Man finds turtle with son's initials on it [after 47 years]

UPI.com ^ | May 5, 2012 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

SOUTH STRABANE, Pa., May 5 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania man said he recently found a live turtle his son carved his initials into 47 years ago.

Holland Cokeley, 85, was walking in the woods behind his South Strabane home with his neighbor's dog when the dog found the turtle, KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, reported Friday.

"I picked it up, and I thought, 'Oh geez, this is Jeff's turtle!'" said Cokeley. "It's been here for 47 years, and it still has the same markings on it!"

[Beagle8U]

The Eastern box turtle will live it's entire life in an area as little as 5 acres.

With a mainly vegetarian and insect diet, they are harmless.

They love fruit and can often be found in upland wooded areas that have wild strawberries and dewberries.

[Daffynition]

We've shared our snapper stories B4....http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2727874/replies?c=36

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2533095/replies?c=22

I never did find the article from Yankee Magazine a few years back about a fellow in the Northeast who rescues snappers and relocates them in other ponds/marshes for people who want them evacuated.

When we lived on a lake, we'd catch them and put them in marshlands far from us, two towns over. Vicious critters. Big as doormats. After I read the article, I figured that as fast as we were removing them, this guy was probably putting them back in our lake. ;)

[SouthernBoyupNorth]

mmm good to know.... Ill have to put up some kind of defense around the new strawberry patch next year

[JoeProBono]

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

Taking one for the team.

[Osage Orange]

So you worked on a cattle ranch....

But what you don't know...is stock tanks can mean regular old ponds.

That said....there's plenty of creeks around here that you can't set trot lines, or limb lines...because the water turtles are so thick.

Years ago...I was fishing a beautiful little pond in S.E. KS. Threw my lure...out and WHAM...thought I had a 7 lb. bass.....turned out it was a turtle. Was a bit tricky getting the lure back. Ha!!

Personally I think box turtles are cool. Water turtles....not so much.

[Osage Orange]

Geesh....around here...when I shoot a water turtle...I'm 5-10 miles from anywhere. OR we are high up on the creek bank...shooting pretty much down.

Never heard them called sliders...though. We just call them turtles. : )

[X-spurt]

I don’t give a hoot about the turtles, but what’s the point of killing them? Just for target practice? Ever wonder how shooting gets a bad name??????

Have hunted for almost 60 years, but was always taught to not shoot at anything you don’t intend to kill and don’t kill anything you ain’t gonna eat.

[Osage Orange]

I guess you are against predator hunting... coyote, cougar, wolf, bobcat, etc.

You ever ate a coyote?

BTW, you ain't no expert....noob.

[X-spurt]

If a predator is predatorizing my stock, they are fair game. If you mean just going out with some CS recorded calls just to shoot any animal for “the thrill” is a bit juvenile.

I say you need to show me where you have credentials for judging who is an expert and who is not, which I do not claim, X-spurt being a play on words which may have flown right over an Okie head. Wouldn't snipe at you for the name osage orange, but wonder if you are expert enough to know what it is precisely.

[Osage Orange]

I guess..you are calling thousands of hunter's "juvenile".

I can tell you that coyotes, and bobcats...have a big impact on the deer, turkey, quail, etc...population...but you might not understand that.

And I've not even mentioned feral hogs.

As for the rest of your post...you make me LOL...noob.

[Delta 21]

Who remembers?

[Daffynition]

[X-spurt]

Its 3rd Grade playground bully mentality level to think you have some big seniority advantage to keep pushing a chicken shite “noob” rant. Got news for you, time on FR does not equal intellect, as you seem to be insisting to prove.

Regarding predators, even Mountain Lions, significantly hurting deer,turkey or quail populations, that's bogus. By far poaches have a much bigger impact. Are you for shooting poachers? From what I hear from my friends in Oklahoma, lots of Okies have a reputation for pouching. From an ethical hunter's perspective,there is a very narrow and easily crossed line between poaching game and shooting any animal just for the fun of it.

Can't say for Oklahoma, but in Texas deer and turkey are flourishing, the quail's biggest problem is Imported Fire Ants. Hope you are lucky enough to not have them yet.

[Osage Orange]

Regarding predators, even Mountain Lions, significantly hurting deer,turkey or quail populations, that's bogus. By far poaches have a much bigger impact. Are you for shooting poachers? From what I hear from my friends in Oklahoma, lots of Okies have a reputation for pouching. From an ethical hunter's perspective,there is a very narrow and easily crossed line between poaching game and shooting any animal just for the fun of it.

You think I was bullying you, because I called you a noob!?!?! Get over it...You should be honored. ROFLOL!! Nice....rant though. You even tried to imply I'm a poacher. Ha!!

You don't know what you are talking about slick. I can tell you without a doubt coyotes effect the deer, turkey and quail population. Yes, poaching happens. I know it happens in TX too. But yotes are hunting 365 days a year. Poachers generally are working during the hunting seasons.

You will have the last word.

[X-spurt]

As with most bullies, when confronted, you all jump back and claim to be misunderstood. I'll be happy to keep it going cause you picked the wrong dude, dude.

Have a nice day or just go shoot something defenseless for grins, Chief.

[panaxanax]

“But what you don’t know...is stock tanks can mean regular old ponds.”

Not up on the Canadian border/NE corner of Washington/NW Idaho they don’t.

A stock pond is a pond and a stock tank is a galvanized oblong metal or a plastic tank.

Yes, I have had the turtle problem when fishing and it really does take the fun out of the day. We called them “Stinky Jims” way back when.

DainBramage...
As for “climbing turtles”...I was making a joke about turtles being able to climb the vertical walls of what we called a ‘stock tank’, as described above.

I think our lack of communication on this is a geographical issue. Texas ranchers call a pond a “tank” while WA/ID ranchers call a pond a “pond”.

No hard feelings from this end. Hope for the same at yours.

panax

[panaxanax]

“You must be that stupid and never been out west. Stock tanks and ponds are the same,, DUH”
______________________

See above post.

Not a reason to call someone “stupid” over something as silly as this, is there?

[DainBramage]

No problem..