The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1885-05-07
PEGGING TURTLES
a SPORT THAT IS BOTH Excl
TING AND PROFITABLE.

a winter amuScmeut OF flOrlua OF
which very few sporismen know any
thing is that Of ''peggiDg" turtles as
they swim close to the surface or rest in
their s'setsn or .harbors" in shallow
water. A light thrust will put the peg
into turtle weighing a ton, especially If
II is inserted in the chimes Of the cara
pace, that being the particular spot for
which all expert "peggers" aim when
they have the opportunity.
The small weapons known as "pegs"
are probably the best implements known
for capturing and holding turtles, as they
rarely iniure the she'll and can be
handled readily. Pegs are divided into
two kinds, those which have socket
into which pole fits, and are known as
socket pegs, and those which fit into the
pole and arc known as flying pegs. Both
are attached to handles by lines varying
. from go 10 100 feet in length, to prevent
their being lost when q turtle is struck.
The penetration part of peg Is about
two and a half inches long, four square,
and tapers gradually to sharp point.
1t is sometimes covered with leather at
the upper end to prevent it from entering
the shell too deeply, for If ii went in too
far it would injure the turtle so much as
to render their flesh unmarketable, or
else make so large hole that it could
not hold captive. as its retentive power
is mainly due to the suction Of the orifice.
Another result of its penetrating too
deeply would be, in all probability, the
destruction Of the chelonia, for even a
slight wound often causes it to bleed to
death. Expert peggers are, therefore,
much sought by the captains of vessels
engaged in "turtling, " as the success of
q cruise depends largely on their ex-
ertions and dexterity.
The best time for pegging turtles is
during the months of February, March
and April. when they are pairing or
.'cooting, as it is called in Florida, or
May or June, when the females are lay
ing, but the sport may be enjoyed at any
period in South Florida, as the chelonia
are in motion in its warm waters at all
seasons of the year. The species usually
pegged is the green turtle, whose flesh is
worth from 25 cents to So pound in
New York, and from five to eight cents
IN Florida, but those who wish TO enjoy
the sport for itself can harpoon the
ridley, loggerhead, hawksbill, and even
the gigantic trunkback, provided the
peg is buried in the chimes of its cara
pace or directly behind the head, where
the skin is tough and the flesh hard.
A general idea of the sport of pegging
may be obtained from my own expert
ence in a cruise lasting forty eight hours.
I was the guest Of ''turtling' captain,
and as the chelonias were rather plepti-
full he concluded to let me use a peg,
''just to get my hand in, !" as he said.
We had two boats and two men in each
boat, one man doing the sculling and
the other the pegging. ! was super
numerary in the captains dinkey, and
while ne stood in the bow, ready to pick
up anything that came his way, I took a
. position amidship to try and secure
whatever he missed
The sea was as smooth as the tradi-
tional mill pond, and SO clear that we
could see the beautiful marine fora, six
fathoms down, as clearly as if it we're in |
our hands. The morning was also one
of those which cannot be seen outside
the tropics, the sky being clear and the /
air warm without being oppressive. At |
ter proceeding about half mile from !
ton to huge object lying on the water
about 800 yards ahead. He asked me ii
knew what it was, and / replied that
it looked like vessel bottom up.
'sThat's leatherback turtle, " he OBJ
served in whisper ''See me peg him. .
Reckoning to the sculler to move eau
tiously, he stood erect on the forward /
thwart with his miniature harpoon poised /
for prompt throw at the right moment. I
When we were within thirty feet of the /
gigantic creature it awoke with a loud I
snort and attempted to sink to the bot /
tom, but it had scarcely moved ere the
captain buried the peg in the forward
chimes of the carapace
''Sit down" he shouted to me, ''or
you'll be knocked overheard by this fell
lows sudden movements"
Then turning to the sculler, he ordered
him TO keep in the wake Of the turtle and
not let it upset US by quick change of
direction.
en- look cut for that, " the sculler re-
piled, Just as he was thrown on the stern
sheets by the sudden forward movement
Of the boat. Recovering himself prompt
ly, be gave the craft jerk that made it
almost turn on pivot, and away it went
directly behind our marine tug at a pace
that was surprise to me, for ! never
expected to see turtle travel so rapidly.
THAT fellow weighs a ton If he
weighs pound" the captain observed
10 me, ''but well fetch him. The peg
viii hold long enough to tire him out
and then you'll see what be looks like at
close quarters.
His words proved true for after pulling
Us for a mile OF more our marine steed
slackened its pace so much that we were
able to scull alongside it by hauling in
the line as we advapced. Il proved to
be genuine monster. being aoout twelve
feet long, eight feet wide, five feet thick,
and weighing nearly, if not all, Of 2, 900
pounds. The captain said it was the
largest he had seen in many q day. He
placed broken oar over its mouth, and
the creature seized il with the ferocity
Of bull dog and held it 50 tightly that
We had TO shoot the creature in order to
secure the line and oar. Having released
these. we started away in q hurry. for
the moment the blood Of the turtle tingee
the water a shoal Of leopard and nurse
sharks appeared Is if By magic and began
tearing the animal to pieces with fury
worthy Of their character. As we re- !