Marauder Nabs a Frog

Marauder is the semi-tame redear slider turtle that lives in the front stock pond.  By some point late in last summer's fishing outings, I found I'd been inadvertently feeding her grasshoppers for possibly several weeks.  I noticed odd things like some of my swimbaits being snipped in half and the monofilament line parting under conditions of no tension.  Paying more attention, I spotted a small turtle making its way out to the bobber whenever I was using one.  She would line up on the bobber then dive beneath to find the hook and whatever was lodged on it.  Easy meal.

I began using the bobber to lure her in closer to shore so I could watch and videotape the proceedings.  On two occasions I lured her up onto shore, and on eight or so I was able to lure her into a net for capture.  I'd hoped to acclimate her to being handled so that I could bucket her, feed her some grasshoppers, and basically keep her out of the way while I cast for perch and bass.  Rather than becoming more docile, though, she became more wary, and learned to avoid the net altogether.

But she still follows me around, and still approaches shore when she hears my voice (I tell folks it's because of my irresistible turtle call:  "Heeeere turdle turdle turdle").  She will come in quite close to shore, and has even charged in within inches of my feet, as when she spotted a hapless grasshopper kicking around in the water just offshore.

Shown here is a brief scene of one of those encounters, taken on or about 6/13/2015.  After she grabs the bait, I use the bobber to demonstrate how she orients on it, even when it's not in the water, and how closely she's willing to approach.