Abstract Current hypotheses suggest that many of the biased sex ratios reported for turtle populations are the result of sampling errors, such as improper sex determination, collection bias, and behavioral differences between the sexes. This study was performed to assess whether the observed sex ratio of a population of stinkpots (Sternotherus odoratus) was an artifact of sampling biases. A total of 989 stinkpots (637 males, 352 females) was captured from 1996 through 2000 at Spring Lake, Aquarena Center, Hays County, Texas. The overall sex ratio based on all census techniques was significantly male-biased (1.8M:1F). The sex ratio changed across size classes. Data from a bimonthly trapping experiment from May 1999 through May 2000, in which hoop traps baited with either a food source or a mature female stinkpot, reinforced the view that the observed sex ratio in this population is inherently skewed, and not an artifact of sampling techniques.