The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-13
TURTLE HUNTING IN
STREAMS OF iowa
Odd Occupation Followed in
Hawkeye State During Cold
Weather Months.

DES MONIES, Ia, Feb. 12.-Amonc
list Of the odd occupations followed
in this state there is that of turtle hunt
ing. These reptiles are in great demand
in the eastern cities for use in hotels, ano
therefore command prices high enough
to make the work profitable.
For the experienced hunter there is
not as much uncertainty about the bust
ness as there is with some others, such
Tor instance, as pearl hunting, but the
season is comparatively short and while
1t lasts must be made use Of
The turtle hunting business is some.
what on the decline. The country is be.
coming more settled, the lands more
utilized, and the streams and their pro.
duets are better taken care of. In the
early days of the region the lands were
wild and free, and any one could make
use of them when and where he pleased
G. III. Green formerly made good money
by catching and shipping the reptiles
to the eastern markets. Almont Lump.
kin and James Miles, two trappers and
hunters of Calhoun county. are still
engaged in it and made a shipment Of
three tons of turtles TO Philadelphia.
This city is the centre of distribution
and the product is invariably shipped
here.
When Hunting Began.
The turtle hunting business begins in
earnest MS soon as the water in the
streams and ponds begins 10 turn cold
The turtle is a cold blooded member of
the animal kingdom, and when cold
weather comes he seeks place in which
he may lie dormant until spring in the
manner Of the snake and all other cold
blooded creatures. Naturally. and from
force Of habit, the turtle seeks O shell
tered cove under water, with soft
muddy bottom, into which he NAV bur.
row. The colder it becomes the more
they congregate and the deeper they
burrow, and often a number of them
VIII undermine the bank Of stream.
When the turtle hunter sees a place
which seems likely to be haunt of
the reptile he reaches down into the
water with a long tool with benz
hook at the end and inserts the hook
under the shell Of the turtle (provided
there are any turtles there) and SCOOPS
him up onto the banks. As long as
there are any turtles left there he con
tinues this performance. Those which
have been secured are put in punny
sacks and deposited along the banks
tied and staked to the ground.
<AplO W OUIlc AuOUbs
When several sacks Of turtles have
been secured the men carry them on
their backs across the fields to a place
where there is wagon or some other
means Of Transporting them. The only
species salable is the fierce swapping
turtle, and great care has to be OBJ.
served in handling them because of
their sagacity and ferceness. Carving
them across the fields on ones back is
very risky and resorted to only because
of the impracticability Of taking wagons
across private lands and through fences.
Besides, the creatures aften make their
escape, always through the tied end of
the sack, 1t seems that they are almost
able TO unite knots,
AS soon as practicable the turtles are
packed. This "packingn consists
in throwing them promiscuously into
sugar barrels, alive and squirming, on
top Of each other, and then mailing the
lid on the helpless, imprisoned crea-
lures. Then they are hauled to the rail
road and shipped to Philadelphia.
For the experienced the trade is n
" cinch," but for the novice il is at.
tended with numerous difficulties
Among these arc the viciousness of the
creatures, the difficulty Of securing mar
kets and a paying price, and his igno-
rance of their habits md methods of
securing them.