South Platte Alligator Snapping Turtles

[battle_sight_zero]

Ran into several of these in a recent fishing trip last week. This one was about 3 feet long head to tail. Much more massive one observed in deeper water that made this one look like a baby actually had two large bass following him everywhere. Either way leave trout on a stringer they will clean them out in a matter of seconds. I posted some pictures of other ones a couple years ago on here, so there still out there!

[jhood001]

I'm good with snakes, mean dogs, thugs, nuclear weapons, cancer, and pretty much everything else. But those things scare the shit out of me.

They get really big where I was born and raised and I paid them no mind while fishing and swimming in farm ponds growing up. Then I saw a really big one bite down and snap a shovel handle in two. Now my pulse races when I see one.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Looks tasty.

[battle_sight_zero]

When these turtles ate my fish a few years back it shocked because I could figure out what happened. I even reached down looking for my fish. Did not get chomped on but I am lucky. To this day I am surprised that our colder water and regular trout stockings are growing these guys so big. As mentioned there is a giant one out there that puts this one to shame. Dont know if I would eat one through so I guess they are safe from me and my son.

[Firehaus]

Looks like a common snapper. Alligator snappers don't get past southeast Kansas for the most part.

Head size is a good way to tell along with pronounced shell ridges.

http://www.chelydra.org/common_allig...ng_turtle.html

Still tasty. My grandfather always told me that there is 7 different tasting meats on a turtle.

[Monky]

They're good eating. I grew up swimming in a creek and saw two 50# snappers fighting for whatever reason.

They cook up good... One 00 shell took both their heads clean off


Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.

[02ducky]

Jaws with legs, scary looking beasts.

[Irving]

No bag limit on those guys.

[buckshotbarlow]

only good monster is a dead one in my book. When i was growing up on the ol farm that bordered the st.vrain we'd always thump em with fish on the stringer in the slow water...used my old mans 7mag at about 5 yds. Never kept any though.

[ray1970]

As a kid I was screwing around with a decent size snapping turtle. I was poking him with a broom stick when he reached up and bit it in half. Needless to say, I went and found something else to do.