Hunting for snapping turtles used to be a popular pastime, particularly in the rural southeast. Snapping turtle meat was good eating and it made excellent soup, but hunting for it was not for everyone. The methods used to capture snapping turtles could cost inexperienced hunters a finger. In today’s column we will describe the history of the sport in this area.
There are two kinds of snapping turtles in Georgia. In North Georgia streams, ponds and creeks, you will encounter the Common Snapping Turtle which is widespread throughout the state. They weigh10-35 pounds and measure up to 18 inches long. They are often seen crossing roads. The Alligator Snapping Turtle with its heavily ridged shell that is spiked like an alligator can weigh well over 100 pounds and measures up to two feet long. They are almost never seen locally.
If you do see a snapping turtle do not touch it because its neck can quickly reach around its shell to remove a finger. It would be best to call animal control.
Crabapple was known as turtle hunting territory. Local historian Connie Mashburn’s book Alpharetta, Milton County – the Early Years contains a photograph of ten residents celebrating a successful turtle hunt in 1955. The catch that day was 107 turtles…