My First Encounter with a Snapping Turtle

Picture this turtle with its jaws wide open snapping at you!

I went down to the barn a few days ago to feed the horses.  As usual, I put the hay and grain in the stalls then went to open the gate to let the horses into the barn.  Scooter went into his stall and immediately began to eat his grain as is his custom.  Shorty went into his stall and immediately began to snort and prance around. 

As I turned to see what was the matter, he spun around on his hind legs and looked down at the ground just outside the barn but still within his run, stomping and snorting.  I glanced over there and was totally amazed that he was reacting that way to a turtle, but looking, again, began to understand. 

This turtle was as big as a dinner plate, had claws and a tail about 9 to 10 inches long and was moving at a fast rate of speed toward my horse.  He looked like a prehistoric monster going after his lunch. 

 I ran to get a garden rake to push the turtle outside the run, still not thinking too much about it until I reached out the rake to "move" him away from the horse.  Bam!  He hit that rake like he was a snake and the war was on.  Not only was I doing battle to protect my horse, now I was determined that this stupid turtle was not going to best me.  I would push him back a ways, then over with the rake and he would flip back over and charge the rake.  I pushed him again and he charged again.  The hare would not have beaten this tortoise!  He moved faster than an armadillo and was a lot more vicious.

I finally managed to push him outside the run, turned him over on his back in a shallow wash and ran to the house to get the shotgun, hoping he would still be there when I got back.  I did not want to run into this ferocious warrior in the dark!

He was there, but turned back over and was covering ground when I got back.  I am embarrassed to say that the first two shots with the 410 missed.  The next one killed him and the fourth one made sure I was not going to be chased by this snapping turtle ever.

If it's another 58 years before I meet another snapping turtle, that will be okay with me.  My first encounter was plenty.

If you want to know more about these common turtles, you can check them out at http://www.critterzone.com/magazineresource/common-snapping-turtle-Chelydra-serpentina.htm.