How to Catch a Turtle

A fun outing for older children and their parents is turtle catching. While everyone assumes turtles are slow moving, the opposite is true when they're scared. This makes turtle catching a little harder than you may think.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Turtle net

1. Get a turtle net. A turtle net is simply a large fishing net with a longer, more stable handle. You can make this yourself or purchase one.
2. Hunt for turtles on a sunny, but not windy, day. Turtles are more likely to be active on sunny days and easier to see and catch if the water's not choppy from wind.
3. Catch turtles when they're in the water. They'll be easier to catch.
4. Approach turtles with caution. When spooked, they move fast. Move slowly, make little noise and be prepared to pause if the turtle moves at all. If the turtle does move, freeze until it relaxes.
5. Move quickly with your net when you're close enough to scoop up the turtle. If the turtle is underwater, try to anticipate which way it'll move (probably away from you).
6. Take a picture so you can prove you actually caught a turtle and then release it back into the wild.
7. Relax for a good half an hour before attempting to catch anymore. You've probably scared all the turtles in the area and they've gone into hiding. Wait until you start seeing turtles before catching another.

Tips & Warnings

• Be prepared for your shoes and possibly your pants to get very wet during the process.
• Some people use turtle traps to catch turtles.
• Always release the turtle back into the wild. Some turtle species are endangered.