Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Turtle Fun

I've read with amusement all of the messages about turtles...well...
I think you guys are missing out on some fun. There's nothing like a .22 or better yet a .22 mag to deal with turtle problems. You talk about turtles eating fish, etc. Well, now we're talking fish eating turtles! I bought a Ruger M77-22 just turtle plinking.
If you've ever hunted prairie dogs, it's a similar experience. Obviously the distances are much shorter.
Surely there must be someone else out there who enjoys turtle plinking.

noel,
I have gotten soft hearted in my old age. I will thin turtles out if there are a lot of them in my pond, otherwise I just leave them alone.

Larry

I must admit, That just happens to be my favorite past time!! Me and the brother inlaw go weekly to thin them out.The place hasnt been hunted since the mid 90's and the turtles have taken over in most of the tanks around our place.One pond we have has to have at least 100 turtles in it and is only about waste deep and 20x 30 wide! Course, that the safe haven for them because the fish have worms and isnt worth messing with..Plink on!! It makes for good shooting practice but watch out for the richochets!!

Just saw your topic on turtle control! Yes its fun and you are right the real danger is richochet! I have found something a little safer. Try one of the new air rifles! You can start around $200 and go to $2000! They are much quieter and don't have the range of a .22 rifle. I opted for a .177 cal. pre charge that shoots at 900 fps and will shoot a dime at 30 yards and a quarter at 50 yards. Not cheap, but fun and helps your pond.

Are you guys talking about painters or snappers? I use to catch and keep turtles and did a lot of reading on them. A painter's diet consists mostly of plant life, with some meat thrown in (mostly dead stuff). They don't do much damage to a fish population and the benefits are that they keep the plant life cropped.

However, if your pond is over run with them a quick and easy trap is a car tire float it over the water and put a mesh net or chicken wire in the bottom of it. Put a wood ramp on the side for them to climb up. Most turtles will dive head first off an object, so as they get done sunning themselves they plop down into the tire center and can't get out.

Snappers, on the other hand, are a different story. The bigger they get the more live stuff they'll eat, including ducks. In my opinion they don't really benefit a pond much and can put the hurt on it big time. Besides, they are great eating. Bank lines and jug fishing work well for them. Toss them out at night with some cut up bluegill or hot dogs and check in the morning. Tie your bank line to a flexible branch. Also note that some people will use a wire leader to keep them from shredding the line.