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Florida Freshwater turtle question

B

Basslies

Well-known member
Geez, I hate to have to ask this, but I've got cooters and softshell turtles around.

Are both of these good to eat?

Thanks

(Up North, we always ate the snappin turtles, and didn't have any of the ones around here.)

HR
 
I couldn't answer that for you I tried to clean a turtle one time and I cut myself up more then I did the turtle :lol:

but yes lots of people eat softshells.
 
Softshells just came into season. Can't catch them between May 1st and July 31st due to egg laying. A b**** to clean, but great when fried!
 
They aint really that hard to clean after ya get the hang of it
you can clean a good size one in 5 or 10 min.
But if it took an hour it would be worth it.
Cube it out, bread it and fry it, then make a big ol skillit
of white gravy. put the turtle in a pan and cover it with the gravy
let it simmer for about an hour add a little water to keep it from
drying out, and season to yer liken. then get me a big ol pan
of cathead biscuits and git out of the way caus it's gona get wild.
 
yeah basketcase I see very few people take them anymore around here.We have a small canal on 951 in front of my office and you can see 30 or 40 a 3 mile stretch. When I was little I remember my counsins/uncles taken everyone they could get home. I remember always seeing catfish/turtle trotlines in the canals in GG as a kid.My favorite is hearing my dad tell me how they used to yank them out of the mudbanks by hand.
I just remembered something interesting about the article about how to skin them about how long their reflexes last after death. We caught a monster one day at the missosukee res damn off alligator alley it barely fit in a 5 gallon bucket with a lot of body still sticken out. My cousin slit its throat to bleed it out into the bucket and I remember that turtle kicking for a few hours.
I have a pastor friend of mine who is gonna show me how to cut them up here one day soon. Unfortunatly for me my dad hunted and fished as a kid to live not for sport so by the time I was born and he didn't have to hunt/fish for food he had little interest in brining home anything to eat so I had to learn on my own for most of it.
 
Jpat we can get together and go do some turtlen me and a buddy of mine used to turtle and cat fish commercially . Needless to say I can clean a turtle wouldnt mind showing you
 
Just to get back to part two of the original Question: What about the cooters? Are they edible also?

Thanks

HR
 
Don't know about the hard shell variety, but we've been eatin the softshells as long as I can remember. Salt, pepper, flour, & fry...can't hardly beat'em.

Catch one with my sister-in-law around and she'll clean it for you. :)



Rick
 
was raised on them and gophers, got me to 6'3",250lbs, gotta be good for ya. some of my best memories were running trot lines to make money before i could drive. you wanna see some fun go to the quarters with your truck be full and watch the mayhem
 
Ford Power,

Just makin' sure you had your white hood on when you said this. :lol:
go to the quarters with your truck be full and watch the mayhem
Click to expand...
I grew up takin carp into the hood for a good show. :lol:

Basketcase
 
Basslies":1rh4nnft said:
Just to get back to part two of the original Question: What about the cooters? Are they edible also?

Thanks

HR
Click to expand...

allright I got your answer.. yes. According to the guys I talked to today they know of no turtle in in florida that is not edible and all taste good. They were even saying small box turtles aren't bad. One buddy said the only thing he'd recomend is not trying to seperate the shells on the hard shell just cut the turtle loose from the inside and pull it out of the shell kind of like you'd do a conch.
 
basketcase0302":2a3srd2t said:
Just makin' sure you had your white hood on when you said this. :lol:

Basketcase
Click to expand...

you know I used to think that too Jeff but one time I was at the casino and a black guy was asking why his piece of watermelon was so small on his dinner so I said hey man I ain't gonna eat mine do you want. The look in his eye was like I just kicked his grandma. "are you serious? asking a black man if he wants a piece of watermelon,whats wrong with you?Of course I want it". Its no different then us southern boys growing up on beans and cornbread. Its just what we ate.
 
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