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Pond Turtles.......got to go! #6290209 05/07/16 02:40 AM
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flintknapper Online Content OP
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OK, not ‘Varmints’ but definitely ‘pests’!

Turtles (red eared sliders) were pretty much taking over one of our small ponds.

My older brother and I spent about an hour and a half thinning them out.

Took the .17 HMR down there, a pair of binoculars and a few cold drinks.

Sort of an East Texas version of prairie dog shooting.

By the time we left, we were hard pressed to spot any turtles. We won’t know the count for a day or two….when they come floating up, but it will be close to three dozen. Way…..too many for such a small pond.




Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6290275 05/07/16 04:07 AM
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Looks like good fun

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: SapperTitan] #6290289 05/07/16 04:48 AM
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Originally Posted By: SapperTitan
Looks like good fun


Fun to spend time with my brother.

Turtle reduction is just a necessary thing from time to time.

Nice weather today though, shady spot from which to shoot. No hurry. Shots ranged from 30 to 90 yards, most about 60 yds.

The accuracy of the CZ-455 was well appreciated since Turtle heads are not especially large targets.

Using 17 gr. CCI 'TNT' ammo...there were NO ricochets off the water. We either hit turtle or hit water, but either way... the fragile bullet would break up immediately upon impact.

Shots that missed made a distinct popping sound and produced a large spray of water. Direct hits resulted in a 'crack' like sound and very little if any water spray.

There were dozens of turtles swimming around when we first started. At one point I had to let the barrel cool down a bit. Toward the end...we had to scan the pond for minutes at a time to spot even the smallest ones at the far end of the pond.

We were able to put a real dent in them. I want a certain amount of turtles in the pond. They provide a good service in moderate numbers, but they were just everywhere. I could not cast a top water bait out into the water without turtles immediately going for it.

Probably be O.K. now until late fall, maybe next spring.


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6290296 05/07/16 05:49 AM
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Turtle shooting is a lot of fun and necessary, and yes the 17 HMR is a tack driver. Will also smack down smaller pigs and yotes too like you hit them in the head with a 4 pound hammer. clap If you have a chance to shoot the WSM, I'm pretty sure you will go eek2 Those fast little bullets turn a brain into jello in a millisecond and are just fun to shoot, and they are cheaper to shoot as well. up

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6290309 05/07/16 09:29 AM
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Used to do that in my ponds each summer. I would pull my 140 hp case on the dam and crawl up in the raised bucket, death from above grin


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Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6290575 05/07/16 04:53 PM
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sounds like a great time!

hadn't done it in a while but I loved shooting turtles as a kid. really helped me hone my rifle skills.


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Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6292490 05/09/16 06:48 PM
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The bench is cheating. We always had to find a stick with a fork on the end for a monopod. Good times.

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6292515 05/09/16 07:18 PM
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I need to do the same, we got about 30 acres of water bang



Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: aggiehunter03] #6292666 05/09/16 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted By: aggiehunter03
The bench is cheating. We always had to find a stick with a fork on the end for a monopod. Good times.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Roger that.

And I could do that 'back in the day', but I am 62 years old now....so a bench, some cool beverages and good optics are pretty much necessities. wink

At least I didn't have to take a nap. grin


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6293328 05/10/16 12:56 PM
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I take my boys out to my uncles ranch and turn them loose with their .22's.....


Originally Posted by Sneaky
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored]
Originally Posted by beaversnipe
Actually, BBC is pretty damn good

"You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6295374 05/11/16 08:17 PM
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We used to shoot them, but we are now trapping them. After seeing this, I am going to have to remove the trap so that we can get back to the fun.

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6295840 05/12/16 01:30 AM
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Just call Neil and the Turtle Man, they'll rush right over and get you all fixed up. rofl roflmao


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Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: LRG] #6296124 05/12/16 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted By: LRG
We used to shoot them, but we are now trapping them. After seeing this, I am going to have to remove the trap so that we can get back to the fun.


I went down to the pond yesterday and there were no fewer than 30 turtles floating. The wind had pushed them against the grass in one area. They were about 10-12' from the bank...or I would have stacked them up for a picture.

While I stood there....I saw exactly two turtle heads out in the pond. No doubt there a few more, but we put a serious dent in them. So now...I can go back to fishing top water again without the turtles attacking my lure.

We just had WAY too many of them in that small pond.


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6298532 05/14/16 05:08 PM
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up


Originally Posted by Sneaky
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored]
Originally Posted by beaversnipe
Actually, BBC is pretty damn good

"You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6298867 05/15/16 02:39 AM
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Have not tried these, just heard about them. http://turtlecrazy.com/

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6298937 05/15/16 08:57 AM
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A group of us had a similar experience a few years back on a hunt a couple hours South of Nuevo Laredo. High fenced but the place was loaded, absolutely covered up. The ranch owner and guides said the population had gotten so bad they were a nuisance and a distraction to their guests. They said we could kill as many as we wanted for free and that baiting was legal so a few of the group put out bait to draw them in and went to town. They had a blast, the way those chihuahuas exploded when they were shot, you'd have thought they'd been feeding on tannerite.

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: aerangis] #6299165 05/15/16 05:43 PM
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Originally Posted By: aerangis
A group of us had a similar experience a few years back on a hunt a couple hours South of Nuevo Laredo. High fenced but the place was loaded, absolutely covered up. The ranch owner and guides said the population had gotten so bad they were a nuisance and a distraction to their guests. They said we could kill as many as we wanted for free and that baiting was legal so a few of the group put out bait to draw them in and went to town. They had a blast, the way those chihuahuas exploded when they were shot, you'd have thought they'd been feeding on tannerite.


What in the world are you talking about? This thread is about shooting turtles on a pond?


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6299313 05/15/16 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: flintknapper
Originally Posted By: aerangis
A group of us had a similar experience a few years back on a hunt a couple hours South of Nuevo Laredo. High fenced but the place was loaded, absolutely covered up. The ranch owner and guides said the population had gotten so bad they were a nuisance and a distraction to their guests. They said we could kill as many as we wanted for free and that baiting was legal so a few of the group put out bait to draw them in and went to town. They had a blast, the way those chihuahuas exploded when they were shot, you'd have thought they'd been feeding on tannerite.


What in the world are you talking about? This thread is about shooting turtles on a pond?


Turtles....chihuahuas....same difference..... clap


Originally Posted by Sneaky
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored]
Originally Posted by beaversnipe
Actually, BBC is pretty damn good

"You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6316755 05/31/16 02:39 AM
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That's good summertime target practice.

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6362147 07/08/16 04:29 AM
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This was one of my favorite pastimes growing up on my grandparents farm! Empty a magazine and then come back later to count/collect bodies.

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6362152 07/08/16 04:31 AM
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Turtles...not chihuahuas

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6362276 07/08/16 11:06 AM
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Great choice, the .17 HMR

Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6363721 07/09/16 07:44 PM
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we keep them cleaned out with the 17hmr, now going to try with the17wsm


hold on Newt, we got a runaway
Re: Pond Turtles.......got to go! [Re: flintknapper] #6367317 07/12/16 11:45 PM
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Always enjoy an afternoon of turtle thinning.


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