Cold Duck for Two (Warning-Rated R)

[Don in SJ]

Did my morning walk down to my pond and saw something I have never seen in the 35 years of living here, a dead Mallard duck floating in the pond. Then I noticed a BIG HEAD sticking out of the water next to it and saw the duck being moved. Ah, a rather large Snapping Turtle was now doing what they do, cleaning up.

I quickly walked back to the house and grabbed my camera, but with the sun putting a glare and being intermittant, I was not sure if I could get a decent photo of the Turtle and the duck. Well, as I zoomed in for a closeup, I noticed that the duck was being moved rather violently and yet the turtle had his head above water? Then it struck me, there was not one Snapping Turtle, but two Snapping Turtles feasting on the poor ole duck.

Most photos were not too great but here are two of them. I do have a big female snapper that every year for as long as I can remember either lays her eggs on my property or tries, fails to find the "right spot" and then goes elsewhere.

Both of these snappers are rather large ones, years ago, we had a toy fox terrier and as my wife was taking the dog for a walk, as she crossed the pond on the small dam breast, a BIG Snapper took a chomp and missed our dog by about a foot, but sure scared both the wife and dog. I caught it that day and released it a mile away in the main river......

Ah, I do not know how the Duck's demise happened, don't think the Snappers killed it, would like to think it died of natural causes, but I will never know.

Don

 

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[Monty]

Most scavangers are nasty looking creatures, O'possums, vultures, buzzards, hyenas,etc. But can you imagine what it would smell like around the woodlots if there weren't any? Monty

 

[kieser sousa/rip]

Pretty cool pic. Don.

 

[Mental Granny]

Good pic!

 

[Muddy Feet]

Thats pretty cool.

 

[Cobalt*Blue]

Don,

Your pictures brought back memories of the time I met the biggest snapper I have ever seen. I was Kayaking on a beautiful stretch of small river and was wonderfully lost in quiet thought when I noticed that a large boulder was rising from the river bottom. The size of the head and the prehistoric look to the features was quite a shock. The turtle came right up to the boat and stared at me for 10-15 seconds and seamed only mildly interested as it again sank to the clear bottom. I know snappers are common but that day I felt like I had been visited by a small monster from the past.

hh blue

 

[RGINN]

Good pics, Don. Those guys are one of the reasons I don't go noodlin. I don't want to be sittin on the bank holdin a stump where my hand used to be with all them other boys standin around sayin "Well, that's the first time that ever happened!"

 

[ivan salis]

while out catfishing at one of my favorite big catfish holes --- I seen a ole snapper as big as a 30 gallon metal trash can lid --- big critter easily take a hand off . chomp .

 

[savant365]

Them guys ain't nothing to fool around with, I have seen them get over 120 pounds. And boy oh boy do they STINK! I have caught a few while fishing and all you can do is cut your line. If you get them up on the bank they are one of the worst smelling, nastiest critters you ever came across.

Very nice pics too, thanks for sharing.

HH Charlie

 

[allen]

looks like he was having a good lunch !