The Turtle Man
December 28, 2008 by David Stephenson
Filed under David Stephenson, Multimedia, Videos
Video by David Stephenson and Amy Wilson | Staff
Story by Amy Wilson
In a world without the Crocodile Hunter, there has been since 2006 a
swashbuckling-swamp-hero fame vacuum waiting to be filled.
Now comes Ernie Brown Jr., a rogue naturalist of sorts who thinks he
might just be able to step in and be that guy.
The man from Lebanon calls himself, variously, “Kentucky’s best-kept
secret” and “the poorest famous guy around.”
Mostly, though, he’s just The Turtle Man, known for being paid in gas
money to go on his intrepid forays cleaning out Kentucky’s troubled farm
ponds plagued by apple-stealing, horse-biting, cow udder-clutching,
jaw-snapping turtles.
He works only with his hands, in a job few men in the world are equipped
or willing to do.
It is so rare – and, he imagines, so entertaining to watch – that he has
his own superhero name, his own soon-to-be-working Web site, and his own
imagination working on what he has to do to be famous.
“I don’t kill it,” says The Turtle Man. “I only catch it. Don’t never
torture nothing. That’s my name of the game. That’s how you stay into
it. Keep people liking you.”
Entertainment is sometimes just that simple, he figures.
“Most people use cane poles, jugs, stakes and hooks.”
Not The Turtle Man.
He invented his method: Look “for (air) bubble trails, dive on top of
them, and it’s a tug of war from there.”
Actually, from there he uses his brains, his biceps and his back as well
as his finely tuned sense of where to look, even when underwater with
his eyes closed.
He figures he’s darn near halfway to Hollywood.
Somebody in Iraq gave him a shout-out while CNN’s cameras were on. He’s
already been seen on YouTube, and two disc jockeys on a Dallas radio
station wrote a tune that The Turtle Man likes to play for anyone
willing to listen.
He has his own signature rebel yell and a “Snapper-licious” logo.
As silly and circus-themed as all that might seem, the point is, people
need him. Horses really do get bitten on the lips. Cows do get bitten on
the udders. Ornamental birds get bitten, and small pets get killed.
It’s why you have to respect the turtle. And why the public has to
understand what a rare and dying thing The Turtle Man is doing and what
a rare and dying job he is preserving.
“I’m kind of like a warrior, like Robin Hood,” says The Turtle Man. “I
bring a turtle out of this pond, put him in another where he won’t do no
violence.”
It’s cold this late autumn morning when he’s out to show his stuff. And
that’s good because the turtle has a fighting chance and the audience,
whoever it is that gathers, likes a fair fight.
“Turtles have three natural enemies: the sun, the bulldozer and,” he
adds after a little prompting, “The Turtle Man.”
Most times The Turtle Man wins, though he’s been bitten 25 times in his
36 years of wrestling reptiles. “Let’s see, one got me in the butt back
in 2004. Didn’t see him. Sat down on him. He bit my butt and I was
walking on water,” he says, laughing and pointing at his war-torn pants.
It doesn’t take long for what The Turtle Man calls “live action” to
ensue, when he’s slogging through waist-high mud and picking out turtles
who think they’ve already camped in for the day or the season.
But, no, he yanks them out, yells that piercing, lingering victory
screech and waves his prize above his head.
The turtle, for his part, rails at his own bad luck, snaps wildly at the
warrior that has him by the tail and sneers at those few who might
applaud the warrior’s luck.
On this day, one takes a bite out of The Turtle Man’s arm. A nip,
really. No. 26, more or less. No spilled blood but a trickle.
The Turtle Man openly admires the bite. A foe worthy of his time.
The Turtle Man, like a traveling showman, moves on to the next waiting
throng. His appearance at a Lincoln County family reunion is set up by
his manager.
The family seems a bit startled by the way he looks, first; his yell,
second; and his special brand of entertainment, finally, when he rolls
up in his truck, muddy from stem to stern, showing off the reptiles he’s
already bagged that morning.
Do they want to go looking for turtles with The Turtle Man?
Indeedy they do.
On a hay trailer parked near a silo on an edge of a slimy, stinking
pond, as family members marvel around her, Lynn Philpot of Cincinnati
wonders aloud: “I hope this is very lucrative because I wouldn’t do it.
Who would get into that nasty water? Does he have a day job?”
He does. He works long days at a sawmill.
Another family member wants to know if he is crazy. Another wants to
know if he is single.
It is a fine afternoon in the waning days of 2008, and Philpot’s family
has the forever memory of how 80-year-old Nana grabbed a clean
handkerchief and held a freshly caught turtle and how 7-year-old Hunter
rethought his career choice. Being a pharmacist, it seems, has nothing
on being like this guy who gets to get filthy and rowdy and gross out
Aunt Lynn, all at the same time.
“Another successful entertainment” for Ernie Brown Jr., aka The Turtle
Man, who, it seems, is on some kind of a quest and learning all the
while.
Finding turtles is easy.
Being famous is hard.
turtle ur cool I’m country to I’m glad ur doing good but that reality show is not real it makes me feel like they can make even good old country boys be fake come on don’t let them make you be a reallality be for real u ever watch ur Hollywood fake show u tube was real that’s what I liked keep it real
My family loves the show we are hoping that we will get to see new episodes and was wondering when that might happen. We have seen all of the episodes so far and are watching reruns. Lots of talk about the show in my workplace and seems like everyone is watching the show I hope that it will be back on soon with all new shows. Looking forward to that
love Turtle Man and want to meet him in person !
ya know, some of you think this show is fake. well, even if it was, so what, it’s interesting & entertaining, right ?? and maybe, just MAYBE it’s for real and there’s still some wholesome/down to earth people in this world, ya think ?
I went to the Custom Auto Show in Lousiville, KY. If anyone was wondering if the Turtle Man is for real please rest assured the HE IS!!! He and his friends are genuine back woods good old boys!!! We can sit back in our chairs at criticize they all we want but let me tell you that if I wanted to sit and talk to these guys all day they would be more than happy to do so. Now weather Ernie’s captures are staged or not it makes no difference to me. Due to the fact that everything and I mean EVERYTHING (even the news) is fake at least this is as close to reality as you can get. I think these are wonderful individuals that show us entertainment and can be roll models to ourselves and to our children. They do not drink, smoke and very little if any cursing and in case you haven’t noticed Ernie always gets emotional when talking about his friends and family. We can all take some lessons from the Turtle man and his crew and maybe this world would be so bad.
i’m your biggest fan and i love your show i rellay rellay want to see u in person i <3 u go turtle man say hi to lolly your dog 4 me love u turtle man
I understand this guy is trying to make it big…but there has GOT to be a better way to put Kentucky on the map. This guy is continuing the stereotypical “hillbilly” persona that everyone outside of Kentucky believes to be true. Not every person in the stae is in terrible need of a dentist, murders the English language, and swims with turtles and wrestles critters. There are educated, hygenic, well mannered, profesional people in the state. They do have toothbrushes and shoes here, and not everyone lives in a holler making moonshine. I understand the history of the state and that moonshine and holler living is an important part, but there is NO reason to portray this wonderful state as a degenerate, uneducated, redneck haven. This “hick-mania” only builds up the stereotype. How about a show on Kentucky’s positive attributes instead of this nonsense??? How about some of that live-action??
Turtle Man we love watching on you on tv. You kinda look like my uncle haha lol. i would love to come and visit you actually in real life
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THE TURTLE MAN AND I WISH I COULD MEET HIM I LIVE IN FLORIDA SO WE LIVE A LONG WAY AWAY I AM HIS BIGGEST FAN AN I THINK HE IS REALLY CUTE EVEN KNOW I AM NINE. IN THE MOLE EPISODE GUESS WHAT?!!??!?!?!? WHEN HE GOT BIT I STARTED SCREAMING AND CRYING TAT HE WAS HURT. I AM A GIRLY GIRL AND WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS TV SHOW I LOOOOVE ANY ANIMAL AND TRY NOT TO HURT IT. IF YOU LIVE IN KENTUCKY CALL THE TURTLE MAN. IF YOU COULD TURTLE MAN CAN YOU REPLY TO ME AND I WILL TELL YOU MY ADRESS AND IF YOU CAN PLEASE SEND ME A PICTURE OF YOU AND AUTAGRAPH IT. I LOOOOOVE YOU
LOVE,
PAULINE
My daughter is his biggest fan. She is 9 years old and has asked many times if we can go meet him. Conveniently, we happen to be moving from Wisconsin to withing 10 miles of Lebanon, KY. She doesn’t know the connection yet – I hope we just happen to see him walking down the street. LOL
You are so full of it. The so called “Turtleman” came to fame catching turtles to eat “just like his daddy taught him from an early age. He never showed compassion for turtles and even threw them up onto the banks of the ponds he caught them from.
I’d prefer the title of ‘Turtleman’ going to someone who deserves it, like a dedicated turtle conservationist!
By the way, how dare you people compare this fake ‘turtle chucker and eater’ to the late, great Steve Irwin, who was a conservationist, eco-warrior and wildlife hero!
All of you haters out there who go to any video that people enjoy and make all kinds of claims about being fake need to lay off the turtle man. he is for real because I have met him and saw him catch a turtle You only criticize people because you are jealous that you don’t have anything worth videoing that people would want to see. if you think that you know how to entertain people better than the turtle man then you make some videos and let us be the judge
turtle man is a fake his show showed a show that was shot at my buddies bron richars farm and had the clip cut hes not worthin pissin on…
we love watching the turtleman here in st. augustine fla. he is so cool
Hmmm…….I don’t need to say anything, I think the way your post is written says it all.
again what is wrong w you ppl? lighten up. I love him and his frien, he is very enertaining you just sound like a hater T Row. and Rusty shakelturd.
Soo…. Turtle man’s “show showed a show”?
How “showy” of him.
t row, I bet your mama’s so proud….
HES THE BEST IN THE WORLD BY THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Indeed!!!
Molly who’s post are you talking.
I AM HIS FAVORITE FAN. BACK AWAY!