Rose Cottage Ltd

It is probably a good thing one can’t see everything that lives in a lake or pond. You would probably find that wading or swimming or even fishing, is not always as appealing as you once thought.

Once and awhile you find out the hard way what lurks below the surface…in this case Snapping Turtles – big ones!!

I was enjoying a day around the lake late last Summer. Geese with their 10 week-old goslings were having a nice shower under the fountain and all was well with my world. Suddenly, the 12 or so geese started screeching and all took off for the lake’s edge – save one of the goslings. This poor goose was valiantly trying to make it to shore but appeared to be held nearly immobile by some unseen force from below the water.

While he or she made all effort to reach the shore, I hot-footed it around the lake to see if I could assist. The gosling and I reached the same spot on the shore at the same time and to my total surprise, I saw what appeared to be a very large shell in the water holding one of the legs of the goose extended backwards- keeping him from getting out of the water.

It was one of these:

Well, that’s the way I’d seen it prior to the attack. Not too aggressive…didn’t seem to bother the fish…no harm, no foul. I knew there was at least one large turtle living in the lake. He visited often in the evenings during fish feeding time. That is their food in the water floating around him.

Unfortunately, he also looks like this:

Well, to be without the net would be more to his liking and out of the trap and back in the lake may have improved his disposition. After the attack on the goose I was not willing to find out.

Fortunately, during that attack I was at the right place at the right time and was able to give the turtle a hard enough smack on his shell to make him release the goose – who left with a bloody foot – but without permanent injury.

However, this created a real tough decision regarding lake management. I have a turtle who has potentially lived in this lake for most of the fifteen years the lake has been in existence. The turtle could possibly live another fifteen to twenty years. At the same time, there have been nesting geese on the lake for the past three seasons. This means every May I get to enjoy seeing these:

The problem is I’m afraid the turtle may enjoy them as well.

What to do?

First thing was to research and procure a turtle trap of some sort. This is a turtle that weighs somewhere around 40 pounds and has the same circumference as a 20 gallon trash can. Finding something appropriate and up to the task took a bit of work. It appeared a “Turtle Hoop Net” was going to be the best bet and fortunately for me, Heinsohn’s Country Store had just the thing for around $130.00.

Below is a photo of it stretched out and prior to insertion in the lake:

Getting the net stretched out properly and pegged to the bottom of the lake was a little more difficult. Once that was accomplished I admit to being a bit skeptical that any turtle would ever consider getting himself involved with all that netting. Never doubt a turtle’s desire to get to a piece of chicken bait though. Within 2 days of placing the net in the water – BINGO! – we had our suspect in custody – and boy was he pissed!!

He snapped, he hissed, he rocked back and forth like some miniature bulldozer…he gave me the “evil eye”…the thing looked like some sort of prehistoric demon. He had to go.

Fortunately, my property is fairly close to a 12,500 lake and that was chosen as his new home. Normally, I am against moving an animal from its native environment but I can’t imagine that he will not thrive in his new location. Now that it is nearly hatching time again for the lake’s geese, I am preparing the 2009 (and now 2010), launch of the turtle net.

Two days after catching the first turtle, a second of equal size was captured and driven in comfort to the same larger lake. I like to think they met up again and did a “High 5″ or whatever turtles do…

Who says rural living is boring?