I now this really isnt about taxidermy but,Im planing a big fishing trip here in south Florida and Ihave heard alote of good
things about eating softshell turtls and would like to try cleaning and eating one .If anyone can help us it would be greatly appreciated.,,Thanks....mike
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But then if they are the females, I put dresses on them.
If you intend on harvesting soft shells, please wait another couple weeks depending on where you are - for example in colder habitats the eggs may not have been layed. (In florida the eggs should have already been laid). There is no maternal care in the genus Apalone (used to be Trionyx) so once the eggs are layed, harvest away. The larger specimens are almost always female in all three species in North America. You can't eat the shell portion even though it appear soft. All you do is cut off all four legs after you remove the carapace. You can also eat the neck muscles but they are a bit tougher (i.e. need more parboiling). They skin out easily, or you can simply place the legs in a cooler until you get back from fishing. Be careful, softshells are quick and meaner than Snapping turtles.