Wow!!! My son and a friend of his caught a snapping turtle and brought it home. The little monsters had put it upside down inside a 5 gallon plastic drywall bucket, and it was so big (to me) that it was frightening. I had to get the little monsters to take it back to it's tiny pond.
@Funtoy4u Looks like he could bite a hand off of someone easily. There was a woman who had a pond and kept finding her calves dead, their nose had been snapped by a snapping turtle when they went down to the pond to get a drink of water. I guess the adult cows knew better and would move away but the calves had no clue. The lady asked my friends if they’d come to her farm and help shoot the turtles. They spent the weekend and got them cleared out of the pond.
@cherokeepatti They didn't get any cows but they would eat our baby ducks. We had a guy who would come catch them. He used a heavy pole that he drove deep into the shore and extremely heavy line with a huge hook and chicken livers for bait. He would give some of his catch to us to eat. They have delicious meat. 7 different types of meat. and yes one of them "tastes like chicken" hehe.
Yes, I have seen them this big, though they are rare. Beautiful creatures. They migrate in search of new accommodations at certain times of the year, so that's probably why he/she ended up in the parking lot.
Oh I hate those ! They burrow unto the dam Below the water line and make a big cave .,. And cause dams to Leak or even fail. They aren’t welcome at my farm .
@MyPathOfTotality You can get an estimate by counting the number of rings on the carapace. It isn't an exact measurement, because lean years might not be reflected, but you can get an approximation. They can live well over 100 years. This one may well be that old.
@windinhishair 21 years ago I worked at a BBQ and steak joint, we had a Southern Pride rotisserie smoker, the Rolls Royce of all smokers, and I learned the proper way to smoke brisket, 210f for 14 odd hours, depending on size, leave whole, do not trim fat cap, fat cap on top, heavy rub, and it will be perfect every time. Always with mesquite.
