Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Committed Jennycide today.....

Against the �stinkin� jennys�, as the old timers used to call them, and who have overpopulated my pond. Most folks just call �em turtles nowadays.

My Mom, who lives on the property, and is a very spry 77 yrs old, told me they needed thinning out. She keeps catchin em crawlin across the yard, and she was afraid of not seeing one and stepping on it and breaking an ankle or something or of hitting one with the lawn tractor.

So today I set up my �Sniper�s Hide�. Actually not much of a hide, I just set up my portable shooting bench and a chair, next to the feeder. Sandbags & all.

I got my thumbhole stocked, bull barreled Savage .17HMR with a Leopold VX-III 4.5X14X40 scope nestled into the bags, and started lighting them stinking jennys up. Now these turtles haven�t been to school. As in nobody has been shooting at �em in several years, so I�d pop one, and another one not 20 ft away would only go under for a few seconds and pop his head up as if to say, �Where did you go, George?�

Started with a new box of 50 rounds, and loosed 20 Hornady 17 grain
V-Max bullets in under one hour. 17 confirmed hits, and three called misses.
Now hittin a half inch turtle head at 50 yards is about the same as hitting a man sized target at 1000 yds, in perfect weather conditions, so this ain�t like shootin fish in a barrel.

Before anyone starts in telling me I should have trapped and relocated them, let me just say this:
20 rounds of ammo = around $6.00
Turtle trap = $150.00

Do the math

Besides, this is a HECK of a lot more fun!!

PFV,before you start on a guilt trip,I trapped 38 of em in my pond and relocated em cause I didnt want to shoot em.AFTERWARDS,I found out that they will walk up to 10 miles to get back home.

Now that depends, you targeting center of mass or just head shots at 1k? Besides there isn't as much wind drift @ 50 Yds.

Good shooting! I did the same thing a few years back, except the distance was about half of yours, and I used my .177 Air Arms TX200.

"Now that depends, you targeting center of mass or just head shots at 1k? Besides there isn't as much wind drift @ 50 Yds."

No head shots at 1K, not even back when I used to practice a lot. 1 MOA at 50 yds = 1/2 in
1 moa at 1k yds = 10 in. So yes, a center mass shot!! And I addressed the wind drift in my original post by saying "at 1000 yds in perfect weather conditions". Dang esshup, try and keep up!

And good shooting to you with the air rifle. I have an older (late 80s) model RWS that shoots around 900 fps, and if you do your part, it will put a hurtin on them stinkin jennys at under 20yds or so. Have you tried any of that PBA Raptor ammo? It is supposed to be real fast. Some kind of alloy and lighter weight? I don't know about terminal performance though.

Tom, believe me when I tell you there is no guilt here. I have been keeping them suckers under control all my life, just been neglecting them for a few years.

And yes sir, they will walk a LONG way to get back home. Plus I don't want em in any of my other ponds, so this is the best soloution for me.

Did I mention it is a lot of fun?

PFV:

No, I haven't tried any of the lighter stuff, the 7.8g Crosman Premier's are standard fodder, and are really accurate. The TX will group <1" @ 50 Yds if I do my part and there isn't any wind.
I've got an older FWB 124D that's only slightly less accurate, and I can't tell you how many pellets have been thru it, I'm guessing over 10K. I've had it since it was new.

1 MOA @ 1K? 'come on, you can do better than 10.47" group on a good day! Practice my friend, plus good equipment will shrink those group sizes in half. Heck, if I can shoot a strange gun @ 685 Yds and put the first 2 bullets 2.85" c-c without practicing, you should be able to do better with practice!
pics on page 1 I did cheat a little, I was shooting from a bench, with the gun on a bipod in the front and a bag under the stock. 10x Leupy Mark IV scope on the 7mm, 5.5-22-56 Nightforce on the other guns.

If you want to get some cheap practice in, see if there are any Field Target shoots near you. It's a humbling experience, I tell ya!

There are 2 painted turtles in the pond now, and one snapper. They'll be left alone unless they take after the geese and start multiplying like rabbits. There were 8 geese on the pond yesterday, and that number doubled today. I'll leave them alone for now, I need some food for a good bloom. Besides, if they stay around until Sept. 1, then I can put 5 a day in the freezer!

I used to shoot them, but got tired if finding stinking turtle corpses along the shore line. Now I dip net a few, and accidentally hook an occasional one, and re-locate them.

It's a losing battle. There are so many rice fields and crawfish ponds in the area, I could shoot and trap 24x7 and would still have too many turtles. Maybe a gator would help with the turtles and bullfrogs, but then you have to remove them at ~6' or you could have worse problems.

Here is Texas there was some kind of a write up in the paper about people being worried about the chinese eating all of the turtles in our area. I wish they would come and eat my turtles!

I couldn't even begin to estimate how many turtle "sun roofs" I've created with my riding mower.

I have to thin them out at least once a year. Them things grow fast and fat on my 46% fish food. Plus they try to eat my prized corks. I Just use a Crossman .177, no props. Not worried about a head shot. If the shell is cracked, they are a gonner. They later float up, net them out and leave em for the buzzards.

It is fun. Sorry, stinkin slider huggers.

I think I'll have to do some thinning out. This evening when trying for CC, the sliders were the only thing hitting the bait.

What amazes me is how fast the painted turtles I have move from pond to pond. They must be determined when they decide to move. I've relocated three and have 1 or 2 left.

Well, I have turtle corpse duty in the morning.

My Mom called and said there are 16 floaters on the north end of the pond.

I guess age is taking it's toll on my rifle shooting ability, as I would have bet money (And I don't gamble) there were 17 confirmed hits.

It sucks gettin old.

One Jenny obviously sank.

Thanks Theo, that makes me feel better.

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I couldn't even begin to estimate how many turtle "sun roofs" I've created with my riding mower.

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...Stinkin jennys shoulda stayed in the water!!

We obviously think alike Burger

I don't seem to have to many turtles. I have seen one BIG A$$ turtle though. Looked to be about 2 dinner plates big before it dove back into the darkness. Looked like he had a smooth back though so I don't think it was a snapper? I'm looking for it though!!

RC

Softshell??