I am talking about the water variety, generally painted turtles. These varmints steal the bait off my trotlines and when they get caught the make a tangled mess. Snapping turtles are edible but in some places are concidered endangered (BS). They make for some sporty shooting if you are on a high bank and require fine accuracy to consistantly make head shots. Any ideas?

R-300
do you really think it is advisable to shoot at water? there's always a good chance of riciche& the chance of injury to inocent peoplein the area =bad publisity to us shooters& hefty lithagtion bills

Before I knew what varmint shooting was, I was keep the turtle population down in the farm ponds. Not many houses around and I sure didn't shoot in the direction of the cows either.

I still shoot them when I visit my old homestead. Mom has a 2 acre pond by the house. The only difference now is my 22's all grew glass and are a lot more accurate. The 17's are a kick also, but almost unfair.

When I was a kid I used to pull snapping turtles out of the ditch and take them to the neighbor.
Butchering them was always fun as the meat moves the entire time.

I sure consider them varmits when I am running trotlines! For a while I cut their throuats and let them die so I could get my hook back, then realized that just drew in more.

If by 'varmit' you mean something alive, preferably with nuisance value, that can be shot and left for fertilizer, yes I vote that they are varmits.

I grew up using a Crossman 760 pellet gun on them...mostly red-eared mud turtles down here, and sometimes it would take 2-3 head shots to kill them. The first one or two would knock them silly. Ever tried to hit one in the head while it is swimming in circles with an open sighted pellet gun!?!?

I believe that snapping turtles are PREDATORS!
Anyone ever watched the way they hunt fish and ducks?

I like using my 22 Hornet with 46 grain Hollow Points when shooting on the water!

Same thing goes for beavers when they get too thick!

I've never been real concerned with the "richochet" factor wnen shooting turtles or beavers or muskrats!!!! Only reason for a richochet is "not hitting what you're shooting at!!!!" Vmax, BlitzKings should do fine!! A turtle hit with a VMAX or BLITZKING can do some acrobatics!!!! So can muskrats!!! Beavers are a little harder to "launch"!!! They sometimes require the 25-06, 7mmMag or 300SAUM!!! But you can launch them if using enough firepower!!!! GHD PS: the 17HRM is really good small turtle medicine!!! And muskrats also!!!

My present turtle shooting comprises of sitting in an elevated stand and shooting down into the water at them. I normally use a Hornady 53 grain HP or Speer's 52 grain HP and I believe I have never had one ricochet. I most often shoot them while they lay on the oposite side bank where the bullet goes nowhere anyway. I try not to shoot eating size snapping turtles or softshells in the water, preferring to be able to recover and eat them. I anchored a pallet in water a foot deep and it is easy to recover the head shot eatin turtles there also. The Hornady 55 grain sp is a good one also. I use a 22-250 pushing these bullets to a leisurly 3500 fps.

Groundhog Devastation , where are you from in va?

Croberts, A little place in Franklin, Co called, Callaway! I'm pretty familiar with Abingdon!!! Down that way a few times a year!! Plus the oldest daughter goes to school at UVa-Wise! Maybe we could hook up and shoot some turtles at "White's Mill" or right next to the golf course just off the interstate!!! I know the Denton's that own that dairy that joins the course pretty well!!! hahahahahahaha GHD

GHD,
Yeah sounds like fun, send me a PM and well go.
Thanks,
Charlie

Croberts, Where are you located out there? In town? Out 58/19 or towards Tenn? Kinda familiar with the place and know a few farmers who "may have a problem with varmints"!!! GHD

Rickt300: I have shot quite a few Turtles on private land (ponds and lakes).
If the land owners are asking me to shoot some of them I always try to oblige them. I also am concerned about the possibility of ricochets and never shoot at the turtles unless there is a high bank or cliff behind the target and then I will shoot.
I remember one Varmint trip I was on a few years ago - I was Hunting Prairie Dogs on a remote ranch in Montana. The owner asked me to also please shoot some of the turtles in his reservoir as they were harming his fish populations. I came upon the reservoir and could not believe my eyes there were literally hundreds of turtles on the shale rock banks of the reservoir! They were out sunning themselves and in some spots were actually lying on top of each other!
I decided to help out the ranch owner and aimed into the thickest part of the group of turtles sunning themselves on the rocks.
I am certain I made 5 or 6 turtles fly with my first shot!
I did thin them out somewhat that day but that rancher had a real problem if he was gonna save his fishing spot!
Anyone have a better method of thinnning out turtles other than shooting them?
Yes, if the land owner considers them Varmints then I do also.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varnint guy. I the pod is half way close to drive to, then turtles on the bak and just a little head in the water may be fun.
Anyone here ever test SX or other soft jacketed bullets tendency to skip off of the waters surface?

If ya have enough safe impact area behind the turtles it may be am important experiment.

Lets see comfy spot, bench orr bipod, turtleheads . . . I could spend an hour or two helping out a ranch owner!!

That said I had a great aunt in Kansas that had her ponds stripped of fish because her husband would not let anyone clear out all of the turtles. A few turtles may well be part of the ecosystem, but too many and they are just like any other pest species!

I would be careful who I took trutle hunting some them are protected (not that I agree with it) Shooting the wrong one on the wrong day in front of the wrong person could end up with you getting in big trouble.

I just shot a big one that was sunning himself on the opposite side of my pond last weekend.

It was kinda funny though, I grabbed my 20 tactical that I broke the extractor on (long thread in gunsmithing forum) and waled out there, then realized that I had not put the striker back in the bolt, so I had to do that quick and then take aim. I had a 40 grain bullet loaded to 22 mag level, 2200 fps, and it did the trick.

I still need to take my cleaning rod and knock the case out of the barrel.

I just got back from my favorite turtle spot. I had 40 rounds loaded for my 223 and 39 for my 308. They were all less than 100 yards out and I missed none. The 130 Speer HP in the 308 really chunks em. Sadly there wedre still a bunch of turtles still there.

I dont know about varmints but they do pop good when shot with a 30-06 off a log !!!! Here in south GA they are over populated and as with cats we thin'em out....

Well, i had my first turtle shooting experience today. I was going to groundhog hunt a little with my newly acquired 25-06. I had loaded up some 85 gr Nosler BT's moving along about 3400 FPS. My buddy asked if i had ever shot turtles because he said that his pond was just full of them. After checking it out, he wasn't kidding! I set up on a bank about 150 yards away so i was shooting down into the pond and into a steep bank on the otherside. I ended up shooting about 30 rounds and decided i'd had enough for the day. Most of the shots were at turtles that just had their head or backs out of the water but i did catch one (about 5 lbs) laying out in the sun on a log. I have never witnessed such devastation. I pulled the trigger on that thing and it instantly vanished...i thought man that was ONE QUICK TURTLE. Looked up, then about 20 different pieces of turtle came down into the pond with the largest piece being launched about 20 feet in the air. I was amazed. I never figured a tu rtle would explode like that. Most of the time i can tell if i hit em' when shooting them in the head as they start to roll over and over in the water. Some of the larger ones i shot at could easily push 20 lbs. I know i got at least 2 or three of these big ones. I can't wait to see them. Some looked as big as a light truck tire. Can't wait for a few days to see what i actually got when they come floatin up. Looked like most of them were big mud turtles, the kind that swim up to ya and bite off fingers and toes when your swimming LOL Needless to say, the 25-06 does an AWESOME job on them...i think i'll take the video camera next time

GHD...you woulda been proud LOL

Its hydro man, the shell gets cracked when the bullet hits and the inerds expand but dont have any place to go when the bullet goes out the hull holds all it can but with the cracks it lets lose. They do go with a .22 hornet too but the 30.06 makes a BIG mess, try shooting them on the logs with big guns but .22 lr in the water. Brings back memories of a few summers ago. Thanks for the thread .