OSCAR - One Truly Massive Grouch!

A legend of folklore is born anytime the imagination takes liberty upon itself to make one believe that what the eyes have seen is greater then what science would likely prove. The famous tale of Moby Dick and Captain Ahab's quest to find the White Whale is one of history's greatest examples of such a legend. The search for a World Record Snapping Turtle is my White Whale Tale and last night one of the chapters in this saga came to an epic sunset conclusion.


One of the locations that my team and I research (which must remain secret for the safety of the animals) has been haunting my dreams for 4 years now ever since a Snapping Turtle nearly pulled me to my fate in sink mud. Holding tightly to the back of the beasts carapace (top of shell) we fought until I was pulled so deeply into the mud that I had two choices, risk meeting my doom drowning in a mess of black ooze, or releasing the biggest turtle I had ever laid hands on.


As I let go and he slipped from my clutches into the abyss I vowed to capture him again, wondering...could he be a World Record...was he really that big, or did my imagination in the face of death turn him into a monster one could only conjure in their darkest nightmares?


That night Swamp Monsters was born and capturing the turtle that almost killed me became not only a passion, but an obsession that has ever since taken me and my camera team into the wetlands.


For 4 years this monster, a prehistoric looking beast with its scaled leathery tail, massive claws and razor sharp beak has eluded capture. In fact in the past 4 years this enormous Snapping Turtle has only been spotted 3 times! All that is ever seen is his massive black head breaching the surface, often times in deep water and then like a phantom he disappears.


It is these sightings that have kept me coming back to this location week after week. Many times as I navigate the waters my imagination runs wild with the thought of how big this Mud Dragon really is and the ever haunting question...will this ghost of the mud ever be captured?

Well last night, on a solo mission, it finally happened.


Diving from my kayak and into waist deep water on the shallow end of the lake I grabbed hold of his carapace and knew immediately that this was the phantom! He was ENORMOUS! The battle, unfortunately none of which was captured on camera, is now an epic memory of body swallowing mud, dinosaur like claws puncturing and ripping the skin of my hands, a massive gnarled head thrashing about in an attempt to bite me with its bone crushing jaws and a fight through murky water to drag the monster to shore. It was a memory that will live with me the rest of my life and a tale I will proudly tell at dinner tables, in media interviews and at the bedside of my daughter until it becomes a folklore tale of her own. My White Whale, my Big Fish... my Oscar.


Named Oscar, indicative of his grouchy attitude, he has a carapace that measures 18 inches in length and 19.5 inches in width.


Unfortunately I was unable to get an accurate weight as my spring based scale rusted, unbeknownst to me since my last turtle weighing, but it is estimated that he was in the vicinity of 55 lbs.


To date this is the largest Common Snapping Turtle I have ever captured.


A true definition to the word Mud Dragon and a Swamp Monster worthy of the lore he has inspired for the past 4 years. While Oscar is not a World Record (current record = carapace length 22 inches, weight 73 lbs)he joins the ranks as one of the largest Common Snapping Turtles on record in the US, along with his brother Cornelius who also resides in this body of water, and is now the pinnacle in my quest to capture a new World Record!


Will I capture a turtle bigger then Oscar? Only time will tell as my obsession to find a "White Whale" adventures on...leaving in its muddy, algae strewn wake a folklore tale that is becoming worthy of every bit my imagination dreams it to be.

The Jaws of SOG's PowerAssist Multi-tool!

As an adventure filmmaker and animal enthusiast I spend a great deal of time in the field searching out some pretty bizarre creatures - like the Snapping Turtle, which is about as prehistoric looking as it gets!


I take a number of products into the field but nothing is more important than having a trusty multi-tool at my side.


SOG's PowerAssist Multi-tool is without a doubt the most important item on my belt. With 15 reliable tools that range from the SOG Assisted Technology (S.A.T) standard and serrated knife blades to screwdrivers, the V-cutter and much more... there isn't a challenge this tool can't handle!


When flipping open the tool for standard use you experience the precision of the heavy-duty plier capability and large wire cutters. All part of SOG's proprietary Compound Leverage technology that works by employing multiple pivot points which generate greater handle travel in relation to plier movement. The result is a leverage advantage of approximately twice the power of a conventional multi-tool, which makes every cut smoother and easier.


The only other thing on the planet I have encountered that has such perfect precision and cutting ability is the jaws of a Snapping Turtle!


Available in a black oxide or brilliant satin model, I prefer the black matte finish as it is specifically designed for low reflectivity which is always ideal when trying to stay camouflaged in any environment.


At a mere 9.6 oz and closed-up length of 4.6 in" it fits perfectly in the front pouch of the SOG Seal Pup sheath which when combined together are an adventurers perfect combo!


It truly is a beautiful tool and the team and I love using and photographing this product when out on adventure!


The PowerAssist has helped me out of a number of sticky situations...including getting a Choya Cactus out of my hand!


If you are in the market for a reliable and fully loaded Multi-tool this outdoor adventure season you won't go wrong with the PowerAssist.


For all of the awesome SOG products I use and photographs of this incredible gear in action, make sure to follow my adventures this summer!

Emotion Kayaks - Meet the Mud Dragon!

As the cold of winter recedes into the on coming warmth of spring the wetland ecosystem is coming alive and with it the wakening of the planet's most prehistoric looking creature, the Common Snapping Turtle.



In the past I have searched out these Mud Dragons on foot. Fighting through thick leg swallowing mud and sloshing about in mutagen looking algae... hoping to bump into what most would consider a nightmare armed with razor sharp claws and a bite that can crush bone. This year the game has changed and I can proudly say I have been sponsored by Emotion Kayaks to represent the Stealth Angler Fishing Kayak.



Brilliantly imagined by legendary kayak designer Jim Snyder, the Stealth Angler is an extremely versatile sit-on-top fishing kayak built for any water condition ones heart desires. From lakes and ponds to slow moving rivers and creeks...or in my case SWAMPS! The ST Performance Hull provides outstanding stability, speed and tracking in a convenient 10 foot 3 inch package that allows me to get closer to MONSTER sized turtles then ever before. The Stealth is loaded with great features and is equipped with a Triple Threat Fishing Configuration and a contoured tankwell with New Cargo Net Lacing System to accommodate any gear I need to carry with me.



I put the Stealth Angler to the test last night and my success was uncanny. Not only was I able to silently glide across the water with remarkable speed and precision, but I was even able to stand up on the kayak with incredible stability even when jumping from it to capture my first Mud Dragons of the season!



The first capture was a 27 lb male who was all attitude! A field guide perfect specimen, capturing him was literally as simple as gliding up along side his lumbering carapace as it breached the surface, hopping to my feet, balancing on the kayak and leaping into the murky water.



The second capture of the evening was an absolute monster! You are looking at Cornelius a 50 lb plus male who I have been researching for the past 4 years. The last time he was captured was June 2011 and since then he has grown so much that I almost didn't recognize him.



To my knowledge and research this is one of the largest Common Snapping Turtles on record in the United States. A true legend in the making and he is as healthy as I have ever seen him!



Cornelius is so big that he fills the front of the Stealth Angler. I consider myself fortunate, getting him to behave while we paddled from the mud shallows to shore was a much welcome change after struggling to get him into the Stealth Angler - which also involved me getting bit or rather nipped on the arm. The chunk out of my forearm isn't half as bad as it could have been had he managed to get a better grip on me!



For my first adventure out on Emotion Kayaks Stealth Angler I couldn't have been happier with the performance and my results.



Its going to be one heck of a Mud Dragon season...my chances of finding and capturing a New World Record have never been better and as the duck weed and lily pads begin to emerge, giving these ancient looking creatures the hiding places they desire, I will be there ready to give chase as this modern day "white whale" story continues to unfold.

Stay tuned...There will be MUD!

In the mean time check out Emotion Kayaks website and the one and only Stealth Angler!

The Search for a World Record!

200 million years ago when prehistoric giants roamed the earth a new species of monster was evolving from the muck…with demon yellow eyes, razor sharp claws and a bite force capable of crushing bone. A creature submerged beneath our awareness, their existence barely recognized, passed over by those more enthralled with other man-eaters, constrictors and villains of the reptilian clan. The Snapping Turtle is one of the last true Swamp Monsters on the planet and they have been waiting quietly, growing into folklore legends.

Coyote Peterson-adventurer, field zoologist and filmmaker- has assembled an ambitious team that will follow a trail of folklore, photographic evidence, and scientific facts as they track down legendary turtles of epic proportions. It is impossible to visit a fishing dock, bait shop, or old timer’s front porch without hearing a tall tale centered on a monster sized Snapping Turtle. Turtle tales are everyone’s favorite story to tell… beasts the size of a kitchen table…others big enough to sink boats… thus likened to being monsters of the abyss. Are the tales really as grand as they seem…or are those who witness these elusive reptiles letting their imaginations run wild?

Swamp Monsters takes Peterson and company across the eastern half of the United States where they go neck deep into the harshest wetland environments known to man in search of both a World Record Common and Alligator Snapping Turtle. Working with renowned field herpetologists, armed with the latest advances in tracking sonar and camera technology, basic survival tools and pure ambition, the team travels to the depths of the Great Lakes…down the Mississippi and into the dark unknown corners of the southern bayous and Everglades. Alongside the unforgiving environments the team also faces a plethora of biological landmines…from aggressive aquatic mammals and venomous snakes to man-eating alligators, the dangers are extreme and the adventures action- packed. There seemingly isn’t a swamp land, marsh or mud wallow that goes unsearched for these elusive predators.

Will Peterson and his team’s efforts bring a World Record beast into the light of day…or will the murkiness of the swamps prevail, leaving that which remains folklore legend hidden beneath the surface?

This is truly a modern day White Whale story. To find, capture and dare we say…release, a World Record Snapping Turtle.

There will be mud…this is SWAMP MONSTERS!