I caught another little guy this morning. TN law requires them to be a minimum of 12″ in length to keep. It is probably for the best that I didn’t catch a big one, as we are heading to a Wild Food Festival and my wife will appreciate me not smelling like a butchered turtle on our car trip.

The words of a good friend echo in my mind… “Your Blog is not your diary!! Show them how to do something“. One of my unofficial business coach is a decorated Marine combat leader, so I censored the expletives from his sage advice, but I love his “it may taste bad, but eat it” style.

“Hai, Sensei!!” is usually my response

So here is a quick lesson on wrangling a turtle once he is on dry land. They are faster than they look, pretty ornery, and their long necks can reach surprisingly far.

Step 1: ” Open mouth, insert foot” Well not really. You step on their head and upper shell pinning them.

Step 2: Grab the tail

Step 3: Remember the turtle’s reach and throw it in your turtle sack if it is big enough or turn it loose.

TN turtle regulations:

http://www.eregulations.com/tennessee/fishing/snapping-turtles-2/