of wabash county inc. August 7, 2013 Vol. 36, No. 18
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Local man captures world record snapping turtle
by Ashley Flynn features@thepaperofwabash.com According to legends, a giant beast roams the murky bottoms of Fulk Lake in Churubusco. The creature weighs 500 pounds, is as big as car hood and is called the Beast of Busco. Others call him by his less menacing name, Oscar, which may suit him better since the socalled beast is a turtle. Oscar brought thousands of curious spectators to the small town and one man to ruins as he invested all his money into finding the creature. Oscar has never been found, but his story lives on in the town, which calls itself Turtle Town USA and holds an annual Turtle Days Festival. As a young boy, Bill Haywood listened to his grandfather tell the story of the Beast of Busco. Filled with a child’s imagination, Bill determined that one day he would catch a turtle the size of the Beast. Nearly 30 years later, Bill, a Wabash County resident, has yet to find a 500-pound turtle, but he has captured one of the biggest you can get. Bill recently trapped the world record for the largest living North American snapping turtle. This past Memorial Day Weekend, Bill took his son Canaan out for their first father-son turtle trapping trip in a lake west of Silver Lake. “We pulled the trap out of the water, and he was in the trap with about three other nice sized turtles. He’s probably never been out of the water his whole life,” Bill told The Paper of Wabash in an interview. “He was so big he just started ripping the trap apart and he charged at me. We couldn’t get the whole trap into the boat, and I gave it a big pull and knocked my son off the boat,” he said. Canaan climbed back into the boat and quick- OUT ON A FATHER-SON TURTLE TRAPPING TRIP, Canaan (left) and Bill Haywood (right) caught a world record turly started the motor and headed for the nearest tle. They caught 25 turtles total over Memorial Day Weekend. (photo provided) pier. “I drug him up onto the bank into someone’s yard, and they came out with their cameras as we were fighting this turtle,” Bill said. Bill and Canaan were able to flip the turtle onto his back and load him into the truck. “I knew it was a personal record,” Bill said of his initial thoughts of the turtle. “We were actually hanging them up to clean them, and we decided to investigate to see if he was a record of some kind. Turns out he was, Kristi Lundquist, Wabash but we almost cleaned the world record turtle to County Chamber of Commerce eat,” he said. Board Chair, announces Agro The turtle is 50.87 inches long, but it’s the Chem, Inc. as the 2013 Business shell size that determines records. This turtle of the Year. “The level of dedicahas a 19.62-inch shell. The turtle weighed over 60 tion that Agro Chem has investpounds when Bill originally weighed him, but a ed in this community is evident herpetologist said he would get to 70 pounds in through their commitment to time for hibernation. quality products and services,” “It goes by shell size and not weight because stated Lundquist. “Celebrating wild ones are less heavy since they hunt for their success and community AGRO CHEM, INC. was announced as the 2013 Business of the Year. Agro Chem, their food. Shell size you can’t increase, except impact is part of the Chamber’s Inc. was founded in 1975 by Gary Cooper. (photo by Mike Rees) for with time,” Bill said. mission.” “Massachusetts had the record at 19.8, but it Gary Cooper founded Agro ed outside of Wabash on the Cooper’s Brian, Brad and Mark, to join the busidied about three years ago. Now this one is the Chem, Inc. in 1975. Gary’s first home farm located on SR 124. As the ness following their graduations from largest living turtle on record,” Bill explained. employee was his lifelong friend, business continued to grow there was Purdue University. “A lot of herpetologists (people who study Ernie Peas. The business operat- opportunity for Ernie’s three sons, (continued on page 5)
Agro Chem, Inc. named 2013 Business of the Year
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