Turtle Trapping.

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February 11th, 2016, 10:40 PM
rfb

Quote:

Originally Posted by trappermatt

many reports of 100% nest loss to predators and you think they aren't a factor to the population as a whole , heck if any other animal was suffering from predation loses at these rate people would be screaming for action , and I don't have to just read about it to see it , I could show you first hand in many different spots just as I could show you the numbers of them that get run over on the road in the spring , I hate to see that and stop regularly to move them off the road but during the spring gravel shoulders and roads are very attractive to female turtles nesting and unfortunately they get run over. I like all animals I'm not a predator hater and I sure don't want to kill everything in sight but I won't be misled into supporting restrictions on sportsmen without good reason

They're designed as a species to be able to withstand predation on the young and eggs. What they can't deal with is loss of breeding size animals. Hence the fact that losses on highways, habitat loss and harvest for food pacts them negatively.
February 11th, 2016, 10:48 PM
fishermccann

Quote:

Originally Posted by Species8472

No problem with you taking whatever you want as long as it is legal. Trusting their rational on the other hand would be naive as they are on record as saying they have no idea what the population is.

Then it is no different, than trusting those that say these turtles are threatened, because nobody knows how many of them their are. If I wanted to eat fast and give some away , legally I could harvest 120 snapping turtles a season. I will err on the side of caution and take my 2.
February 11th, 2016, 10:50 PM
rfb

Quote:

Originally Posted by gooseman

Were are we loosing? Maybe in yrs past but with today's laws and restrictions I don't see this happening

Well in ottawa we've been fighting for the past few years to halt a housing development going in over Blanding habitat. The only reason there's any small hope is that the species is designated as threatened.

Developers still chew up wetland habitat and nesting females really aren't designed to cope with roads.

Check out the Atlantic Salmon thread for more evidence of what we're losing as far as natural habitat.
February 11th, 2016, 10:56 PM
Species8472

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishermccann

Then it is no different, than trusting those that say these turtles are threatened, because nobody knows how many of them their are.

Exactly. Lots of arbitrary regs/laws on the books that we are required to obey but that may or may not be based on reality. I don't trust any of them either (the arbitrary ones) but out of necessity I do my best to obey them.

Good example would the requirement for steel shot for doves.
February 12th, 2016, 04:06 PM
brunomoreira

Quote:

Originally Posted by flytyermiller

I have always trapped turtles, i learnt from my family, and love it, in the past i've been a pretty heavy trapper, and love every second of it. Including the eating!

My question is this, if they are "at risk" or however they are currently classified, why don't we have a slot? most places in north america i have trapped have a 13 inch minimum?

Is it simply that no one cares so it flies under the radar? That's the feeling i get, it's a fairly neglected area, not many people talk about it, i don't even think i've ever seen an OOD article about it even though we all as licence fisherman have a right to it? or am i missing a few old issues?

my biggest is 58lbs. I make my own traps from scratch, including hand tying all of the mesh netting used for my traps.

IF i was given free roam i could, in my area, easily catch dozens in a day. obviously i can't keep that amount, the laws have become more and more regulated, with mandatory harvest reporting and such. But the idea of a 13 inch slot, which is standard most places, is not something i have ever heard discussed?
i want the population to take off, and for numbers to be confirmed so i can go back to trapping more! it's a bit of a dying subset, and i'm fine with that, more for me.

Do you trap?
personally i've only seen the numbers go up. my feeling about the "at risk" statement, is more about lack of data so they are playing it safe, rather than that they are actually at risk.

Trapping turtles sounds like a cool idea is it hard

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February 12th, 2016, 05:00 PM
flytyermiller

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfb

This is what I love about my fellow fishermen and hunters. Try and tell them a resource is headed for trouble and the only thing they can think about is that it impacts their ability to harvest.

nothing the government said states that they are headed for trouble. they state that they don't know if they're heading for trouble, so they're being cautious. it might sound semantic, but there is a big difference between the two.
February 12th, 2016, 07:07 PM
rick_iles

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishermccann

Then it is no different, than trusting those that say these turtles are threatened, because nobody knows how many of them their are. If I wanted to eat fast and give some away , legally I could harvest 120 snapping turtles a season. I will err on the side of caution and take my 2.

Please explain this!!!!!
February 15th, 2016, 08:11 AM
patvetzal

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick_iles

All one needs to do is walk along turtle laying habitat. Not too many nests have not been dug up and eggs eaten.

If they are still intact, then you have no idea that they are still there, or not. eggs that the scavengers have FOUND that we see.
February 15th, 2016, 08:20 AM
patvetzal

Quote:

Originally Posted by gooseman

Were are we loosing? Maybe in yrs past but with today's laws and restrictions I don't see this happening

I grew up in NE Scarbourough in the 50/60's. Fields for miles. When I google the area I can find where our house was because of hydro corridors and RR lines but the ponds and swamps are gone. Might still be deer, coons and rabbits but the pheasants and snappers are gone....
February 15th, 2016, 08:32 AM
patvetzal

In our part of the province the MNR is doing quite a bit of research. The local Field Naturalist Club helps take records of nests and hatches. There are places where turtles are "guided" into traps over a time period to record movement prior to nesting. ( some females travel miles to find the " right" sandbank) and the MNR actually has decoy turtles that they put along highway 62 during nesting season so they can charge people who deliberately hit them.
This applies to Blandings, painted and snappers as well.

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