Original subtitles

Over the course of my life,

I have successfully caught and released

over 500 snapping turtles.

And my goal with each and every encounter is not to be bit.

These turtles are incredibly powerful.

And their razor-sharp jaws are capable of cutting

through human flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Ah!

It's fair to say that I have had some close calls.

I've also taken some intentional bites to show you just

how bad a bite can truly be.

Ah!

Ah!

Ah, he's ripping the side of my hand!

Oh my gosh!

And as we are all aware--

there have also been some pretty

painful and gruesome unintentional bites.

No matter how careful you are or how experienced you may be,

accidents in the heat of action do occasionally happen.

Get ready to witness the worst snapping turtle

bite I have ever taken.

Oh, if you are squeamish, I will warn you now,

there will be blood.

OK, I got another turtle right around me.

OK, um, I'm trying not to get bitten by another turtle.

I got a turtle underneath me right now.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Huge turtle underneath my foot.

Huge turtle in hand.

OK, this is definitely, definitely a dangerous scenario

right here.

Well, it is another beautifully sunny day

here in Columbus, Ohio.

And we are out searching for snapping turtles.

I'm back at Blacklick Woods, Ashton Pond,

where some of the largest turtles in the state

currently reside.

You guys know the turtle I'm looking for.

Maybe you remember a little episode

where I caught Stump Beak.

This is where he lives.

And right now, I've been scouting with the binoculars

and have seen several turtles moving about,

some on the back side of the pond, and some over here.

Which one of them is Stump Beak?

I'm not sure yet.

But with any luck, we're going to catch him and weigh

him again and see if he has crested close to 60 pounds

in weight.

Now, this is going to be a very difficult scenario for me

because I'm going to have to go out on the kayak

and be extremely stealthy.

These turtles are very much in tune with their environment.

And the second that they hear somebody trudging through,

they immediately dive down into the murky abyss.

So me walking along the edges of this pond, not possible.

Me in a kayak sneaking up in stealth mode, with any luck,

we're going to land ourselves a giant.

Blacklick Woods is home to some very large dragons, including

the infamous Stump Beak.

I was originally introduced to this turtle

by wildlife photographer Karl Hassel, who

captured photographic evidence of this giant reptile

several years ago.

During the first season of "Dragon Tails,"

I managed to land the beast.

And he tipped the scales at 54 pounds.

So I'm curious to learn how much he has grown in three years.

There he is.

Right back there, underneath that log, I see Stump Beak.

He is actually moving into the shallows,

likely claiming dominance of that territory.

And again, right now, it's breeding season, guys,

so these snapping turtles are duking it out.

Dragon power fighting each other for the rights

to breeding territory.

And the giant has just moved back into that corner.

OK, let's get in the kayak.

I got to catch him now.

If I could land this behemoth for a second time,

there is a chance he could become

the living world record for a wild

caught common snapping turtle.

The record currently hails at 76.5 pounds,

and dates back to the year 1988.

Could this turtle, who we all know as Stump Beak,

have gained 23 pounds in three years?

Look at how massive this turtle is!

Only a successful catch would tell.

I'm halfway through the pond right now.

I could just see the carapace breached

on the other side of that log.

OK, we're going to sneak in real quiet here.

OK, he hasn't heard me yet.

Guys, this could be Stump Beak.

There he is, there he is!

Big turtle, big turtle, big turtle!

Nice!

OK, I've got another turtle right around me.

I'm trying not to get bitten by another turtle.

I got a turtle underneath me right now.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Huge turtle underneath my foot.

Huge turtle in hand.

OK, this is definitely, definitely a dangerous scenario

right here.

Got him!

I see that.

Or one!

And there goes my boat.

Not good.

I have another huge turtle underneath my foot as well.

Double dragon scenario here.

Part two.

Hold on.

Oh!

Ow!

Took a bite, took a bite!

Bad bite.

Wrong end of the turtle.

Hold on.

All right, gonna need some assistance!

We'll go around.

Ah!

Shoot.

I really want to get this turtle, too.

All right, I'm abandoning that turtle

and we're going in towards shore.

You got to know when you've gone far enough.

OK.

You all right?

Wow!

That is a giant right there.

Man, I got a lot of blood coming out of my hand right now.

Turtle took off the top of my finger.

Most dangerous thing you can ever do

is reach your finger down into the water after a turtle.

All right, this is going to need some first-aid.

We're going bring this turtle around and get him up close.

We got ourselves-- ah--

a giant here. - You all right?

Yeah, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.

That's a big turtle.

Unfortunately, it is not Stump Beak.

It's just another one of the giants

that lives here at Ashton Pond.

Oh, boy.

That may have been Stump Beak underwater.

I reached down, tried to get myself

into a double dragon scenario, and it

took the top of my finger off.

As you can see, it is just the tip hanging on.

OK, let's get up there.

Let's get my finger wrapped.

And let's get the rest of this scene.

Woo!

Man, I lost my boat.

Ooh.

Well, I literally jumped into the middle

of a snapping turtle fight.

Two giants battling it out.

I didn't realize there were two there until I was up on top

of the log and jumped in.

And this was the first one I could grab.

And I thought, OK, well, I've got to get this turtle at least

away from my leg, so I reached down,

hoping to feel for the top of the carapace,

and unfortunately my finger went down just off the side.

It turned its head and got my whole finger in its mouth.

It's probably worse than it looks or maybe not as bad

as it looks.

I don't know which.

But when I looked at it, when it initially came up,

the whole side of my finger is chomped off.

You could see the blood coagulating there.

And this is exactly why we need to respect snapping turtles

from a safe distance, guys.

Well, before I weigh the turtle, first, I

have to tend to my finger.

I'm going to actually cover him up.

And to do that, I'm going to get this turtle

weight bag wet just to keep him nice and cool here in the sun.

He will be fine.

But this will also keep him calm and locked in position.

You see that?

Turtle under bag.

He's going to stay put.

OK, I'm going to apply first-aid to my own finger.

And what I have here is a bottle of water,

some gauze, a compression bandage, a Band-Aid,

and a simple pocketknife.

What I want to do is just temporarily

get pressure on this, stop the bleeding

so that we can finish the presentation

and get the weight of this turtle.

Like I said, I have not caught this turtle before, so getting

its weight is very important.

All right, makeshift blood clot right there.

And now, we can continue on with the presentation of this scene.

And I think this is probably a very good point in time

to note that snapping turtles, even for somebody like me

who is a professional and who's handled

hundreds of these turtles, can occasionally get a bite on you.

And I'm very lucky that the turtle

did not hold on to my finger or get more of it than it did.

A few stitches will fix that right up.

But right now, let's take a look at this giant.

Oh, hey, buddy.

Oh, now he's got the turtle weigh bag in his mouth.

We need that back. Come on.

Here.

I'm going to pick him up.

There we go.

Hi, buddy.

Look at you.

That is about as perfect as it gets

for a common snapping turtle specimen.

Now, this is not Stump Beak, but it is very similar in design.

The carapace, which, as we know, is the top of the shell,

looks almost identical to Stump Beak's shell.

Now, when I went back there, there was another turtle

and it may have been Stump Beak that bit my finger.

But this one is equally as handsome looking

and certainly as healthy.

This is not a 60-pound turtle, but I'm guessing it is

probably somewhere close to 50.

And like I said, this is a turtle that we

do not yet have on record here.

But let's take a look at this creature's tail.

Let me turn it around for you here like this.

Can you see it? Yep.

Go ahead and zoom in there.

A true dragon tail on this reptile.

Let me see if I can bend it down a little bit for you there.

Wow.

Quite the beast.

I'll tell you what, it's a lot harder to handle a turtle too

when you're missing the tip of your finger.

And I'm trying to be really, really

careful right now so that I am not bitten a second time.

But look at those front limbs.

He is massive!

Huge claws, all in perfect condition.

Perfect beak.

Eyes fully intact.

You guys want to see what his plastron looks like?

Here, let me lift it up for you to see just

how healthy this turtle is.

Look at its underside there.

That is an absolute giant.

And as we know, turtles and their relatives

have been on the planet for over 200 million years.

And you can certainly see the prehistoric nature

in this creature.

Hi, buddy.

I know, you would love to get my nose in your mouth.

We're going to try to avoid that today, OK?

All right, next thing I want to do

is get the weight of this turtle so we

officially have it on record.

And to do that, I'm going to set him down very gently here.

Hold on just a second there, buddy.

OK.

I do have my trusty turtle scale with me.

Now, this goes up to 50 pounds in weight.

I do not believe that this turtle is over 50 pounds,

but I am guessing that he is close.

You see that?

If we hit 50 pounds, it's considered

a true swamp monster.

I also have my turtle weigh bag here with me.

And to do this--

nuh-uh.

You stay.

Sometimes they listen to me.

OK, I'm going to gently place him down inside of the bag,

then we're going to hoist him up.

This is going to cause no harm to the turtle whatsoever.

And actually, inside the bag, he will be a little more calm.

Just like crocodilians, when you keep their eyes covered--

don't you bite the bag--

Watch your fingers.

- they oftentimes stay calm.

And this is tricky because once he's in the bag then,

of course, you don't know where the head is,

and things can get dangerous.

OK, turtle is in the bag.

Head is right there.

Now, he can still bite through the bag,

so we have to be extremely careful.

I'm going to bring the turtle up,

and then I'm going to get the position of the weight.

Are you good?

Mhm.

One, two, three.

Is it maxing it?

Nope.

OK, right there.

34 pounds is what he clocks in at.

I knew he was under 50, but that is still a really, really

good sized snapping turtle.

All right, now the tricky part, getting him back out

of the bag.

OK, the head's on that side.

All right, come on, buddy.

Out you go.

All right.

I know.

Don't bite the bag, don't bite the bag.

OK.

Whoa, what a big boy!

There he is.

Woo!

Tell you what, even at 34 pounds that

is a lot to handle right there.

So what are you going to name him?

Well, since it's a new catch, I think

we should call him Big Chomper.

How about that? Yeah.

Awesome.

Remember, guys, we're still looking for that world

record size snapping turtle.

So write in the comment section below.

Send us pictures on social media.

I hear you hissing.

Show us the pictures of the turtles you have seen.

And if it looks like something that could be a world record,

we may show up in your city, in your backyard,

in your pond to try to land a world record snapping turtle.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

It is officially my favorite day of the year, the first day

where it's warm enough to go out and look for snapping turtles.

Today, I'm in Columbus, Ohio, filming

at Blendon Woods Metro Park, where

through the largest turtles on record in the United States

all exist.

These dragons are out moving about right now, battling

with each other for territory, getting

ready for breeding season.

What we're going to do is head out in the water

and see if we can catch the first turtle of the year.

There we go!

Coming up!

Stay tuned, guys.

"Dragon Tails" season three is about to begin.

That is the common snapping turtle.

I got it!

It's a big turtle!

And he is about the size of a dinosaur.

Mario and I are actually going to head out in the water

together today using GoPros.

It's really windy, so it's a bit dangerous out there.

But with any luck, we're going to catch a turtle.

- Let's do it! - You ready?

I'm ready.

Let's do it!

If you thought just catching turtles was dangerous,

catching turtles with wavy water and the wind will

take you right off the kayak.

And that's the last thing you want to happen.

So hopefully we get some epic shots.

A turtle catch is still a turtle catch.

When dragon season is here, you do whatever

it takes to get the episode.

Working under special permits, I've

been researching this park's snapping turtle

population for nearly a decade.

And it's always the first place I go every spring,

as the turtles begin to activate after hibernation.

My oar's all cleaned off.

And you may notice that I have these two

big squishy masses here.

That's not for grip, guys.

That's actually to protect myself against the turtles

once they're in the boat.

As you can see, there are already

some bite marks in there.

And many a times once I've gotten a dragon into the boat,

it will try to attack me.

I have to put that in front.

It latches on.

Trust me, the last thing you want to happen

is for you to spill out of a kayak and a turtle

to end up on top of you.

OK, well, if you guys are set, let's head out in the water

and catch the first snapping turtle of the season.

The months of April and May are the absolute best

time to find snapping turtles.

The water is free of plant life, and the dragons

are drawn to the shallows, where they will

battle for breeding territory.

All right, we're getting into the shallows now.

And I need to get in position for catching turtles.

Here we go.

Whoa, that wind is really driving me forward quick.

Wait a second. I got something over here.

What's that?

All right, we've got geese on the move.

That's good.

I got some movement.

I've got some movement up here!

Turtle, turtle, turtle, turtle!

Got a turtle.

It's making a move.

Up here off the left side.

Could be a turtle unearthing.

Ooh, big bubbles coming up.

What's up with that?

Do you see all these bubbles coming up?

Yep.

All right, I'm going to get in, I'm going to get in.

Oh, I got a turtle.

It's a turtle.

Turtle.

Oh man, it's deep.

Hold on.

Oh man, this is not the situation we want to be in.

Hold on a second.

I've got to find its head.

All right, I got the back of his shell.

Back of the shell coming up.

OK, I got a hold on him.

I got a hold on him.

Hold on.

What I don't want to happen is for me to get bitten.

All right, he's trying to bury down.

I got him!

Hold on!

Oh, man.

Hold on.

I can't tell which side is which.

Here we go!

Coming up!

Look at that.

Just a little guy, but that's the first turtle of the year

right there.

Oh, I see you!

Just waking up for the year.

And that's actually one of our little resident females.

Not exactly a giant, but really important that we see that the

females--

I know you just woke up.

She probably just was unearthing from the mud.

I could see the bubbles coming up from beneath the surface.

And there you have it, the emergence of the first mud

dragon of the year.

All right.

I know, I know.

We're looking for something a lot bigger.

We're going to place you back down into the water, OK?

And then we're going to see if we can find one

of the big guys that's going to be looking

for you during breeding season.

Sound good?

Don't get your nose that close, right?

Yeah!

All right, first turtle of the year right there.

Awesome.

All right, I'm going to set it down.

Ready?

See you later, little girl.

All right.

Almost immediately after releasing my first catch

of the year, one of the big boys was spotted

hunkering down next to a log.

If I could bring him up, our second dragon of the season

would officially be revealed.

Yet, little did I know what seemed

like a simple catch was about to take a turn for the dangerous.

That looks like Hubert.

Hi, buddy.

He's not going to be any happy about this.

Hi, buddy.

Just hunker down.

There you are.

Oh boy, he's not going to be happy.

Hi, big guy.

How are you?

Fourth largest snapping turtle that calls Blendon Woods

home is this one right here.

That is Hubert, a good size common snapping turtle.

Oh!

Ah!

Those claws.

Oh, buddy.

Good to see you.

Oh, he is good and healthy.

That is one strong turtle right there.

Let's see.

Claws all intact, which is a good thing to see.

Just hunkered down right up against that tree.

Look at his carapace.

That is a beast of a turtle right there.

OK, let's take him back into shore

and get some up close shots.

Oh, man. - Yes!

Looks like we've got another turtle on the move.

Really? Where?

Right there. Don't you see those bubbles?

Or is that you?

Oh yeah, we've got something else right there.

You're right.

That is a turtle, coming right out from here.

OK, let's see if we can get a double dragon.

There he is, there he is. You see him?

It's moving.

Yep.

Hold tight, hold tight.

Oh! Oh, that's big one too.

That's a big turtle right there.

Hold on.

I definitely don't want them to fight.

Can you handle them both?

Oh yeah, that's a big turtle.

Hold on.

All right, guys, double dragon scenario right here.

Wow, OK.

Two very good sized common snapping turtles, both in hand.

Look at that.

Two giants.

Man, it's going to be impossible to look at them both.

Ooh, ooh!

Hold on.

I'm losing control of this one.

No, no, no, no, no!

Hold on.

I'm getting tangled up in the rope here.

Hold on. I'm going to put Hubert--

What do you want to do?

I'm going to put Hubert inside this boat

and spin him around like that.

Can I help you?

This is the sort of scenario where

you accidentally take a bite.

Woo!

Man.

OK, double dragon is what we call that right there.

Two very healthy common snapping turtles.

How's that for some dragon tales action?

Wow!

OK, this is going to be a bit of a risky scenario right here.

Man, how do you feel about rolling back

with a turtle in your kayak?

Yeah, put one in mine. That's fine.

OK.

This guy's going to be very aggressive.

Here, I'm going to face him forward like this

so that hopefully he stays put.

If you just kind of position your hand like that-- hold on.

I don't want him to get my arm.

Yep.

You got him?

He'll calm down in just a second.

There you go.

Keep him locked in place.

That is an aggressive turtle right there.

You got him? - Yep.

Keep a hold on him.

All right, Hubert's good.

He's going to stay put.

Stay, buddy.

Stay, buddy.

You see that defensive positioning right there?

He's arcing full off-- watch your arms, watch your arms.

Hold on.

We may determine that this is too dangerous.

You got him? - I got him.

OK.

If you you can get him to calm down,

that is always the first priority.

Get the turtle calm. There you go.

You good? - I think so.

OK.

No, not yet.

Woo!

As Mario and I rode back to shore with dragons in our cargo

holds, we battled the wind and water

while hoping to not take a bite from those razor-sharp jaws.

Sharing a small kayak with a snapping turtle

will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

Double dragon!

We did it!

How's that for a snapping turtle experience?

Double trouble.

Oh, man!

All right.

OK.

All right, guys, well, an epic conclusion here

to the first episode of "Dragon Tails" 2018.

Double dragon.

Woo!

Mario, that was epic.

Now, this is the first "Dragon Tails" adventure

Mario's actually been on.

Yep.

We shot today because of the warm temperature conditions.

Honestly, springs run long here in Ohio, hasn't it?

It has, yeah.

I've been waiting for this sun to come out.

Well, you're from Florida.

You're used to the warmth all year long, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Now, you may be asking yourselves,

how did you guys find two turtles so close together?

Well, this time of year is what, Mario?

Breeding season.

Breeding season, which means that the males are fighting

each other for territory.

Have you guys ever seen a snapping turtle battle?

No?

Do you want to see a snapping turtle battle?

No, we wouldn't really do that.

But these guys will go at it with graciousness

in the shallows, biting and clawing, honestly, sometimes

trying to kill each other to gain dominance of a territory.

Now, do you see that with crocodiles and alligators too?

Yeah, definitely.

Crocodiles, alligators, a lot of reptiles will do that.

They'll battle for dominance.

Mhm.

Yeah.

Well, we have two very equally-sized turtles here,

so I can imagine that a battle between these two would be

like two titans crashing heads over

there in the mud and the muck.

Well, I'd say that pretty much brings us

to the end of this episode of "Dragon Tails."

But, Mario.

Yeah?

You got to name this guy.

Yoshi.

Yoshi?

Like Mario rode around on a dragon called Yoshi?

Yep.

I like it.

OK, this turtle is officially named Yoshi.

And I would say that concludes the first episode

of "Dragon Tales" season three.

I know you guys keep asking for these episodes.

And keep in mind, for us to find a world-record sized

common snapping turtle, we need your help.

Write in the comment section below.

Send us pictures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, whatever.

We need to see the photographic proof, guys,

before we shoot up to your location

and try to catch your monster.

Well, want to give an outro?

Sure.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

I'm Mario Aldecoa.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, now the tough part.

We have to get back in the kayaks

and release the turtles back off into the wild--

Ooh, OK.

- right where they came from.

All right, let's do it.

This is going to be tough.

Catching a snapping turtle is dangerous.

Catching two snapping turtles at the same time

is borderline craziness.

So again, I stress, admire these reptiles from a safe distance

and never try to catch or interact with them.