Stinkin' bait stealin', frog eatin' turtles!

[FlintWalker]

I took my boy fishing yesterday evening. He caught several nice catfish and I hung into this big 'ol feller.
 The farmer didn't want him in his pond, so I took him home.  My Bassett hound (Elmer) didn't know what to make of it. I kept hoping he wouldn't stick his nose too close to them snappin jaws. That could hurt!
 My boy said he wanted to eat it, so I reckon we'll have him for supper in a night or two. Should be good 
 

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[mullet]

  Yummy!

[Cacatch]

I bet that was good! I've never had turtle, but I always did think it would be tasty. How do ya go about butchering one?

CP

[BearG]

Thats a good one Shannon.  What did the boy think about the taste.  I personally don't care for it.

[gstoneberg]

I'll be curious how it tastes for you.  As a kid, we always put snappers in a stock tank for a week with clean water before killing and butchering them.  The grandparents said it would get rid of the muddy taste.  I've always wondered if that was an old wives tale, but I cleaned one the day I caught it a few years back and it wasn't good at all.  They're a mess to clean too, not sure I'll do it again.  Interesting how the neck meat is white and the legs dark.

George

[mullet]

 I like them but I prefer Soft shell turtles over the snappers.  The soft shells sell for around $8 a pound at the fish markets down here.

[jeff halfrack]

  Good  eatin!!   freeze  that  shell  till  traping  season!!!   coon  can't  resist  it     just  burry  a  trap  under  it    dont  forget  to  wire  the  shell to  a  stake, to  use  again  JW

[cowboy]

Well, don't look too appetizin but how was it ?

[FlintWalker]

Gstoneberg, you're right...cleaning one is a chore.
 We haven't ate him yet, but I've eaten LOTS of them. My grandpa used to keep up to 75 or so in stock tanks when I was younger.  We'd all light in and clean them in a day.   Ever see a wash tub full of turtle meat
  My Daddy always fried 'em low and slow and they were real good.  I went all out on this one. I took every muscle apart and cleaned all the sinew and fat off it.  I'll let it soak in salt water for a few days and fry it up. It'll be good

 BTW, it DON'T taste like chicken...It tastes like turtle

[Pappy]

  Let me know how it is,the last I had years ago was fine. My pond is full of them,no fish just
turtles.I seen a guy skin the neck on a big one like that and used it for a bow grip. That was cool.   He just wet it and pulled it over the handle ,when it dried it was tight,no stitching.   
   Pappy

[J. DEMPLER]

When i was a kid we caught a big softshell, and dad thought he would clean it, even though he has never done it.
Some old timers told him to cut a slot it in near its back leg and stick a water hose in it. They also said he could do the same with a air nozzle. So what does dad do? He tries both. First the water hose, it didn't do the job. Then he used the air nozzle. It stretched the turtle's neck out about 18". Dad then grabbed his axe. ( DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHOP A TURTLE'S HEAD OFF IF IT IS UNDER AIR PRESSURE!!)
 I can still remember dads white shirt ,glasses,hat, the barn walls, and myself covered in red slime!!   
My brother didn't fair so well , because he was standing right behind the turtle. Everything the turtle ate for lunch the day before hit him in the chest!   
To this day he will not eat turtle....

[RidgeRunner]

I have cleaned and eaten several turtles over the years.
Not yet sure if it was worth the effort.

David

[El Destructo]

To Me ....Snapper aint worth the trouble....too much work...and not enough Meat...all Gut and Stink...rather eat Mussel and Crawfish....than mess with a big Aligator Snapper....

[WOODSLORE]

YUMM!! I love turtles nice catch!

[Bone pile]

Turtle stew cook the shell ,after you peel it for the stew bone.What's not to like.