Turtle

S/M I found this to be very true. When you see turtles and or frogs on  a lake,you know that lake is in very good shape IMO.

Saw a bunch of turtles today.  3 Western Painted Turtles on a log, and then found a young snapper on a gravel road.  Carried that one off to a safe location.  It got a bit grumpy...lol.

Relocated this snapper a long ways from pavement to a backwoods pond , picked up 4 ticks in the process .   

The thouralfare between Big Sand & Long Lake today. Saw ​3 nice Snappers. They really had a green look to them.
It seemed the water was a bit lower for this time of year. Be careful if you putt through there!!

Lots of turtles out today sunning themselves.  Mostly Midland and Western Painted Turtles.  Pic of a western painted turtle.

Don’t people “noodle” for catfish down there? Where you stick your hand down in the muddy water and into a hollowed out log or crevice along the bank of rivers…imagine one of those turtles waiting there for your a s s …
I wouldn’t even get near it on that thin ice. It’s no wonder the south has shorter life expectancy 

Yeah...the massive size of the head and entire turtle gives it away.  Good to know the photo came from Arkansas, right in the heart of Alligator Snapper territory.

Thats amazing pic.

That turtle looks like it is an Alligator Snapping Turtle.  Not found in WI, but its northern range takes it into Illinois and Iowa.

FWIW,  in WI we have seen turtles swimming under the ice (early ice).  It's rare to see, but it does happen.

It's probably over 100 yrs old. When we were kids we caught one like that. Dad always said he'd make turtle soup if we got a big one. We chopped its head off, hung it by the tail on the clothes line. Dad was working 3-11. Couldn't wait to show him. We go to show Dad and it was gone. The rope broke, we could track it with the dew in the grass. It went over 100 yds directly towards the Duck Creek River where we caught it over 1/4 mile away!! 
I could NEVER kill one again. I don't remember but was told the soup was good...Dad was such a great cook. Today is his 2nd Birthday in Heaven. We sure do miss ya Pa

Where was that pic taken?

That's a whopper. I thought they buried themselves too.

I knew an old river rat that would go to the slews and look for air bubbles in the ice. He would drive a steel rod through the ice into the turtle and then chip around them. He used to have the huge shells hanging on the cabin wall.

My brother just sent this to me . I thought they went down in the mud over winter ?

It ain’t happy MUSKY  

Baby turtles sprouting from the dirt last couple days. Scooped up 10 wandering around the yard. Will take them down to the water hole so they stay hydrated before nightfall.