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I have been trapping turtles for a solid week now,
I was scratching my head when when I would go out in the morning to check my traps and not see any turtles in my traps, yet in the after noon I would find between 20-30 turtles in my traps.
I found this strange because my traps would be filled with bait and when I got back the bait would be gone...
yesterday I set up a special rigging to check if there was human intervention going on. sure enuff there was, so today I pulled a fast one, I had pretended to leave and lingered out of site to see who was messing with my traps.
low and behold I caught him, a man running a critter controll business....
makes me wonder what any one else would do to a man who was running and screwing with ther traps? I wonder how he would feal if I started running behind him?
![[Image: gallery_21_9_64208.jpg]](http://fishing.ibforums.com/uploads/1122934836/gallery_21_9_64208.jpg)
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[size 1]I went back tonight "time undisclosed incase some one is looking".... I pulled my small trap and wouldnt you know it, there is a trutle in the trap...
I disabled my larger trap because I wont be checking it tomarow because of a strom and I want to do a little more work to it.
I also want to take some time to stock up on bait so I can dont have to catch bait and run traps at the same time. not that I mind doing both at the same time, it just seems like waisted time
attached is a pic of the turtle I caught tonight and the trap I caught it in....
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11562;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11562;)
he is to small to do anything with so he will be released in to another privet pond where is wanted to help with a gold fish problem.... [/size]
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11563;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11563;)
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i can see something purple in the pic and what appears to be those headpiece flashlights, is he in a wet suit ?
i'de call this a harassment violation , they (dnr) going to investigate this ?
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I will have to get a good day time picture.
the purple thingys are water wienies. they are placed inside the cage to keep part of the trap above water.
according to michigan state law your traps must be set in a manner that a turtle can stick his head up above water and breith.
the lake is privet property so the dnr has no jurisdiction here....
I have done one better, I have turned him in to some trapping buddies of mine and they will start running circles around him. I build my traps, he is buying his.... he will be able to spot the trappers watching him, and therefor get the message.... my buds wont do any thing to him other let him know that he is messin with old time trappers. and we study each and every animal before we trap them....
I had an old mink one time who for about a month got the better of me, kicking over my traps with out setting them off, stealing bait from my traps.
and just when he thought he had me down pat I caught him.... like the mink he did not realize that he was being watched....
he has racoons he could get paid to go after there, he dont need my turtles....
ya know I have run fur traps along side other trappers on the same water at the same time as other trappers. and what I found out is that I would get furs that he wouldnt normaly catch and the same with him from me. I learned my tactics from old farmers where as most trappers of today learned from books and few from their papa's. There has only been less ocations than I can count digits on my left hand where I have had altercations with other trappers, and even then we usualy found common grunds and became beer buds and ice fishing buds for the winter, and on ocation we ran our lines together....
we had respect for one another, we didnt steal or set off traps intentionaly to ruin any one elses production. Trappers are a breed of their own, I am not saying all trappers are as noble as it sounds, there are indeed a few rotton possums at the bottom of the whole.... and every body knows them......
Trappers have minds like steal bear traps, sharp cunning and dont miss. (when someting goes off it gets caught) My line used to be 371 long. I knew where every single one was set, how it was set, if it was a bait set or a trail set or a swim set or a float set. I used to freek out the kids in school when I could remember the name of every kid and where each kid sat in class and their locker, what they wouldnt eat out of their lunch bags or food tray from the caffiteria on top of all that I could tell every one of them their grade point avarages. when half the kids could not tell you how many kids were in the class room let alone every thing else.
it is not somthing astonishing realy, it is much the same as a race car driver who has made his 20th lap around the track of indy 500. you see it every time you go around you cant help but notice every tire track every pump in the track and how many seconds to your next lap card.
point in case is that when doing your job means stealing from some one else then you realy aint doin your job, and the day will come when you will starve to death because the one you are stealing from wont stick around long or worse yet catch on to what your doin and get some one else to do it to you [crazy].....
me I could not stay in a job where I would have to steal from some one else in order to compete, I would not be able to look at my self in the mirror in the mornings or come home to the wife and kids and look them straight in the face and tell them I did a good days work....
maybe it is me, but I have always taken pride in my work and what I do. even if it wasnt the best it was honest and I did my best....
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here is my latest catch.
changing my checking times is paying off.
this one weighted in at 30 pounds
the goal of getting the swans pack to the pond has been acheived....
I built new bait cages to hold the bait. this time I added a door not just an opening. I found on the last bait cage when I pulled the trap that removing the bait not only was it smelly after sitting on the lake a few days removing it was nearly imposible.
the new bait cages has a 5 inch square door that I wired shut with a hog ring once it is filled so now when I want to empty it all I need do is clip the hog ring with my cutters, one snip and the old bait is in the water.... no bother [cool]
In the attahment below is another picture of my small trap, same one as in the earlier post only with better light.
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11662;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11662;)
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I'VE PUT THE TRAPS UP FOR A BIT , BUT KNOW THE HARD WORK AND ENJOYMENT THAT COMES WITH RUNNING A LINE .
I'VE THUMPED FOR TURTLES TWICE THIS YEAR WITH "LITTLE" RESULTS , ALL UNDERSIZED .
THE THUMPING STAFF IS A CEDAR SAPLING I WHITTLED DOWN , WADING THE SMALL PONDS WITH TRAILS GOING FROM ONE TO ANOTHER , ONCE I STEP ON ONE I GIVE IT A THUMP TO FEEL IF ITS A ROCK OR A STEW . I RUN THE STAFF ALONG THE OUTSIDE RIM OF THE SHELL TO FIGURE OUT WHICH END IS WHICH AND GRAB ON AND HOPE THERE WAS NO MISTAKE MADE IN MY JUDGEMENT , LOL !
A THIRTY POUNDER LIKE YOURS AND I'DE BE IN A REAL PICKEL !
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no doubt, a turtle that size in his eliment is the master of his domane.
I expect that there is a bigger one there, as I was bringing the one out something hit my boat and rocked it, all of a sudden I got that lake plassit fealing.... [shocked]
any way the day I caught the 30 pounder the swans came back, but not in to the canal. I moved my trap there today just a few feet from where I feld the colision. Sure hope the trap is bigenuff. the door is only 27 inches wide...[crazy]
now if you check with the state they say that michigans Common Snapper only reaches 30-35 pounds. I swear I have seen bigger.... Hope I get a 50 pounder, I am going to challange the records.....
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somewhere in the archives of the not necessarly fishing board is a post about sea monsters , one is about a sea turtle .
a pretty big sea turtle .
there's big ones in union lake , i've seen them . some that only a trap made of rerod could hold , if your lucky .
detroit river has it's share of stump sized heads coming up for air , anyone that fishes off the southern end of mud island can swear to that .
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DID YOU CACTH THOSE OUT OF YOUR LAKE?
THOSE ARE SOME GOOD SIZE TURTLES. DID YOU KEEP THE SHELLS?
GOOD JOB
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nope, not out of my lake, tho I did release a few more in to my lake... "Under Sized"
Yep, I do keep them, hope one day to sell them, I lost all my old ones, dont know what happened to them...
thanks....
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how do you keep them from pealing ? as soon as mine start to dry they just peel up .
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use a heavy clear laquer, Pollyurithane, shalack, clear fiberglass resins.
if you keep them dry out of moisture you wont have any problems.
the tricky part is cleaning all the flesh from the shell before finishing it off....
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one turtle shell , one anthill, one day , problem solved[cool].
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SSSHHH that a traid secreat [blush]
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[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"][#000000]Reporting Hunter/Angler Harassment[/#000000][/font]
[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"]
Hunters and anglers in Michigan have the right to enjoy their sport free from deliberate interference. Individuals whose hunting is being obstructed should promptly report the violation to a local conservation officer, by calling the Report All Poaching (RAP) Hotline, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, at: 800-292-7800, or contact the the nearest [url "http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/1,1607,7-153--21107--,00.html"][#000000]DNR Operations Service Center[/#000000][/url], 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
It is important that any person who is harassed maintain his or her composure and remember all significant details of the incident. To assist hunters, the following has been prepared to help organize significant events.[/font]
[url "http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10363-120726--,00.html"][font "Arial"]Reporting Hunter/Angler Harassment[/font][/url]
[url "http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10363-120726--,00.html"]http://www.michigan.gov/...363-120726--,00.html[/url]
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Hey Stormy,
you get froze in this morning, a whole 0* out side our house around 5 am this morning.
was wondering how your deer season went?
did you make it over to the west coast for salmon?
and are you ready for ice fishing season next week?
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For me , a couple kings and steel at the Pentwater bridge in the early season , one big king mid run 20+ on 6 lb. test at the manistee , lost a lot of line , LOL !
Bow deer , one 6 point , after 200 yds the trail just ended , searched for a couple days , the rack was huge ! Never found him .
Rifle , one nice 10 point at dusk , he went into the swamp , so did I . 3 hours of searching before the batterys went dead , found what was left of it 2 days later .
Now , if my luck wasn't bad enough , the opener today .
I only have an hour of light when I get to my area after work .
I was over anxious I guess , A buck came in just before dusk , sighted him in , at about 50 feet , pop .
Pop? , I put in another cap , pop .
What the heck ? Where's the BOOM ?
The deer was getting a little spooked but stayed there for two additional caps , both went pop .
A 15 minute walk home and another 45 minutes outside just incase I had a slow burner load .
Pulled the sabbot and put in the patch puller to break up the powder to empty the charge .
Betcha that buck woulda dropped IF , (I say again ) IF I had remembered to put the powder in my hawkins .
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Congrats on the 8 point burger, is he going to be a mount or a set of rattling racks? cant go wrong eather way....
I am looking forward to a christmas bass my self... through the ice is the only time I care to eat them..
I did find out why we did not get any fish out on my lake last year, a fuel oil drum from behind erics old party store on commerce and south commerce was leaking fuel oil in the river all winter running off all the fish. I expect we to have fish again this year, maybe a few more jumbo perch...
I picked up a used portable should the need arise.
as ya know I am not much of a shelter user but it is availale any time... just let me know and I will bring it out.
my lake is froze all over, I dont trust it just yet. I was in town yesterday but didnt have my thinking cap on so I didnt check that lake out, it usualy is stable days before my lake is available. I saw your lake has been stiff for a couple weeks now but with all the springs in there I dare say that one is trust worthy eather at the moment..
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I just assed the situation down there, 2 inches. not enough to venture out yet. hopfuly the water coming over top the ice from the river will make a couple more inches in the next couple days...
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OURS IS GROWING AT 3/4 OF A INCH PER DAY , NOT BAD AS LONG AS THIS WEATHER HOLDS OUT .
STILL HUNTING FOR BULLWINKLE THOU , MIGHT TAKE SAT OR SUN OFF FOR A TRIP ON THE ICE THOU .
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