So I had a friend from Minnesota borrow some turtle traps a couple weeks ago and he brought them back today and said he never used them and Minnesota no longer allows their use.I looked it up online and he’s right.He talked to the warden about it and when it came up for discussion there were people in favor of banning there use and no one in favor of keeping them legal.

There were people lobbying to keep it legal. It's a shame they were dismissed.

Recreational harvest is still allowed. 3 snappers a year but can't use traps.

So if you happen to catch one by hand or with a fishing pole it is fair game.That happens a lot I caught one 45 years ago on a fishing pole.Have seen quite a few crossing roads but not after the July 1st opener.

It says in this years Regs that you must have a turtle license but not a cost of it.

Typical. MN wants their money!

They need plenty to support all those illegals!

I think I saw it being $25 plus you need a small game or fishing license but I don’t recall witch one.

This is where fish and game management has gone off the rails. It should not matter how many people favor banning an activity or not. Was there any biological data suggesting snapping turtles were being overharvested, or that their population was in decline? Not that I have seen. That information should drive these decisions, not who or how many favor what. But this is tolerated because it only affects a small number or resource users so no one else really cares.

Correct Walleye

But you know G&P spends bug buck$ managing turtle populations! (sarcasm font)

In NE you can catch 5 snappers a day with a 10 possession limit. No commercial allowed. Commercial is allowed across the river in Iowa. G&P set up a sting operation and baited a NE guy to bring snappers across the river into Iowa to sell them, then busted him with heavy fines. G&P spends zero dollars managing snappers but won't hesitate to collect $ in fines.

Another warden I know followed two brothers down the Big Blue River at night when they were spotlighting and shooting beaver. (Both illegal). When they crossed the line into Kansas he busted them and charged them for illegally transporting fur across the state line. In a rowboat! He made the state alot of money.

A wardens job is to inforce the regulations, not make them, so you really can't blame them. Wildlife and Fisheries managers are the ones that make regulations. When implementing a new regulation, or banning an existing activity, the onus is on them to show need and reasonableness for that regulation with some supporting biological information.

It would be a fishing license. Even if you pick a snapper up crossing the road, you need a fishing license and a recreational turtle license.
There are plenty of snapping turtles in MN. About 10 years ago, when I was trapping snappers. I had one trap with 7 snappers in it. Farther up the line I had another trap with 3 snappers in it.

Walleye is right, a warden's job is to enforce the laws they are given to work with.

We have some really stupid clowns running the state government in MN currently that could care less when in comes to sportsmen and promoting hunting and fishing.