MADISON – Wisconsin implemented updated turtle regulations in 1998 in response to declining turtle populations, and a decade later, state biologists says these laws are even more important for the state’s turtle populations today. The turtle harvest season opens July 15 in Wisconsin, and state officials are emphasizing that populations of turtles in Wisconsin are continuing to decline, so people need to follow harvest rules strictly. The regulations are designed to allow for limited harvest during the open season.
“Turtle populations recover very slowly when adult mortality rates exceed 1 to 2 percent,” says Bob Hay, a herpetologist, or cold-blooded species specialist, with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “Turtles are long-lived creatures under good conditions, but in today’s world, individuals turtles do not have the same opportunities to reach maturity and live a long life. The turtle regulations are designed to help minimize the loss of breeding adults and to provide the opportunity for more of the younger turtles to reach breeding age.”
The regulations were put in effect because of concerns with overharvest, but Hay notes there are other factors influencing turtle populations that are collectively causing significant concern for turtles.
“The loss and fragmentation of habitat causes particular problems for aquatic turtles. All of them must leave the water to nest in uplands, usually beginning in late May or early June. For about a month, turtles are often forced to cross roads, highways and interstates in an attempt to find suitable upland nesting habitat,” he says.
For at least one species, the state-threatened Blanding’s turtle, Hay says nesting sites are often determined by where an individual turtle, itself, hatched, and this may be a mile or more from water.
“It takes 17 to 20 years or more for Blanding’s turtles to reach maturity, so a lot can change to render their upland habitat unsuitable or there can be more obstacles constructed that make getting safely to their nesting sites more difficult,” he says.
Hay says nesting success is also on the decline. Very high raccoon, skunk and fox populations result in very heavy egg predation. The result is that few young turtles are available to offset the loss of breeding adults that are killed on roadways. Other factors, such as recent flooding during and following the nesting season, can also cause local nest losses.
Wisconsin has 11 different species of turtles, two of which – the wood turtle and Blanding’s turtles -- are threatened species and one – the ornate box turtle -- that is endangered.
Turtle harvest regulations can be found in the current Wisconsin Spearing and Netting Regulations. A write-up on all amphibian and reptile regulations including turtles (pdf) is available on the DNR Web site.
The turtle regulations include information on:
Licenses: A valid Wisconsin small game or fishing license is required to take and possess turtles on inland Wisconsin waters, and a valid Wisconsin small game or commercial fishing license is required to take turtles from Iowa-Wisconsin and Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters. Turtles may be taken by hand, dipnet, hook and line, by hooking, and a newly approved hoop net trap; no other trap types are allowed.
Seasons: The open season for all turtles is from July 15 - November 30, inclusive. Turtles listed as state threatened or endangered (Ornate Box, Blanding's, and Wood turtles) may not be possessed without an Endangered Species Permit. It is no longer legal to take and possess turtles during the closed season, which includes the June through early July nesting season when turtles are often found crossing roadways.
Size limit: The statewide size limit for snapping turtles is 12-inch minimum and 16-inch maximum top shell length. No other species have size limits.
Bag and Possession Limits (bag and possession limits are identical): Snapping turtles -- western Wisconsin boundary waters is 10, and the inland limit is 3. Softshell turtles -- western Wisconsin boundary waters is 5, and the inland limit is 3. All other species other than endangered or threatened is 5 statewide.
Trapping Restrictions: A maximum of 3 hoop net traps can be set per licensee in inland waters of the state except for the western boundary waters (Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers), where 10 hoop net traps per person are allowed. Traps must be made using a stretchable fabric (i.e. nylon) with a minimum mesh stretch of 6 inches. No wire mesh is allowed. Each trap must have an identification tag attached that includes the name and address of the operator and that is conspicuous above the water. At least 2 inches of the trap must be visible above the water, and must be checked at least once per day after they are set in all waters. Only the operator identified on the identification tag is authorized to tend the traps.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Hay (608) 267-0849
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