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Hunting for Snapping Turtles With The Fatty Brothers

  • To catch a snapping turtle, you’ve got to snatch the tail, and if you get the other end - you should just hope it doesn’t bite you.

  • Who would’ve thought that shoving your hands in river holes could prove fun?

  • The funny duo constantly roasts each other and keeps the lighthearted atmosphere going

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Who knew turtles could be so dangerous yet so fun…


Those living in the Bowling Green area of Kentucky have definitely encountered the Fatty brothers in their hunting adventures! This wholesome duo has been practicing the sport of hunting for snapping turtles since their adolescence.


Although noodling for catfish was already popular in Kentucky, hunting for snapping turtles is rarely mentioned. The Fatty brothers have been carrying this tradition since the dawn of time!


Fatty 1 aka Michael Linne and Fatty 2 aka Zac Linne, as they like to call themselves, learned all about hunting snapping turtles from their great grandparents. Their relatives lived through the Depression, and hunting for snapping turtles was their way of making a living - their way of continuing the family heritage!




Michael states that he learned how to hunt turtles from watching his father since he was 12. Fatty says that his brother started a little later, roughly at 18.



The funny duo constantly roasts each other and keeps the lighthearted atmosphere going. There is a certain hint of sibling rivalry intertwined with brotherly love. The brothers work together and feed off each other’s strengths to catch as many snapping turtles as possible.


Hunting for snapping turtles requires a lot of strength, patience, and focus. The brothers have to dig into deep swamp holes to catch the priceless snapping turtle. Who would’ve thought that shoving your hands in river holes could prove fun? The Fatty brothers!



Their usual day consists of visiting the river area with their friends Evan and Zach. These two have learned all they know from watching the brothers, and they love the adventures.


Hunting in the freezing river has some difficulties. Michael has a heart condition, so he passes on hunting whenever the water is cold.



To catch a snapping turtle, you’ve got to snatch the tail, and if you get the other end - you should just hope it doesn’t bite you. Michael is sick of digging his hands into holes, not knowing what he’ll find or what will find him. Through the years, the brothers have been bitten by snakes, beavers, fish, and leeches, to name a few. The duo usually has trouble catching enough green turtles; however, the snapping ones are tastier.



Even though we don’t know which of the brothers is better at hunting, Michael adds that if his situation took place in the wilderness, he would become fat, and his brother would be getting thin.

As the brother put it, the art of hunting snapping turtles requires speed and strength. When a turtle is stuck, the brothers join forces to pull it out. Once they get one, the older brother does the cooking and prepares excellent dishes like fried turtle or soup.


Over the years, the Fatty brothers have experienced the grip of the snapping turtle dozens of times, and Michael explains the pain as ‘hurtin like hell!’

‘’The only thing meaner than that turtle is me’’- Michael concludes that no snapping turtle is a match to him, and he’ll continue the tradition with generations to come. So, whenever you’re in Kentucky and have an itch for hunting snapping turtles, you know who to call!


Watch the video below, and be sure to subscribe to iWonder TV!



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