To answer your question, here is the following:
i did some research and the research says… maybe???
while this would probably work better from a safety standpoint…
…no one in North Carolina keeps a snow shovel in their vehicle (we're southern, please forgive us). also, snapping turtles are still kinda squishy, at least their legs are, so i would be concerned about cutting the turtle while scooping it since decent snow shovels are usually made of metal and are pretty sharp.
Instead, here is a helpful guide on how to pick up a snapping turtle:
So. You have encountered a turtle…
…and it is filled with the burning rage of a thousand suns because, dear god, you, mortal flesh pod, have decided to move it from its Sunny Spot™️
Question is, how does one go about doing this?
Well, friend, first you approach the turtle from BEHIND (to avoid the beak, chase after it, etc, etc)
You’ve made it this far so now you’re going to want to pick this bad boy up.
In order to avoid walking away from this looking like you just fought with a rotating sphere of knives, pick up the turtle towards the back of its shell but in front of the hind legs:
Then, you’re going to pick the turtle up and lug it across the road in the direction it was facing/walking. They know where they’re going, they have turtle instincts. Trust the turtle instincts.
Now, it is important that you’re only picking this turtle up a few inches off the ground because 1) they are very heavy and if you drop it, you only want it falling a few inches and 2) there’s just less flailing if they can see the ground.
after awkwardly shuffle-walking to the curb, set the turtle down (gently) and watch it waddle into the undergrowth!
