The Monster of Quicksand Swamp

By: Coyote Peterson

Wednesday August 26th, 2009…some days when you wake up… you just know it is a day for big turtles…this was definitely one of those days dear reader. My colleague and I had set time aside to investigate a new swamp I had discovered a few days previous, suspecting that large predatory turtles were without question inhabiting this domain. Coming off the incredible high of our last adventure the energy in the air was intense. We had recently bought a video camera that will be used in the filming of the pilot episode for The Reptile Show…this was the perfect opportunity to test the gizmo’s capabilities. Panasonic says that their cameras are top of the line…well let’s take one out into the muck of a swamp and see how it fends for itself there!
Arriving at Blendon Woods, a Columbus based metro park and Wild Fowl Refuge we quickly exited the Jeep and began setting up the gear. It was a half mile hike out to the swamp and we wanted to make good time…this was an evening shoot, roughly 6:00 pm at this point, and if we wanted to get good footage it had to happen before sunset. Traversing up the trail we finally arrive at an observation shelter…basically a box with windows so that bird lovers can admire the drones of geese, ducks, herons and other water fowl that would come to enjoy this magnificent swamp. We could care less for these feather backed evolved dinosaurs…we were after the real prehistoric beasts…the Snapping Turtles.

Every once in awhile the power of Mother Nature smiles upon you and says…”good child, today I am going to give you a leg up in your quest”…today was one of those days. As I approached the window of the observation shelter at first I was taken by surprise…the water was incredibly low…so low it was pretty much just a mess of muck and plants…as it turns out the park service drained the swamp so as to allow for the coming migration of shore birds. Just as quickly as I began to fill with disappointment for a lack of standing water, I began to overflow with excitement. The fact that the water had just been drained meant that the turtle population was going to be on the move…and right there out in the middle of the muck was an enormous Snapping Turtle walking along on the muddy surface. Lickity split I hollered to my colleague…”Jesus man…look at the size of that reptile…grab the gear…it’s show time you crazy bastard!” A 40 lb Snapping Turtle can be seen with incredible ease from 100 yards…it looks like a giant ball of moss and muck…just strolling along on a sinking lily pad and mud surface.

Jumping down from the observation shelter we hurried into the tall weeds and cattails, pushing through the plant life and eventually making it down to the swamp. Spilling onto the bank my colleague and I quickly begin to set up the camera gear, tripod squished into the mud, camera on top…ready to shoot. There is nothing like putting Panasonic to the ultimate test…if a camera can’t take a swamp licking and keep ticking…we’d probably have to go with Cannon. With the gear in place and the camera running…we are in perfect position to catch some major turtle action…and we are stoked that we will have some quality test footage…that is if I can catch this beast before he disappears into the mucky underbelly of the swamp. As the camera rolls tape I give a quick introduction and set up the scenario for the audience. With little hesitation after the intro I quickly begin to head out into the muck.


Immediately the thick swamp begins to swallow up my legs…plant weeds and black glop grab at my boots and I begin to struggle 10 feet from camera. “Basterdly Bog of Buerdon…why do you treat me like a rotten step child?!” The muck attacks me and Mother Nature lashes out in a furry of entangling plants and goo. This is setting up to be another incredible feat of strength…this turtle is close to 100 feet from shore…so if I can even get to him, let alone wrestle him from the mud…getting him back to land is going to be incredibly difficult and exhausting.


Turning back toward the camera I am now about half way to the beast’s layer…an old woman, watching birds from the observation shelter looks out at me as if I am insane. Well I am lady…and as soon as I get my mitts on one of these swamp monsters you are going to have kittens, you can place your bottom dollar on that bet! The swamp is trying its best to win the battle but I press onward…now roughly 20 feet from the turtle I look in front of me and to my most incredible surprise is a second turtle…enormous…sitting right below the surface of the mud. The size of his carapace is uncanny…his head the size of a grapefruit…sticking up through the green pond week just looking at me. I turn back to the camera and exclaim….”I found another one…my good god on Christmas morning dear friend this one is a giant!” Quietly sitting in front of me is the biggest Snapping Turtle I have ever seen. Without question a monster that is easily 60 years old…his true weight and stature…yet to be determined. I call back to my colleague…”are you ready on the camera man…things are about to get crazy…?” He gives me the ready sign and I reach into the mucky blackness and grab hold to the back of the beast’s shell…in a furry of mud and splashing the giant tries to escape. The scene from the observation shelter must have been magnificent… and at the same time terrifying…because the little old woman began to scream…”what are you doing…oh my god…what are you doing?!” I hollered back to her as I battled the beast…”everything is fine Granny…get ready to see the biggest Snapping Turtle of your life!” I cannot be certain…but I am pretty sure that from the corner of my eye I saw a litter of calico kittens shoot out of her ass… And in that very moment with all my might I heaved the creature from the mud…its head lashing about, firing off its jaws like a mad man, trying desperately to bit my face off. This turtle was a dinosaur… easily weighed 50 lbs, and was pissed off as a hornets’ nest in a game of kickball that I was disturbing his slumber. I could hear my colleague from shore…a simple saying used all too commonly by those who see a sight such as this one…”HOLY SHIT”.



I grabbed a firm hold on the turtle, it clawed into my side slicing me open near the ribs…its 2 inch claws did a real number on me and I didn’t even really realize it till after the fact…but I was not letting go. Together we began to fight the muck and each other as I wrestled the Paleozoic sized animal back to shore. Remarkably after about 2 minutes of battle the turtle clamed and didn’t give quite the fight that I was envisioning. Which given the long distance I need to travel to shore and the weight of the animal was a really good thing. When we finally made it back to land I set the turtle down and it immediately tried to attack me…which was pretty scary…if this thing got a hold of my foot it would have easily been able to crush and break most of the bones. The head on this animal was a little bigger than a grape fruit, its jaws easily opening at around 5 inches and its beak…razor sharp. After a little game of cat and mouse the hunter calmed down and I was able to measure his shell and inspect whether or not this specimen was a male or female. I assumed female at first given the gigantic size…however…much to my amazement it was a male. Any field guide you pick up will tell you that male Snapping Turtles can grow to a carapace length of 14-15 ½ inches…this turtle…18 inches from the tip of its shell to the back. From snout to tip of tail…I estimated that if the turtle’s neck was extended…about 34 inches. The beasts tail was as big around as my arm, a single hand could not cover the circumference…it was the most prehistoric thing I have ever seen.



We shot video of the animal and then set it off to the side as I went back after the original Snapper…to save a long winded defeat…I ultimately was trapped in quicksand that was chest deep. I did manage to capture the turtle…but was not able to bring it to the surface…it fought me in the muck for nearly 20 minutes, exhaustion and the fact that the turtle was sucking me deeper into the dilatent muck was sign that sometimes it’s best to just let go. I had already caught a record size turtle and I was actually getting pretty scared that I was going to really get stuck. The way quicksand works…the more you struggle…the deeper you sink and the tougher it is to get out. By the time I was chest deep holding onto the tail and shell of a 40 lb plus turtle that was fighting to get as deep as possible…the mechanism of fight or flight set in and I opted to release the turtle and take up flight. Abandoning my boots 5 feet deep I had to wiggle my way across the quicksand on my stomach until it finally let me go. Now I was 80 feet out in a swamp bare foot…and there were monster sized beasts lurking beneath every step…yeah…I was nervous…quickly I began to trudge back through the muck and finally made it to shore.

The test shoot was an incredible success. It is quite possible that we caught a world record sized male Snapping Turtle…I have never heard of, or read in any scientific journals of a male of these proportions…this was definitely an experience that I will never forget…I just hope that we can find some turtles of this stature when we shoot the pilot episode! Keep your eyes peeled…we will be posting the footage of this capture real soon and you will see this Snapper of the Quicksand Swamp in all of his magnificent glory.

Choonimals Teams Up with The Reptile Show

What good would catching reptiles and amphibians be without doing it in some reptilian fashion? The Reptile Show has officially teamed with Choonimals Clothing Company in a way that makes more sense than nonsense! Choonimal designer/artist extraordinaire Chris Thiebert will be placing his masterful designs on the wardrobe of Coyote Peterson and The Reptile Crew each and every episode.

Each show will feature a different reptile, for which Chris will come up with a new and amazing reptilian design. From the Snapping Turtle to the Horny Toad...the Diamond Back Rattlesnake to the Gila Monster...if its got scales, claws and cold blood...Choonimals will bring it to life through fashion!

Take a peek at the Pilot Episode's design...the fierce and snarly SnappingChoon!



Stay tuned for more fantastical reptilian choons!

And check out The Choon Store...

A Letter from Teddy...

Deer Mr. Coyote,

Hi Mr. Coyote…my name is Teddy Bumblepuck and I am a really big fan of your show, my Papa and I like to watch you on Saturday mornings while we eat oatmeal and bacon bits.

Last week my Papa was fishing in the pond behind our house and we saw a really big snapping turtle. I asked my Papa to catch it but he was afraid. It was awfully big and he told me that it could bite my hand off.

Well…I really wanted to catch it so when my Papa wasn’t looking I tried…and it bit my hand off. It hurted a lot…but I got to ride in that helicopter with the police lights, and they gave me a lolly pop. I guess that was expensive cause my Papa said my stupidity is going to pay for the bill…which has alots of zeros after it.

My allowance is only $2.00 a week…so it might take awhile…in the mean time I was hoping that maybe you could catch some Snapping Turtles on your show so that I can see them better. The one that took my favorite hand got away before I could get a really good look at him. That and I was screaming and crying…so it made him hard to see.

Thank you Mr. Coyote,

Your’re number one fan,

Teddy!

IN RESPONSE TO TEDDY BUMBLEPUCK:

From the desk of Coyote Peterson:

Deer Teddy,

Yes...snapping turtles can be very dangerous as you have unfortunately learned from your recent incident. In the future I would advise letting the experts catch the turtles...one species of turtle that you probably can catch without loosing a limb is the Eastern Painted Turtle...these are pretty plentiful in ponds, lakes, streams, and marshes around the United States.

I am sorry to hear that you will be repaying that debt...I have never ridden in a life flight helicopter...but it sounds like it was probably a pretty good time. I also enjoy lolly pops...especially the root beer ones.

I will do my best to catch some real whoppers for you real soon...we are getting ready to shoot the pilot episode for the television/web series...and much to your coincidental timing...the show happens to be about Snapping Turtles! Keep your eyes peeled for future updates on the blog and the pilot episode coming soon.

I hope that your hand regrows itself...either that or your parents get you a really cool hook like that pirate in that movie about the boy who flys with pans and lost children.

Your Pal,

CoYoTe

PS

Here is a picture of a painted turtle for your reference...

The Battle of the Bog Beast - Slide Show Movie

This is a full slide show of the discovery and daring capture of a large snapping turtle in the dark mucky waters of a bog in Gahanna, Ohio.

All photography in slide show taken by: Beau Sedivy

Marsh Monster Madness!

Photography taken by Meghan Hurley

Nothing Like Waking A Beast from Its Slumber!

Somebody call the Fire Department...

this one is out of CONTROL!

The Capture of the Bog Beast

The Battle of the Bog Beast

By: Coyote Peterson

August 16, 2009…the morning air was warm and the sun was already cooking away the previous evening’s moisture as I sat on the back of the Jeep waiting for my colleague to arrive. We had planned this trip in advance...a small bog that resided in the strangest of areas…smack dab in the middle of a quaint little town they called Gahanna. I singled the spot out months earlier when I witnessed an old man feeding two large snapping turtles from the community board walk as small children and elderly women looked on. Oohing, and awing as the beasts rose to the surface to snatch and snap up pieces of stale wheat bread. I remember standing by as an on-looker thinking to myself…these people are nuts…than again…it was really I who was nuts… cause if the crowd in this all too public of a place wasn’t present…I would be waste deep chasing these monsters around in the muck like a kid in a candy store with an open tab. The bog was my playground and these swamp things were my candy…but patience is everything when it comes to going face to face with an animal that is anything but friendly. So I waited.

Nearly 3 months had passed and for a period of time I forgot about this strange bog that people avoided like a terminal illness by walking over the city funded and constructed board walk. Then it hit me…like a shot of wild turkey in the middle of the afternoon, this was a place to catch some monster turtles but to do so I was going to have to go early in the morning…when the old women, children and fancy pant onlookers wouldn’t be present. The last thing you want to do when wrestling with beasts of the swamp is to garner a large crowd…crowds lead to all sorts of terrible things that I will not mention here. Either way…the table had been set and this very morning I found myself eager with anticipation for a shot at landing a real sizable turtle.

The set up was perfect…we parked the Jeep in a parking garage that for the most part was completely vacant. The town, despite its rural setting, was actually quite city like…fancy restaurants, hair salons, manicure parlors, magnificent landscaping and yes…a parking garage. We must have looked like a couple of loonies, my colleague outfitted in photographers gear and myself in the typical turtle capturing attire…dirty looking shorts, a straw hat and rubber boots. We weren’t coming to get our nail done…that was for God damn sure.

As we meandered down the neatly laid cement walkway toward the board walk we chatted about the fucked up things that booze and drugs can turn a Saturday night into. My colleague did a fine job of becoming a reptile himself the night before and it was quite admirable that he pressed beyond the hangover to make it out with me for this expedition. You know a partner in crime is a good partner if he can tie one on until three in the morning, manage to abandon his car, wallet and cell phone and still make it to your meeting point by 9 am. Little did he know…the sense of being hung over was soon going to pass and instead become a crazy rush of blood and adrenaline to the head.

Arriving at the spot where I had previously seen some prehistoric prospects we were defeated to find that the drought of summer had taken with it all signs of standing water. All that was left of the old man’s feeding grounds was a pile of dried logs and hazardous looking muck…so thick and foul smelling that even a wild hog would probably opt for something a little classier. It would seem that our morning expedition had come to a screeching halt…disappointment would be an understatement. Fuck the doomed we told ourselves and made an about face to return to the Jeep and head home defeated. Than a little light clicked on in the far back of my brain…could have been my pituitary gland trying to talk some sense into me…not sure about that, but either way…I suddenly remembered that there was a little marshy area just up from where we stood a ways…and maybe…just maybe there would be some standing water that would provide a late summer refuge for a bog beast.

Walking around a bend on the board walk I could see that water was still present in the spot I had remembered…not 30 seconds later I looked out into this water and saw the enormous head and shell of a Snapping Turtle basking in the morning sunlight. I hollered to my colleague that I had a turtle in my sights…get the camera equipment ready you crazy bastard…it was show time at the Apollo! The board walk was about 9 feet in the air from the bog…without hesitation I quickly leapt the railing and descended into the cat tails and thorn bushes, pushing back reeds and battling off large swamp spiders with a stick. My good God I hate swamp spiders and these foul fanged varmints where everywhere. It didn’t matter, spiders the size of garbage trucks couldn’t keep me from taking a legitimate shot at catching a mammoth turtle. I thrashed about in the underbrush like a mad man…The turtle just sat there…watching me approach the edge of the water…and I thought to myself…this is going to be a cake walk. With confidence in stride I took my first step toward the muddy water and as that same stride landed I suddenly found myself waist deep in some sort of foulness that cannot be described in words. My good God I did not see that coming. Literally a foot from the shore the mud was so deep and thick that I nearly lost my boot just trying to get back out. Standing in disbelief I looked back up to the board walk where my colleague comfortably, and cleanly shot photographs…photographs that seemed to be the hunter defeated by mud that was thicker than glue. “Did you see that shit!” I yelled up to him,… he was convinced the battle was over before it even began… but I was resilient. If there is one thing that I hate…it’s seeing a turtle and not being able to make an attempt at capture. It is one thing to give your all and have a beast evade your maneuvers…it is another thing to have a monster of the marsh sit back comfortable as a clam and think to itself that there is no way you will ever get to me…silly human.

Little did this beast realize…he was dealing with no ordinary city human, he was dealing with a human that is without question missing several screws..while the rest of them are so loose that it is a wonder to even believe that they are still holding on. I called up to my colleague…”it is time to build a bog bridge!” He told me I was crazy, and I agreed. In that moment I began pulling every log that I could find from the surrounding forest floor and carefully began laying them out onto the muddy bog surface. The plan was to build a support system of logs on which I could basically float the moat and get nearly 25 feet out to the turtle. For a good 35 minutes I worked the forest, tearing down dead trees and slowly balancing and building my way further out into the bog. In most areas the muck was deep, easily 5 feet and well up to if not over my chest. The toughest part is that it wasn’t like going through lake mud…there was no water…this was straight MUCK…thick, filled with dying plants, logs, sticks and all sorts of foulness that was blacker than the dark side of the moon. Finally…the bridge got me about 5 feet from the turtle, whose shell was still floating on the top layer of the pond weed.

Using two sticks like ski poles to balance myself I walked 20 feet out onto the bog surface…I was all sorts of nervous…I had no real idea how deep the muck was this far out…and if I went in and it was over my head…I was a goner. Using one of my balance sticks I reached out and tapped on the turtles shell, first trying to make sure his head was away from me…and secondly to make sure that he was really still there. I hoped to get really lucky, maybe be able to coax him in my direction, maybe get a grasp on him and somehow drag him back to shore. This plan quickly fell apart when my tapping led to the monster wanting to take off in completely the opposite direction of my bog bridge. Fuck it…I didn’t work this hard building the “Oregon Trail” of bridges to let this beast evade my capture…as a wise doctor once said, “buy the ticket take the ride” life is about taking risks and this was definitely one of those moments where you either risk it all…or you go home wondering what could have happened had you taken that risk.

I went for it…jumping feet first into the muck my body hurled in after the fleeing snapping turtle. I landed just behind him and grabbed onto the back of his shell. The mud immediately swallowed me up to the middle of my chest. Jesus Christ this was dangerous, and insane…and fucking INSANE! I had a 30 lb snapping turtle now by the back of the shell and the tail and he was pissed off as shit in a shit storm…and here I was…STUCK IN MUCK UP TO MY NECK! My colleague called to me from the board walk…well…I’m not sure he called to me…but I did hear…”Holy shit you got him!” This is when the battle royal began. Man vs. Mother Nature and Man vs. Beast. Not only was I going to have to fight what was now about 30 feet of bog…I also had a monster of a turtle that I needed to wrestle back through it.

I have done many exhausting things in my life…this one tops them all. As I felt myself sinking deeper I took a breath and gained my composure. This was it…I didn’t come this far to let go of the turtle so it was going to be a fight to the finish. I lifted with every ounce of strength I had and brought the turtle to the surface of the mud, its jaws open wide, its head lashing back, hoping to take a chunk of my face with each and every bite. I have never had a turtle this big, this close to my face before and it was scary to say the least. Usually when capturing large turtles you try to stay in water, shallow water, where the turtle can be kept low and away from the body…today…I had the beast right up next to me and together we would fight a 30 minute battle for the rights to the bog. He wanted to get deeper in…I wanted to get the hell out.

As I made my first few moves back toward shore, dragging myself and the turtle in the mud I looked up toward the board walk where my colleague’s camera snapped repetitively capturing every moment of the battle. I was already exhausted and all I wanted to do was get to my bog bridge…if I could get to the logs I could use them to balance myself and the turtle and work my way back to land. Mud was splashing everywhere…the turtle’s back legs kicking, its claws digging into my hands. This fucker was strong, one of those classic Brando pissed off strongs where you don’t dare try to stand up for yourself, let alone resist the strong arm that beats you. Yet I remind you dear reader…screws…loose, most of them already let go…so rational thinking and reasoning doesn’t apply to me.

I was exhausted, that kind of Jello feeling began to take over in my forearms and biceps that you get after a solid 2 hours at the gym…and I had only been in the fight about 10 minutes. I let go with my right hand for a split second to wipe mud from the corner of my eye and the beast tried to escape. Digging deep into the mud, its claws and webbed feet carried it into the darkness of the muck but I refused to give up and I held on. The turtle was sinking me, he had become completely submerged, my arms were completely below the surface, my head struggling to keep afloat, my body was now shoulder deep…it was this moment where I felt that if I didn’t pull it together here and now…all of the effort would have gone to waste…and the turtle would have escaped, ousted me against my will and I than would be left in a mud covered defeat. With a power breath and a heave, my legs shaking and fighting the sinking mud, in that instance I found a burst of power and brought the animal back to the surface, swinging him up into the air and my body around just in time to find the log bridge. I paused, breathed heavily and called to my colleague…get the camera ready partner…we’re coming in!

I battled the last 15 feet of the bog with relative ease, using the logs to support the turtle and my weight against the powers of the deep mud, basically sliding on my stomach like an eel. Mother Nature finally gave in and allowed me to escape her grasp as my boots touched down on solid ground and I lifted the 30 lb turtle onto shore. From there it was a short fight up to the board walk where I lifted the beast up and placed it on the wooden boards like it was a box of cereal on the top shelf. Hoisting myself up I jumped the railing back into civilization, mud and gunk splashing all over the pristine wooden board walk…and at the foot of my boots sat a really pissed off snapping turtle. The beast had been captured, Mother Nature had been defeated and now it was time to get some really great photography.

We walked the turtle down to a nearby river where together we went into the shallows and I cleaned it off. Spiffing the monster up for the camera… the turtle was a male, right around the 30 lb mark, with a carapace about 16 inches long, a decent size for any turtle of this area. I estimated the beast to be between 25 and 30 years judging by the platelet rings on the carapace. When we had our fill of photographs we thanked the turtle for its cooperation and took the walk back to where he was captured. Climbing back down to the edge of the bog I gently set him on the mud and said good bye. It was an incredible journey, and we were both happy to return to our respective worlds having both garnered one hell of a mutual respect for one another after the battle of the bog.

The Capture of a Marsh Monster

JULY 19, 2009 - SUNDAY...

I had been in the water for nearly two hours, soggy, swamp drenched and stinking of a foulness that I cannot describe in words alone. At this point I had not made capture of any reptilian beasts...despite the fact that I had been tracking a large snapping turtle across the pond for nearly 45 minutes. The monster had eluded me so far, staying just ahead of me, peeking its head up above the surface of the water every so often for a breath of fresh air and a glance at where his pursuer was splashing about. The animal was smart, smarter than one would think for a simple vertebrate...the turtle would hover in water just deep enough to keep me at bay. I was loosing light and I decided to call it a day...

Trudging back toward shore, defeated by a some how seemingly clever beast despite the fact that he had a brain the size of a walnut. To make myself feel better I decided to give the other end of the swamp one more shot. Traipsing through the tall meadow grasses I pulled out my binoculars and took a quick look ahead...that is when I saw him. A different Snapper, resting happily near the shore on the north end of the marsh...he had not spotted me, in fact, he had no idea what-so-ever that I even existed. I watched patiently as the beast took a few breaths of fresh air and than re submerged his massive prehistoric looking head back below the surface and into the murky waters. In a bolt of speed I began to run toward the north end of the marsh. This turtle was hunting...he was not in alarm at all...and I knew that if I could get to his side of the marsh quickly, and get quietly into the water...I stood a good chance at surprising the lurking hunter, sneaking up on him and making a valiant capture.

When I arrived at the spot I quickly abandoned my gear. Quietly I began to wade into the brackish marsh water. Walking ever so carefully as to not disturb the water too much. Turtles of this size and stature don't take the time to mess around with intruders. The second this reptile felt a larger presence in his domain he would be off toward the deeper waters like a lightning bolt.

The sun was now just above the horizon, cutting a sharp angle across the water and actually illuminating it perfectly from the angle I was approaching at. I could see clear down to the bottom of the marsh...magnificent plumes of algae and swamp weeds looked like an explosion of underwater photosynthetic glory. That is when the mother nature revealed the beast to me. My heart rate began to escalate...a 40 lb Snapping Turtle lay motionless on the floor of the marsh. It's head and neck stretched out, the reptile was hunting any water creature unfortunate enough to come with in reach of its razor sharp beak. I tilted the brim of my had down, shading the light from my eyes, took one more positioning step forward and reached cautiously into the water...I knew I was going to have one, and only one shot at a legitimate capture. Turtles of this size are incredibly strong, and incredibly fast...contrary to popular myth. If I didn't land a good grip on the back of this animal's shell...the mere disturbance of my hands in the water would send him running for the far side of the marsh...and my potential success will have been foiled.

This was it...I was ready...hands a foot and a half below the surface and with a final exhale I grabbed hold of the turtle and the ride began! Lashing forward the beast tried to run...I had a firm hold on the spiked rim of his carapace "top shell" and with my right hand i grabbed hold of his back right leg. The strength and power were incredible, the turtle began to pull me forward and I had to reposition, nearly falling face first into the thigh deep murky water. Had I not gained better position this one would have gotten away! Wrestling to keep myself steady I held onto the thrashing turtle with all my might...his back feet kicking and scraping, razor sharp claws dig deep into my fingers and hands, cutting deep into the flesh and I strain to endure the pain..if I let go now...he gets away...all i get is muddy and cut up...the hell with that. I fight harder...pulling the animal backward toward the shore. As the water gets shallower... I gain control...at this point the beast decides that flight is no longer possible...it is time to fight. When this happens you find yourself in an even more dangerous situation...the turtle no longer cares to get away...he wants to attack!

Now the challenge isn't to keep him from getting away...its to keep him from turning around on me...his grapefruit sized head lashing out above the surface of the water with so much force that waves are formed in the beasts wake. Left and right the turtle tries to attack me...his dinosaur like webbed feet still carving thanksgiving into my hands when finally I make land fall. I am exhausted and I stop for a moment...to pull the beast out of the water and into a controlled environment where I am alpha and he is omega is going to take a big burst of energy. 40 lbs doesn't seem that heavy if you are referring to a bag of topsoil...but give that bag a razor sharp beak, 20 knife like claws and a serious attitude problem...and you are now dealing with what seems like 100 lbs of danger and disposition.

I held the beast securely on the edge of the marsh...I rested...he calmed, realizing that at the moment it didn't seem as if I was going to harm him. I looked down at both hands, the blood from my lacerations ran bright red down my fingers and into the water. Damn...this bastard cut the hell out of me...I hoped that stitches wouldn't be necessary...and I prayed that some sort of weird reptilian disease would not begin to fest in the coming days and turn me into a beast of the marsh myself...than again I thought...the definition of a reptilian beast is probably pretty vague considering the situations and challenges I seem to enjoy placing myself in.

This was it..the moment of victory...with a final burst of energy I lifted the animal up into the air and began to carry him onto land. A fury of jaws lashing, clawed feet thrashing and me wincing as the already tender wounds on my hands are revisited and once again etched with disdain for removing this monster from his hunting grounds. Up into the meadow grasses we struggled and when I felt that we were far enough from water for me to be in control of the situation...I released him to the ground. Immediately the turtle spun around and charged me, as most upset snapping turtles will do. I had to take several steps backward as he lunged and snapped at my legs. The turtle attempted attack for several minutes before realizing that I was not fighting back and he was captured. Huddled in the meadow grass he sat... defeated, captured...ready to be photographed. I grabbed my camera and went to work...shooting the turtle from various angles and eventually making friends, or as much of friends as one can make with a turtle.

When I had my fill of good shots I picked the now calm turtle up by the back of his shell and carried him back to the waters edge, placing him gently on the bank. He stayed a moment longer and than I watched as he lumbered down the bank and into the brackish muck, finally disappearing back into the mysterious realms of the murky marsh waters. Today was a good day.