No more cooter

If you travel along a country roads in North Florida don't be alarmed if you see a bumper sticker on the back of a pickup truck that encourages all who see it to "Eat More Cooter." These river turtles, often seen basking on rocks and logs, are considered quite a delicacy in some parts.

But before you head out to try to snatch some of these tasty reptiles, take a close look at the regulations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced closed season for the harvest of river cooter from April 15 to July 31.

And that goes for their young-ins too. No fried river cooter egg sandwiches until Aug. 1.

But don't fret. Even though the state wants you to eat less cooter, you can still go catch yourself a mess of soft-shell turtles, which look sort of like a big, leathery pancake. They are still fair game until May 1. But then the season shuts down as well.

Turtle fans can still get their fix though with alligator snapping turtles, loggerhead musk turtles, box turtles, Barbour's map turtles, Escambia river map turtles and diamondback terrapins. The Suwannee cooter, however, is off limits, no matter how hungry you get.