DAILY IOWEGIAN (Centerville, Iowa) 28 June 04 Stalking the snapper (Tarah Moore)
For Brenton Clark, seeking out what most people avoid is his business.
Known by many locals as simply, "The Turtle Guy," Clark, who resides near Fairfield, has been in the area the past few weeks trapping common snapping turtles from local farm ponds throughout southern Appanoose County.
Clark, who has been in the turtle trapping business for about three years, has been familiar with the trade much longer than that. Even so, when first approached, he was somewhat reluctant to be interviewed about his unusual profession because he feared a negative response. Many people believe turtle trapping to be inhumane. Clark insists it's not like that at all.
"I treat them very humanely; I don't hurt them or kill them," said Clark. "No females are ever killed; they are taken and raised. The females will lay 40 to 60 eggs each, per year."
Also, painted turtles are never killed. They are sold to zoos or other people or places as small pets.
In trapping the elusive snappers, Clark uses a small cage inside his turtle trap, and he baits the turtles with carp, and they can't figure out how to escape trap.
Checking the traps is one of Clark's favorite things about his job. "You never know what's going to be in the trap," he said.
The common snapping turtle can kill ten pounds of fish per one pound of body weight and a lot of people who have ponds with fish don't exactly like that factor. "Snappers aren't good for anything that I know of," said Clark.
After the turtles are trapped, the females are sorted from the males and placed in tanks until they are shipped to Millard's Turtle Farm, in Keosauqua.
Millard's Turtle Farm supplies over 70 percent of the world with its turtles, whether it be for food, pets or other uses. At Millard's they have many holding pits, each holding 20,000 gallons, and most of them are full of turtles.
Snapping turtles have extremely powerful jaws, hence their name. They have a sharp beak, but no teeth. They have a long tail and each webbed foot has five clawed toes. This turtle, like all turtles, has no vocal cords and can only make hissing and grunting sounds.
Therefore, along with the job, comes the danger of possibly getting bitten by a snapping turtle...an unfortunate incident that Clark is familiar with.
"I've been bit several times," Clark said. "It's very dangerous, and if they get your skin, the only way to get them off is to rip the skin."
Other turtles can feel the wrath of the common snapping turtle's jaws as well. In fact, Clark says it's not uncommon at all to find other turtles with their fails bitten off.
Clark says he enjoys his work, however, due to the dedication it takes, he is away from home more than he'd like, only getting back to the Fairfield area twice a week.
But, Lloyd and Rosemary Brown of rural Centerville have made that a little easier for him by opening their home to him so Clark can stay close to his traps.
Another drawback to setting his traps, he says, is that he doesn't know a lot of pond owners in the area, who whose land belongs to whom. "That's where Lloyd came in handy," Clark says with a laugh. "I don't know very many people around here, but he sure does!"
Asking permission is always rule number one for Clark, who says he is always sure to ask permission before setting any traps.
In order to be able to trap the common snapping turtle, one has to apply for a Common Turtle Trapping license, which is applied for through the State of Iowa. Also, each trap has to have a name and state tag on it, as well as an escape hole for little turtles.
Clark is quickly becoming a familiar face around the parts of southern Appanoose County - a face that has always got a smile and is accompanied by a contagious laugh. He loves his job, and brings much respect to all "turtle guys" across Iowa.
Stalking the snapper