Turtle trapping tips

With turtle season around the corner I was wondering if anyone had any tips for some turtle trapping for the first time? Here in Michigan you're only aloud one snapper a day for some reason so I want good sized ones. Any tips?

chunked squirrel always got results for us . mind ya them critters can pull like a mule !

I might have to try that, just the meat or fur and all?

I always used a chunk of carp or buffalo in the trap. Always keep your bait fresh, like new bait every day. Here in Iowa the Center for Biological Diversity has all but put a stop to the commercial harvest of turtles. But thats a different story.

It takes a female five years to get to breeding age so one can over harvest snapping turtles especially the breeding age turtles.

I duck hunt the place I plan on trapping so I won't be broken-hearted if I trap them out lol

After setting your trap give the water a shot of fish oil. Helps draw them to the trap location.

Studies have shown that snappers and painted turtles have a tendency to over populate.

If you didn't sell the meat from your coon catch, you were SUPPOSED TO cut the carcass in 1/2 and freeze to hang in your turtle traps.
Surely you got the memo or saw those threads when we discussed earlier?

If Snapping turtles overpopulate then there WOULDNT be specified slot limits plus a trapping season that starts AFTER turtles normaly lay their eggs. If you are in any area with snappers , you know coon and skunks dig up the majority of egg nests. I always wonder if the preditors can smell the eggs underneath the sand.

I trapped snappers, softshells, and paints for years with no slot limits or season. I trapped the same places year after year, I caught basically the same amount of turtles year after year. Not until the "bunny huggers" and "green people" got involved did the DNR and politicians decide on that stupidity. They were afraid a guy might make a buck. These are the same people that want to do away with trapping, or any other consumptive use of wildlife. So watch whose side you take.

I didn't see the previous threads, I wish I would have now

Out of season carcasses will get you in trouble here if they check them. I was given a strong warning years ago.

Just set a 330 in a beaver channel - at least that's how I always manage to catch them!

Game animal parts can only be used if the season for the animal used as bait is open at the time it is used. That's what the furbearer trapping rules say....I'd be very careful using squirrel for turtle bait in this state....maybe run it by your local DNR officer first.

caught 9 in 2 days on some beaver jobs. throw the small ones back and keep the rest.

I thought about that but red squirrel is always in season so I could use that

Been there lol but I don't think Mr. CO would like that lol

I thought of that after posting....a loophole!

I have had exactly the same experience. I think it would be very hard to harm a decent painted, softshell or snapping turtle population, in a large body of water. In small bodies of water, turtles quickly repopulate from other nearby bodies of water.

Keith

Where are some quality places to buy good live catch traps? Or how to make them for a decent price?

I'm going to by one from this old fella at the NTA convention this year, I've heard that his are really good and they're only $60

If that includes shipping, I’d say that is a great deal!

I'm buying it from him there, I'm not sure how much he charges for shipping

You can say that again. The powers that be seem scared to death that someone can make a buck without being beholden to "the man".

They outlawed the harvest of ridgeback musk turtle a couple years back and I still haven't gotten an answer as to what the scientific rationale for that decision was. Only answer was "there were a lot being harvested". Same with commercial harvest of Alligator Snappers a decade or so ago.

As to tips for catching turtles, fresh bait that leaves an oil slick on the water. Cheap chicken quarters will work, especially with a shot of fish oil. A nice chunk of oily fish such as carp is even better. In our warm water checking traps and changing out the bait twice a day is not overkill in my opinion.

Still looks like a good price. Best traps I’ve found are around $90, plus $35 shipping.

It would probably save me money to drive to New Jersey and pick it up myself.

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If you have VHS rules for baitfish make sure to follow them. With that said I prefer to use salmon scrapes on the lake Michigan tributaries I trap here. Usually fresh blugills if I trap an inland lake, but I did catch 2 last year using deer liver. I also squirt salmon oil on the water to start a slick. I put my bait inside a hardware cloth cage hanging inside the trap so the turtles have to enter the trap to get to the bait. Occasionally I grind up some fish and hang it in a mesh bag. The bag is trash once a turtle gets to it.
If you can only take 1 a day be ready to release when you catch multiples. Meaning a place to get on shore or a big enough boat so you can sort out the biggest 1 and release the rest.

I used mostly carp as bait, chopped straight down the middle.

To make turtle traps, I took a 4 foot wide roll of chicken wire, cut off a 4 foot wide section and wired the ends together to make a tube. I put a flat piece of wire on one open end, wiring part on permanently and using bag ties, going through the wires, to hold the rest, so I could easily open the trap, to take the turtles out. On the other open end, I wired on a landing net. I took two strings, tied them to the net, about as widely spaced as the tube, ran them to the far end of the trap and tied them off tightly to the sides. I then took a knife and cut a wide slit in the net.

I always put an empty 2 liter bottle in the back end of the trap to make it float high enough for the turtles to get air.

Keith

sending pm .

I PMed you

Use a turtle trap (net or cage) do not use a hook and jug as smaller turtles will swallow hook and most likely die after you release them. For bait in the trap use either a chunk of carp or a salmon head. Place bait in trap frozen after 6 PM so it thaws and is fresh by the time it gets dark, as snappers hunt mostly at dark. Be sure and leave part of the trap out of water so they can breath, unless the trap has large "breather holes". Also fasten the trap so a big turtle cannot push (or pull) it out in deep water and drown other turtles already in the trap, or himself if he then goes in. Never leave the trap set in the same location for more than 1 night, it will smarten up the others and make them much harder to catch. PM me if you want more info or some trap pictures. Eric

I floot all my turtle traps. And have killed lots of turtles with Breather holes cut in them. Smaller turtles get stuck in them,more often than not. At least thats what I have found.

I experienced same.

Use frozen bait such as carp or suckers, it will last longer if you do. Change bait every day. The best days when snappers are most active and feeding are those hot, humid days that are unbearable for most of us. Always set the trap entrance facing downstream. Always use a bait bag in the trap such as hardware cloth. Otherwise, the first turtle in will eat all the bait and you will only catch one turtle.

Planned on using net style trap

Notice I said "breather holes", not 1 hole. I have only twice had small ones stuck in a hole and then I still had 3 other holes they could use. Big advantage to be able to hide the traps underwater and not have them stolen or tampered with. Floating net traps last me maybe 4 nights if I am lucky before they are slit open by "fishermen". I have to hide net traps back under overhanging branches to keep them safe.

I'v lost a few traps over the years. But not many.
Down here -most- people know not to tamper with commercail fishing gear.
I think the traps that I'v had cut or stollen.Were done by Kyackers(spelling)Pilgrams down for the day(like we use'ta say)
I never set on a weekend.

Yes Newt, them "Kyackers" came out in force at all the meetings we had here in Iowa, in the process of shutting down the commercial harvest.

Just leave a fish basket full of crappie and large bluegill that you plan to fillet unattended for a few hours. Worked for me last weekend.

In Michigan you have to have the whole top above water I believe

I wish I could do either turtles or crawdad commercially, Michigan laws suck on that. Crawfish no limit but you can't sell them, turtle one a day and you can't sell them