Seasons, Bag Limits, and Methods for Taking Reptiles

(a) There shall be no open season for taking Bog Turtles, (Glyptemys muhlenbergii), Wood Turtles, (Glyptemys insculpta), Diamondback Terrapins, (Malaclemys terrapin), Eastern Box Turtles, (Terrapene c. carolina), and Spotted Turtles, (Clemmys guttata) in any developmental stage. (b) The open season for taking Black Rat Snakes, Elaphe o. obsoleta, shall be from May 1 through August 31. During the open season, Black Rat Snakes shall only be taken by hand or hand-held implement. The daily and season bag limit shall not exceed one (1). However, there shall be no open season for taking eggs of this species. (c) Repealed (d) Seasons, bag limits, size restrictions, methods and gear limitations for taking common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina). (1) The open season for taking snapping turtles shall be from July 15 through September 30. (2) The daily bag limit shall be five (5) and the seasonal bag limit shall be thirty (30). (3) During the open season only snapping turtles having a straight line upper shell (carapace) length of 13 inches minimum shall be taken. There is no open season for taking snapping turtle eggs. Nests shall not be disturbed without prior authorization from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. (4) Snapping Turtles may be taken by hand, dip net, turtle hook, floating or non-floating turtle trap, and personally attended hook and line only. The use of firearms, poison, explosives, seines, gill nets or fyke nets is prohibited. (5) No person may set, place or attend more than three (3) total turtle traps at any given time. Traps used shall be constructed and set in a manner to allow turtles to surface and breathe, and shall be constructed of mesh at least one inch wide at the narrowest measurement. All traps shall have a functional escape hole provided with a minimum diameter in all directions of 7.5 inches to allow the passage of fish and small turtles. Trap size shall not exceed 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet, except that hoop-style traps may be up to 84” in total length. Traps shall be tagged with a plate or tag visible above the water line bearing the Conservation Identification Number of the user. No person shall use a turtle trap without obtaining a snapping turtle trapping endorsement on such person’s Conservation License. Such endorsement shall be issued without fee and shall be carried at all times while engaged in turtle trapping. Only the operator identified on the tag may tend the trap. All traps shall be lifted or tended and emptied of catch at least once in a 24 hour period. Any wildlife otherwise protected shall be immediately released at the point of capture. (6) No person shall use a turtle trap on any body of water owned, leased or otherwise under control of the department without written authorization from the department. (7) The restrictions in subdivisions (1), (2), (3) and (5) of this subsection shall not apply to private pond or lake owners or owners of aquaculture facilities trapping for the purposes of releasing turtles back into the wild at another location.