Snapping Turtle advice

[Milkweed]

Has anyone had any luck with eradicating snapping turtles from a pond?

Our pond is beautiful and perfect for ducks EXCEPT that it is full of snapping turtles. Any advice about trapping and relocating, whether it is possible to really catch them all, whether new snappers will show up, etc would be very helpful. Any particular types of traps that that anyone would recommend? Any way to protect ducks from these predators short of keeping them out of the water?

I'm considering trying to find an old timer who wants a lifetime supply of turtle soup to catch them and eat them.

I welcome all advice. New to ducks and really want to protect them since we have already had one bad snapping turtle attack.

 

[njduck]

where do you live would really help out. Most states there is a traping season. When it gets really hot out turtles won't pot anymore. The traps are pretty simple to make, but hard to explain. Also you can thin the population down but never catch them all. I know most places it is illegal to use baited hooks, but if you were fishing for catfish and caught some as a byproduct you could remove them.

 

[ChristineR]

That was my thought, too (where do you live?). We don't have them here in WA (as far as I know!) so I don't know anything about them specifically, but I would check with your state's Fish and Wildlife Dept to make sure they're not a protected species and what the regulations are regarding trapping them.

 

[ironjerry]

Netcraft in Toledo, Ohio sells traps but the catfish fishing method might be cheaper. I have them once in a while but everyone by me has a pond so they move around and I have relocated them when I see them on land moving.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I build my own cage traps I normally "rehome" them to someones soup pot the commonwealth of va will only let us keep the larger ones we have a minimum size ,I fill out paper work each day so kina know what we are you can probably catch 75-90% of what is in a pond within 2-3 days if it were me I would keep the ducks away just long enough to get the turtles out. not sure where you are at if you are in the tidewater/hampton rds area of Va call me my business phone is 757 292 6489

 

[Milkweed]

I live in western North Carolina. Will check into regulations here.

Also you can thin the population down but never catch them all.

- so does this mean that we either just have to live with the threat (even if we reduce it by catching some) or not allow them in the pond?

We have a smaller pond closer to our house and are thinking of moving duck headquarters there - it seems like it would be more likely that we could control snapper population there. Thoughts?

Our poor Appleyard who was attacked seems to be doing a little better - he's resting in the duckhouse with his mate.

They love the pond so much that it's hard to pen them up away from it - do they ever become more "street wise" and better at avoiding snappers?​

 

[toadbriar]

can you fence a perimeter around the pond and pen to keep the turtles out but still give the ducks access?

 

[Gardeninggranny]

Do a little fishing. Use chicken liver as bait and heavy duty poles and lines. They'll get hooked, drag them out and kill them. Or relocate - but far away from your place and in no one elses farm pond.

 

[shadust1]

my boyfriends dad has brought over two of his ducks to our ponds n one was attacked last week...he was telling us to find out if there is a snapper in the pond to go to the feed mill and buy a bale of rye hay(i think that is what it was called) and let it float around the pond...he said if there is a snapper it will climb up on top of the bale and sunbathe and then take care of it from there....forget the trapping n relocating it....im shooting the freaking predator...now the poor duck is down to one leg...how is that fair....but he also said that the bale of hay will clean up the algae in the pond....win/win to me...

I guess anything that floats will work as far as see the turtle...


GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Nicole01]

Be very careful around these turtles! Their bite is dangerous and could snap a few fingers off if provoked! They also get pretty darn big! I've seen them over 100 pounds. One was in our garage looking for a place to lay an egg. It took my dad a while to bring it back to the lake. Snapping turtles are very scary!

I'd want them out too!