I HAVE A 1 ACRE POND STOCKED WITH BLUEGILL AND CATFISH. MY QUESTION IS MY OVER ABUNDANCE OF TURTLES! I HAVE READ MANY OF THE FORUMS ON TURTLE PROBLEMS. LAST WEEK I TRIED THE JUG METHOD WITH LARGE HOOKS AND OLD BEEF STEAK AND ALL I CAUGHT WAS SOME OF MY BIG CATFISH 15LBS OR SO! WHAT DO YA'LL THINK I SHOULD TRY NEXT.
22 rifle with hollow points.
TRUST ME I HAVE TRIED THIS I GET A COULPE HERE AND THERE. BUT AFTER THE FIRST SHOT THEY ARE GONE. I EVEN PUT A SCOPE ON MY 22 TO SHOOT THEM FRM THE BACK DECK. IM AT A LOSS DO THEY REALLY HURT YOUR FISH POPULATION.
No, turtles don't hurt much. They rob fish on stringers, sometimes steal bait, become a nuisance when you feed, etc. But they almost never harm a healthy fish. They do however, clean up the mess left by a dying or dead fish. They're the buzzards of the water and perform a fairly useful function.
There are various turtle traps for sale and some innovative ways to trap them if you search this site. Actually having a lot of patience when you hunt them with a 22 works best.
It's just about as much fun to shoot turtles as it is to go fishing.
You do need a rifle that you can drive tacks with.
Shooting a 1" head at 50yrds aint't easy.
CAPLES, what species of turtles are you talking about? Turtles are such a diverse group that none of us can really give you a reasonable opinion with out knowing which species you are talking about.
There are good floating turtle cages that are effective!!
Get you some 4in pvc and 4 90 degree elbows and make a square. Then go get some 1/2 square wire (the kind rabbit cages are made of) and wrap that around the cage and cut a bottom and wire it all together.Tie a rope to it and throw it in the pond.. Give the turtles a couple of days to get used to it and they'll think they have a new sundeck..Once they fall in, they cant get out and you can retrieve it daily to get rid of them. I bet I pulled 100 turtles out of my pond last summer.. I got to go put it back in this week, I'm getting overrun AGAIN this year..I have too many other ponds around me to erradicate em!!
The new 17 HMR is very accurate & that little fast moving 17 grain bullet is less likely to skip.
Always be careful shooting toward water! The bullet can bounce off the water at a fairly steep angle!
I asked my licensed fish supplier about turtles and he confirmed Dave's statements that turtles don't do much harm, especially to risk a bad shot off the water. They do clean up the dead critters, which is good enough for me, and eliminate the weak and struggling. While I don't care for them in my pond, they are part of a natural habitat and food chain that doesn't hurt my efforts to have a good fishery. So, I'm leaving them alone....for now.
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP GUYS. I CANT BELIEVE THERE IS THIS MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT PONDS. THIS WEB SITE IS GREAT!
just wanted to add something here.. i recently purchaced some turtle traps for relocation.. i agree with the above posts.. they dont hurt your pond or fish, but i'm just trying to control the population, i have feeders on all my lakes and i see the turtles eating more than the fish... here's a link to the traps i bought.. i purchaced four..
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/2663 i'll tell you what.. after two weeks of letting them set in the ponds.. i've already pulled out about 10 turtles.. all sizes.. they work great!!.... just FYI ..
be cool!!
chris