Back in the mid 70s in Michigan we had no season on snapping turtles nor a size limit .
This one night a friend of mine and I were on a small river , he was paddling the canoe and I would stand in the front with lanterns mounted and shoot snapping turtles with my K-Mag . Now the season for spear fishing in Michigan was over about two weeks earlier so I was strictly turtle hunting .
We had a fairly good night with five turtles that were from twelve to fifteen inches across the back shell . As we were coming back to my truck about 2:00AM , we noticed another truck parked there as well . When we climbed out of the canoe and started walking to the truck with a gunny sack full of turtles a very bright flashlight came on and was right in my eyes . A mans voice said keep coming on up to the road and bring that sack with you . It was a Conservation Officer . So we did . He asked me what was in the sack and I told him snapping turtles . He told me to empty the sack here in the road at his feet . I asked him if he was sure and he insisted . So all five of the turtles that were very upset to begin with began to posture , hiss and snap at his feet . He jumped back and was talking about a Chinese guy called Ho Lee somebody .
I then asked him if he would hold the sack for me and help get the turtles back in the sack . He told me that he would be glad to hold the flashlight for me .
He had never even heard of getting turtles that way and I explained how I shot them threw the neck so they are easier to handle and you don't get the arrow stuck in the shell .
Sure do miss those days . It was about fifteen years later that they started the turtle season , size limit , bag limit and you couldn't use a bow and arrow or spring device .
Topic: Surprised Conservation Officer (Read 583 times)
