Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-03-03
CATCHING TERRArlN.
How it Is Done by Connecticut River
Fishermen.


Up tho Connecticut River, about six
miies from its mouth, is strip of marsh
land across which swing the tides as
thu cob and flow. The land is famous
hunting grounds for the hunters of ter
r,pin or blue turtles.
The tcrrapin is a tlclicacy and com
mands an extraordinary high price in the
markets of New York. The average
blue turtle is about the size of IL mans
hamd. The she'll is of dark brown
color, but the ilcsll has Il biuish tint. In
general appearance it resembles the
rough back mud turtle, thn, is found in
the ponds and streams in all parts of the
United States. but its flesh las delicate
flavor that appeals very forcibly to the
most lastidiuus taste.
I'!rcc methods arc employed in catch
ing The tcrml.in. The one followed by
most hunters i; the ,aking process. \
rake three feet wide, Will, curved teeth
of flexible steel eighteen inches long, is
attached to humble of spruce or pine
from eighteen to twenty feet long.
When the tide is about three quarters
full, the hunter. armed with his rake,
rows to the flats, and anchnring his boat
Mt each end so that ii wilrcmain station-
ary he throws the rake overheard. With
the end of the rake handle resting Oh his
shoulder the hunter presses the rake into
the mua and thcm hauls it toward the
'oat as rapidly as he can. When the
rake reaches tho boat it is lifted quickly
out of the mud. turned over and brought
to the boat's rail. The soft mud drips
slowly through the teeth of the rake
while the hunter runs his hand around in
it in search of tcrmpin. A mkcful of
mud seldom holds more than one turtle,
nnd it not infrcqucntly happens that the
hunter r,kcs through an entire tide with
out catching one.
Another way of catching tcrrapin is
with wire baskets. These baskets are
made OF wire netting, with meshcs an
inch square. They are from eight to ten
feet long and from two and a half to
three feet deep. The baskets are set in
the mud and held stationery by iron
weights attached to the corners. Into
the basket are thrown chopped clans
und fragments of fish, snails, etc., of
which the terrapin is fond.
AT slack water, or 'high water slack, -
as the fishermen say, which means at that
point of high tide when the water be-
gins to cbb, the hunters lift these bas-
kets. Sometimes two turtles are taken
in this way ut haul, and oftcner the
basket is empty, but when hunter has
e dozen OF more baskets set. he is quite
cure OF getting enough game to pay him
we'll for his labor. There is no danger
of IL tcrlnpin that may be in the basket
escaping, for they always dive to the
bottom and dig into the mud when
alarmed.
The terrapin takes a special delight in
floatlng about with an inch of its head
and neck thrust out of water. Some
times at full tide dozens of these black
noses are seen dottiny the water. The
hunter who adopts the third method
rows out to the flat with an assistant.
Whom the ground is reached, the "butch-
cr. as he is called, lies along athwart,
resting the upper part of his body OH the
gnnwaic. In his right hand he carries Il
stiff iron rod about eight feet long. The
assistant Si.s in the middle of the boat,
with n pole twelve feet long resting
across his knees. At each end of this
pole Il scoopnet is attached
The boat is allowed TO drift The oc-
cupan's remain perfectly quiet. lfthcre
are tellapin in the water their noses will
soon appear, and ii one comes within
reach oil the iron rod there is a quick
ane! uncrlins blow, the sensccss turtle
sinks, hnt before ii reaches the bottom
The scoop net is under ii. and it is landed
in the boat.