A Snapping Turtle and a Spotted Turtle

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
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suresue592003 said:
If I understand the postings correctly, in post # 10 in this thread BobM posted a link to a photo you took and it gives credit with your name.
Tell me, am I still confused?


Look at post number 9. That is my post and in number 10 my link is in the reply portion of Bob's post.

Anyway, thanks for the app weight.

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
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Sep 17, 2002
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BTW, I wonder how much money a 29 pound turtle gets someone? Because I drove away and decided to return within minutes and it was gone. A car had passed by and may have taken it.

Guy
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,218
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Pines; Bamber area
How can that snapper in the photo weigh that much? No way! How big was he Guy? In the photo, I estimate maybe 13" long, am I wrong? Am I being fooled by perspective?
 

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
A 28lb snapper isn't really that big. In the old days they were much bigger. Like I said, I have this great picture (a newspaper clipping) from around 1953. It shows 2 snappers held by their tails by two locals. Not sure how to go about searching archives to bring up the story as well as any other photos.
My friend is 65 years old and has trapped snappers his entire life. I am going to get a tape recorder and tape interviews with him. He is the one in the newspaper clipping holding the snapper. From him I will find out how much money a 28lber brings, and how heavy the ones in the photo are. I definately need to get a scanner. I have some really great pics of him about 15 yrs ago with some real big ones!
 

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
In case anyone is interested...years ago a snapper sold for .50 a lb after gutting it. After gutting it, it would weigh half as much...so the 28lber paid around $7-$8.00. My friend said the biggest snapper he ever got weighed
45 lbs.
 

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
The snapper in the picture looks old, thus having claws that long. It looks like he/she has one eye as well.
As for the snapper season, I heard from October till the season ends on Jan 1,
the snappers are hibernating, thus buried in the mud. It doesn't make sense to me to even have a season during this time. Sounds like something "they" put on the calendar just to sound fair.
 

swwit

Explorer
Apr 14, 2005
168
1
I'm not sure if it's still living. But the record size common snapping turtle was located in the Staten Island Zoo during the 1980's. They had said it was over 100lbs. and 20+ inches long. It was kept with a very large alligator snapping turtle.
 

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
I would have loved to seen that snapper! Of course it was well fed, and all the protection...all it had to do was lay around and get fat. Snappers in the wild don't stand a chance like that.
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
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suresue592003 said:
The snapper in the picture looks old, thus having claws that long. It looks like he/she has one eye as well.
As for the snapper season, I heard from October till the season ends on Jan 1,
the snappers are hibernating, thus buried in the mud. It doesn't make sense to me to even have a season during this time. Sounds like something "they" put on the calendar just to sound fair.


It also looks like a leg is damaged or missing part of it.

Guy
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,218
4,317
Pines; Bamber area
suresue592003 said:
In case anyone is interested...years ago a snapper sold for .50 a lb after gutting it. After gutting it, it would weigh half as much...so the 28lber paid around $7-$8.00. My friend said the biggest snapper he ever got weighed
45 lbs.

Ohhh, then we got a contender for the title Sue! I spoke to the guy who knows the guy who caught the one at Lakehurst. He caught it about 8 years ago (I think) and it was 36 pounds then. He caught it again recently and it now weighs either 42, 44, or 46 pounds, I was not listening well. I should have the photo tomorrow.......
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,955
3,112
Pestletown, N.J.
suresue592003 said:
As for the snapper season, I heard from October till the season ends on Jan 1,
the snappers are hibernating, thus buried in the mud. It doesn't make sense to me to even have a season during this time. Sounds like something "they" put on the calendar just to sound fair.

Sue
Check my earlier post. I gave the exact season information and the Fish and Wildlife link to the season and bag limits.
Scott
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,341
327
Near Mt. Misery
That is a big snapper. The one I saw was perhaps a little larger. Definitely not any smaller than the one in the photo. It is tough to try to put it in perspective from memory with this photo. I would tend to guess that the snapper I saw is probably closer to the 42lbs that this snapper in the photo weighs now.

Jeff
 

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
Guy, guess what...

Hey Guy, guess what!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I dug up some great info on those trucks of yours...
Those are pulp wood trucks. Apparently, those trucks were quite common in the pines. The town folk used them to run all over the woods and cut pulp (pine) wood, take it to the road and stack it. Once they accumulated alot, a hauling truck would come and take it away. It was hard work back then, considereing the wood had to stacked and loaded several times. I was told, the wood was hauled to Philadelphia or Gloucester, sawed up in mills and used for paper. The batteries were always removed, because back then they were considered great value and often were stolen. These men would used what ever they could to make up these trucks, weather the front of pickups, cars or tractors. There is even a murder mystery behind one of those trucks you pictured...but I am leaving that for my book.
 
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