunt Helen would always make several batches of turtle soup every summer from the snappers we used to catch for just that purpose. ****, that sure was some fine vitals. And some bozo in the Utah DWR decides we can't tolerate handling the increasing population of snappers by catching and eating them? Give me a break. -O,-


----------



## Bowhunter50 (Oct 14, 2014)

Wow I caught a lot of snappers growing up in texas. I never thought that they would be good to eat?


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

dubob said:


> Before you come all the way down here from Evanston, you may want to take another look at the last part of that article - "They're also illegal to possess."
> 
> WTF? Snapping turtle meat is absolutely delicious. When I was a kid growing up in Michigan, my Aunt Helen would always make several batches of turtle soup every summer from the snappers we used to catch for just that purpose. ****, that sure was some fine vitals. And some bozo in the Utah DWR decides we can't tolerate handling the increasing population of snappers by catching and eating them? Give me a break. -O,-


I can't thank enough there Bob, I won't post any Utah Snapping Turtle stories then.

.


----------



## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> Hip, hip, hooray!!!! Snapping Turtles found in the Weber River:
> I'll be down in 90 minutes.
> .


Do we need to run for our lives because of the snappers or because Goob is beelining it to Utah faster than the speed limit to put the turtles on the menu? ;-)

Do snappers readily take hook and line intended for fish like the softshells do? Softshells used to drive me crazy at Lake Mead when I would fish cut baits for stripers and channel cats in the Overton arm. I would catch 1-3 nearly every time I'd fish.


----------



## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

"Zillions of Utah hunters will be afield in the coming weeks. Many of these hunters have 2, 3, even 18 trail cams hanging over every piece of water in 3 states. And as you know turtles have taken over Wyoming and are lousy in Utah. That being said, odds are we're gonna have a bunch of turtles caught on trail cams.

So, please, everyone post your trail cam pics and videos of turtle sightings here."

I'm starting a thread about turtle sightings :mrgreen:.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm gettin' the yo-yos out.

Wait a minute, they're illegal.

Uh...who cares, nobody in Utah knows what they are anyway.

ooh, ooh, top of da page!

.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Do we need to run for our lives because of the snappers or because Goob is beelining it to Utah faster than the speed limit to put the turtles on the menu? ;-)
> 
> I've decided to wait until tomorrow afternoon. It's a Friday and most of Davis County will be on the way to Wyoming then.
> 
> ...


I'm thinkin' this is the biggest thing since Utah had Pink Floyd, the flamingo, hanging around the Great Salt Lake.

.


----------



## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

dubob said:


> Before you come all the way down here from Evanston, you may want to take another look at the last part of that article - "They're also illegal to possess."
> 
> WTF? Snapping turtle meat is absolutely delicious. When I was a kid growing up in Michigan, my Aunt Helen would always make several batches of turtle soup every summer from the snappers we used to catch for just that purpose. ****, that sure was some fine vitals. And some bozo in the Utah DWR decides we can't tolerate handling the increasing population of snappers by catching and eating them? Give me a break. -O,-


Hold on there Bobalouie



> R657-53-28. Classification and Specific Rules for Reptiles.
> (9)(a) A person may collect and possess any number of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), alligator turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) or spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera) turtles without a certificate of registration provided they are either killed or released immediately upon removing them from the point of capture.
> 
> (b) A person may not transport a live common snapping turtle, alligator turtle or spiny softshell turtle from the point of capture from which it was collected without first obtaining a certificate of registration.


Come on down Goob. Catch them all. They're illegal to possess if they're alive. There's no limit on them if they're dead. Just like squirrels. No COR, no limit, legal 24/7/365 if they're dead.

⫸<{{{{{⦇°>


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I love you.

.


----------



## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

wyogoob said:


> I love you.
> 
> .


How lucky for the two of you that you live in this progressive time!


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Jedidiah said:


> How lucky for the two of you that you live in this progressive time!


That's what I'm talkin' about!

The Turtles:





.


----------



## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

I grew up near there. There are springs that are all along the river. One in particular had an old snapper for years. He was a legend. And huge. He was caught and thrown back in so many times. Then he got big and started chomping kids. Didn't catch him much then.

I just made a quick drive over there. I may or may not have had turtle soup straight out the shell for dinner.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

RandomElk16 said:


> I grew up near there. There are springs that are all along the river. One in particular had an old snapper for years. He was a legend. And huge. He was caught and thrown back in so many times. Then he got big and started chomping kids. Didn't catch him much then.
> 
> I just made a quick drive over there. I may or may not have had turtle soup straight out the shell for dinner.


yer killin me

.


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Fishrmn said:


> R657-53-28. Classification and Specific Rules for Reptiles.
> (9)(a) A person may collect and possess any number of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), alligator turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) or spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera) turtles without a certificate of registration provided they are either killed or released immediately upon removing them from the point of capture.


Thank you kindly Sir; I stand officially corrected. That's what I get for actually trusting that the Sub-standard Exaggerator would use due diligence when reporting a story. My bad!

Hey Wyogoob - come on down!


----------



## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

Hey, at least I'd never go hungry around Goob. Provided I could learn to eat the stuff he prepares. Dead turtles from the road kill cafe don't do much for me.

dubob,
It was less about correcting you, and more about gettin' the Goob to come down and eliminate some of those nasty snappers.
:mrgreen::mrgreen::shock:

⫸<{{{{{⦇°>


----------



## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> That's what I'm talkin' about!
> 
> The Turtles:
> 
> ...


I still have the 8 track tape for this:mrgreenbut no 8 track player-O,-)

Edit; top of the page!!!!


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

35-pounder found near Jordan River, 2006:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/640195582/Snapping-turtle-needs-safe-haven.html?pg=all

.


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Used to run trot lines near Lake Eire as a kid . A lot snapping turtles caught


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> That's what I'm talkin' about!
> 
> The Turtles:
> 
> ...


That's pretty cool, old Mark Volman, (Or Flo) is hilarious in that video, I wonder if he wasn't a little high;-)


----------



## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Those are just baby turtles. They ain't fun until they hit at least 75 pounds and can take off a hand or arm


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I caught a softshell turtle on a fly rod one time. I was fly fishing for bull frogs at the time. 

I'm thinking; if we have a Reptile & Amphibian Section on the UWN there should be a Fly Fishing subsection.

Hey, don't laugh. 35 years ago when I moved out here no one in Utah was ice fishing. As-a-matter-of-fact half the lakes in Utah were closed during the winter. Now look at it. 

.


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Spent my freshman year of high school in Indiana at Howe Military School HMS ( Help Me Somebody) We used to also catch Bullfrogs and soft shell leatherbacks on a fly rod - lost a lot of the turtles. Those leatherbacks were a lot more ornery than the snappers.


----------

