The item shown is a turtle hook also known on the Eastern Shore of Maryland as a "turkle prougue". It is used to hunt for hibernating snapping turtles in the winter and early spring. In "turklin", one walks through marsh and shoves the straight end into the mud of muskrat leeds to hit the shell of the turtle and uses the hook end to pull the sleeping turtle out of the mud and places it in a burlap bag. The snappers are either sold or eaten by the hunter. Turtle pie is mighty tasty.