Post by yihunt on Sept 13, 2009 10:58:38 GMT -4
Noodling for turtles is risky business
Sunday, September 13, 2009
By Deborah Weisberg
Turtle season runs through October. John Barley holds a snapping turtle.When John Barley was a boy, his father took him to see a trophy marlin a friend had caught and mounted on his wall.
But as impressive as the fish was, the snapping turtle shells in the man's home fascinated young Barley more, and he made up his mind that turtling was what he wanted to try his hand at, literally.
Now 49, Barley noodles for turtles in marshes and streams around Western Pennsylvania. Although he's never lost a finger, he's had a few close calls, including one just recently.
"I took a turtle for granted and he just about got me," said Barley, a grocery store manager who lives in Gibsonia. "He shredded my leather glove pretty good with his rear foot. It was a bit of a wake-up call."
The harvesting of turtles is regulated by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A small number of turtle anglers catch them with set-lines and traps , but Barley prefers the thrill of catching then by hand, especially since he releases about 90 percent of what he captures.
He admits the element of danger is part of the allure.
"It keeps you aware," he said. "Besides sharp claws, snapping turtles have these shredder-type mouths and long necks. Guys who don't pay attention lose fingers, and I'd like to keep mine."
September is the nearing the end of mid-turtle season in Pennsylvania, which runs July 1 through Oct. 31, with a daily limit of 15 and a possession limit of 30. Snapping turtles have finished breeding and are now foraging, especially at dawn and dusk, which is when Barley typically hunts for them.
"I've gone to Pine Creek, Moraine [State Park], and inlets on the Allegheny River. I do well at marshes," he says. "Some of them are private, so I'll just knock on someone's door and ask if I can go into their swamp. Farm ponds are good, too."
Like in real estate, location is everything.
"The perfect setting for me is a marsh about a foot and a half deep with a spring coming into it," he said.
If he's turtling in a stream, Barley feels his way along an undercut bank, focusing on areas with submerged tree roots or blow-downs.
"I'll try to keep my hands as high in the water as possible along the bank," he said. "I'd never stick my hand down deep until I know which way a turtle is turned. The front of the shell is smooth. The rear has jagged edges. You definitely want the rear."
If he's heading to a swamp, he takes a broomstick with him. He looks for turtle heads coming out of the water for air, then wades to that spot and taps the bottom until he hears a "thunk."
"I'll reach down until I feel the top of the shell, again looking for the jagged edge at the back," he said. "Sometimes they'll grab a tree root or a log and just dig themselves in so much you can't budge them. Otherwise, I'll pull the turtle up with both hands. They're usually kicking and hissing. They're definitely not happy."
The state Fish and Boat Commission's environmental director John Arway advises people to not grab the tail or legs if they plan to release a turtle.
"You risk injuring the turtle's back," he said. "We'd rather you grab it by the shell."
Barley harvests turtles as a favor to friends who want the meat.
"People ask, but it's a messy, time-consuming job to remove the shell and take out the fat and bones," he said. "I don't do it often."
Turtles can be commercially harvested in Pennsylvania, although a $50-a-year permit is required.
Arway said so few folks actually target snapping turtles the high creel limit doesn't appear to be over-pressuring the resource. And while no special stamp is needed for recreational turtling, unattended traps must include tags with the owner's name and address to ensure that incidentally-captured protected species, such as spotted turtles, are safely released in the process.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
By Deborah Weisberg
Turtle season runs through October. John Barley holds a snapping turtle.When John Barley was a boy, his father took him to see a trophy marlin a friend had caught and mounted on his wall.
But as impressive as the fish was, the snapping turtle shells in the man's home fascinated young Barley more, and he made up his mind that turtling was what he wanted to try his hand at, literally.
Now 49, Barley noodles for turtles in marshes and streams around Western Pennsylvania. Although he's never lost a finger, he's had a few close calls, including one just recently.
"I took a turtle for granted and he just about got me," said Barley, a grocery store manager who lives in Gibsonia. "He shredded my leather glove pretty good with his rear foot. It was a bit of a wake-up call."
The harvesting of turtles is regulated by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A small number of turtle anglers catch them with set-lines and traps , but Barley prefers the thrill of catching then by hand, especially since he releases about 90 percent of what he captures.
He admits the element of danger is part of the allure.
"It keeps you aware," he said. "Besides sharp claws, snapping turtles have these shredder-type mouths and long necks. Guys who don't pay attention lose fingers, and I'd like to keep mine."
September is the nearing the end of mid-turtle season in Pennsylvania, which runs July 1 through Oct. 31, with a daily limit of 15 and a possession limit of 30. Snapping turtles have finished breeding and are now foraging, especially at dawn and dusk, which is when Barley typically hunts for them.
"I've gone to Pine Creek, Moraine [State Park], and inlets on the Allegheny River. I do well at marshes," he says. "Some of them are private, so I'll just knock on someone's door and ask if I can go into their swamp. Farm ponds are good, too."
Like in real estate, location is everything.
"The perfect setting for me is a marsh about a foot and a half deep with a spring coming into it," he said.
If he's turtling in a stream, Barley feels his way along an undercut bank, focusing on areas with submerged tree roots or blow-downs.
"I'll try to keep my hands as high in the water as possible along the bank," he said. "I'd never stick my hand down deep until I know which way a turtle is turned. The front of the shell is smooth. The rear has jagged edges. You definitely want the rear."
If he's heading to a swamp, he takes a broomstick with him. He looks for turtle heads coming out of the water for air, then wades to that spot and taps the bottom until he hears a "thunk."
"I'll reach down until I feel the top of the shell, again looking for the jagged edge at the back," he said. "Sometimes they'll grab a tree root or a log and just dig themselves in so much you can't budge them. Otherwise, I'll pull the turtle up with both hands. They're usually kicking and hissing. They're definitely not happy."
The state Fish and Boat Commission's environmental director John Arway advises people to not grab the tail or legs if they plan to release a turtle.
"You risk injuring the turtle's back," he said. "We'd rather you grab it by the shell."
Barley harvests turtles as a favor to friends who want the meat.
"People ask, but it's a messy, time-consuming job to remove the shell and take out the fat and bones," he said. "I don't do it often."
Turtles can be commercially harvested in Pennsylvania, although a $50-a-year permit is required.
Arway said so few folks actually target snapping turtles the high creel limit doesn't appear to be over-pressuring the resource. And while no special stamp is needed for recreational turtling, unattended traps must include tags with the owner's name and address to ensure that incidentally-captured protected species, such as spotted turtles, are safely released in the process.