Posted on 06/26/2022 6:36:36 PM PDT by texas booster
The turtle weighed around 200 lbs and was likely over a 100 years old, angler Justin Broomhall estimated.
The Longview, Texas resident hooked a massive alligator snapping turtle on Father's Day, the biggest he's ever seen. "My dad was like 'Holy smokes, look at the size of that!'" Broomhall said. "My three-year-old son started panicking. He thought it was a dinosaur and kept saying, 'Let it go. Let it go. Put it back!'"
Broomhall was using dough bait in hopes of reeling in a catfish, he said. However, "from [the turtle] being so old and going blind, he's using his smell to find bait," he said. "I guess he felt it, thinking it was some other dead fish and he ate it."
When Broomhall reached behind the turtle's head and grabbed his shell to hoist the turtle, he noticed the hook was still in its mouth.
"So I just slid off in the water with him and grabbed him by his back leg and grabbed him by his tail," Broomhall said, explaining how they were able to bring the beast in and remove the hook. "My dad pulled me back on land, and I pulled him up about halfway out of the water, and then we threw a rope around his head and flipped him over on his back."
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
“The turtle weighed around 200 lbs and was likely over a 100 years old, angler Justin Broomhall estimated.“
The turtle is said to have voted a straight Democrat ticket in every election since 1922.
why are they protected?
Definitely not 200 pounds though.
I guess at one time (maybe still are!) endangered in Texas.
They’re protected in WV and they’ve made a significant comeback. There’s talk about removing the protection.
They’re big ugly nasty tempered if bothered and I’m told tasty. I knew people back when I was a kid that hunted them and ate them.
I would be up for trying one ;)
Circa 1962, I just a kid in the swamp with Dr. Gentry, he was an avid sportsman and fisherman of big catfish and turtles such as in the picture. Those turtles scared the hell out of me. Doc was my mentor.
Said turtles were taken to JC Fishers bar and weekend restaurant of which great turtle soup was made along with crabs and shrimp. JC was not the chef. Another local of great culinary ability was, Mr. Primo Saint Pierre. It was wonderful. It was all a family affair with kids and all. I was a kid then.
Times were simple in La Rose, Louisiana in 1962 and I miss it.
In May I would take my craw fish nets and catch 20 or 30 lbs of such in a few hours if they were biting. It made a great evening at home around the fire outside we cooked them on. We purged them first in salt water least they taste muddy.
Then we boiled them with spices. It was delicious.
Those days of innocence are gone now. It was perfect and sadly gone.
Bass Pro Shops in Springfield had one like that in the aquarium for several years.
I read the article and it didn’t explain how they removed the hook.
100-150 years old?!? That’s Galopagos giant tortoise years!
Cool that they let that reptile back into the pond. Ducks and ducklings beware!
I studied the photos. Maybe the thing is blind. But I thought I saw a tiny little eye on each side of its head between two of the photos.
Texas is a home of the brave.
That monster would snap your arm clean off. Gone.
Thats big alright. But if that fella is holding him up like that, he’s probably well south of 200lbs
Here in north FL, I did a “turtle rescue” on a smaller younger alligator snapping turtle that was in the middle of a road and confused. I thought I’d grab his shell from behind so he couldn’t reach me with that beak which was at least 4” long: dangerous.
What amazed me was how agile and quick that snapping turtle was. Up high on all 4 legs, breast plate well clear of the ground, it jumped around and turned 180* to face me like Bruce Lee. No way could you lift it up from behind, it was much to quick. I ended up using my foot to “gently” push/kick it into the grass off the pavement.
That giant 100 year old Texas turtle was probably a lot slower than a younger and smaller one.
Just like most people over estimate the weight of bears.
I am sure the weight of this turtle is over estimated.
Unless you actual put it on a scale I do not believe it was close to 200lbs.
Kinda looks like Stacey Abrams, though smarter.
Young Snapper speaks: “They don’t call me ‘The Nimble Ninja Turtle” for nothing!”
Yes they are.
Friend of mine caught a 108lb Alligator snapper (logger head) near Freeport Texas. Not fun loading. Took it to a coonass crane operator that grew up in Southern Louisiana. When we showed it to him he broke into Creole, ran to his garage still hollering in Creole. Came back out of garage with hatchet and 2” dowel rod. Poke him in the mouth, the turtle bit into stick, pulled his head out and whack.
He started hollering again an his wife came out of house with big pot of boiling water, flipped it on back and started scalding it. In about 10 minutes they were done.
The coonass bbgd it and if you ever get a chance to eat some,do. It is great.
Oh note. When we dumped off guts and head. The head still had grip on stick and would not release.
Hold my beer and watch this
It was very impressive. Forget the shell, that thing was like a lizard on meth how fast it could spin 180*
You Absolutely Don’t Want to Get Bitten By This Turtle
[2 minute video of how a snapping turtle hunts]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjdJaO-BNUk&ab_channel=SmithsonianChannel
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