Those of you that catch or trap turtles when do you typically start setting?

I like hitting right after cold spells. Really when ever re water stars getting nice and lukwarm

here season don't open till july 15

Yeah our season is open year round in Kansas. Me and a buddy are gonna set some lines and traps for snappers this year but werent sure how early in the season they start getting more active. Anybody sell any shells to Moscow Hide and Fur?

Our season is open now, closes May 15 and reopens on July 1. I have never been successful trapping snappers in April or the first half of May as the water is just too cold to bait them into traps. They just do not go into a trap in cold water, big turtles (over 35 pounds) do not bait into traps until the water temp gets above 75 degrees. Reason for this is they are a cold blooded creature and a cold body requires less food, digests that food more slowly. I keep my turtles in the heat of the summer in a spring house with a groundwater temperature of 50 to 55 Degrees and they will eat very little.
If you are going to "Jug" snappers be aware that undersized turtles you catch and release will most likely die as their insides get torn up. I met a guy last year and he fastened his hook on 3 inches of wire under a floating board. This allowed him to catch snappers in the mouth and not have them swallow the hook, not causing fatal damage to released turtles. Might be something to try.
Years ago when I got a call to remove snappers from a local farmers pond I used #4 footholds fastened to the underside of a board with bait wired to the pan. It was very effective for head catches, but killed the turtles, which was the point of it at the time. Got a few 2 pound bullhead catfish in those rigs too. Eric

They have started clogging up my beaver sets in the shallow backwater runs on ADC jobs already

Eric,

Wow, thanks for some great input. I really like the idea of jugging under a board to promote a mouth catch to. I’ve seen some of your pics with a pickup bed full of turtles, pretty amazing.

I have seen turtles under ice with necks stretched out sunning in December and February

I like to start when I get 5 days of 50* nights and 72* days or warmer

This monster showed up while working on my wife's car over the weekend.