Go Ahead Make My Day
Uploaded: May 10, 2011
Snapping Turtle
I found this Snapper on the property the other day,
I think it must be a female, who went to lay eggs as she was pretty far from the pond
They say a Snapper female will walk 10 miles to lay eggs and then go back to where she lives
This was a very big turtle believing she is an older one
Snapping turtles do not have teeth but do have very powerful jaws
Exif: F Number: 5, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/30 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 200, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 131.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Carolyn M. Fletcher
May 11, 2011
Leslie McLain
May 13, 2011
Terry Cervi
May 13, 2011
Val Feldman
May 13, 2011
Mary Dimitriw
May 14, 2011
Nancy L. Green
May 14, 2011
Carol Eade
June 22, 2011
Nancyj E. Hovey
June 22, 2011
Tamara K. Walker
June 22, 2011
Kay E. Mahoney
June 22, 2011
#9474657
Terry Cervi
June 22, 2011
Lorna Shutter June 22, 2011
Whoa!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS on your Finalist Award for this incredible turtle shot!!!!! WTG, Peaches!!! :)
#9475467
Agnes Fegan
June 22, 2011
Cindy Bendush
June 22, 2011
Lindley Johnson
June 22, 2011
Usman M. Bajwa
June 22, 2011
UB. #9476677
Mary Dimitriw
June 23, 2011
Stefania Barbier
June 23, 2011
Melinda F. Schneider
June 23, 2011
Val Feldman
June 23, 2011
Leslie McLain
June 23, 2011
Patrick Rouzes
June 23, 2011
Emile Abbott
June 23, 2011
Elizabeth A. Marker
June 25, 2011
Bojan Bencic
June 26, 2011
Mitch Spence
June 26, 2011
Jim Baines
May 20, 2012
I bet my snapper can beat your snapper!!! #10143728
Jim Baines
May 20, 2012
She always told me, "Only carry a snapping turkle by the tail and it can't bite you." It sure seemed to be working for Grandma. Since then I have read articles by snapping turtle enthusiasts that say, "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER pick up a snapper by the tail, it will damage the vertebrae in the spine." But ours were always headed to the soup pot or frying pan.
Before our traipse to the creek she had already prepared a #2 galvanized wash tub (15 gallon) with clean water. That would be the snapper's home until his innards had been purged clean to Grandma's standards. Poor snapper, no food for 3 or 4 days …. She always walked into the house leaving me with the thought, "If that turkle bites you, it won't turn you loose till it thunders!"
As the day wore on I'd go back to the same creek and catch Southern leopard frogs. As I approached the tub, naturally the snapper would sink to the bottom and remain motionless. I'd put the leopard frog in and watch it kick around in circles a few times. With no place to rest it would float on the surface and remain motionless. Suddenly, I mean in a nanosecond, or less, the water would roll, we're talking "white-water" here, and I'd see frog blood mixed in the white froth of the water just before jumping back! That is about the best entertainment any foolish youngster could enjoy!! Grandma always intervened to make sure the "purging" went as planned.
#10143744
Jim Baines
May 20, 2012
I can't say from experience, but Grandma said there are several different flavors of turtle meat within the same turtle. Some of the choicest is along the backbone and is almost impossible to get out if the turkle hasn't been boiled first. Muscle meat tends to be good, fat is low quality. She took particular care with the liver .. saying that is is delicious, but the gall bladder must be cut away and discarded or its acrid taste will permeate it and "it will go to waste."
Sometimes she would fry it like chicken. (I don't remember, but I'm positive it "tasted like chicken"!)
Turtle soup was cooked slowly, simmering over low heat with onions and a little salt. When the meat was tender she would dress it up by adding tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc.
P.S. Be careful with that head!!. It can still cause a nasty bite long after it has been severed .... and you may have to tote it around until it thunders!
Shown are my "Trainer", Mary Emma Butler Baines (1868-1956) and a Common snapping turtle, "Ol' Ugly", I picked up several weeks ago and "staged" out back in a 55-gallon tank. #10143749
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