Pretty certain those are protected and a hell of a fine for killing. I saw a special on them on TLC. They had one who had a musket ball embedded in its shell. Some how they determined it had probably been shot during the civil war. Those things live a looooong time!

Yrs ago, I had a WW! friend beg me to find him one to eat. He swore their meat had some of the best flavor of anything, The guy was 94 at the time and had been on disability most his life from exposure to mustard gas. I explained how they were protected and he could not just understand how something edible could be protected.

Wish now I'd found him one.