TOPIC: Harvest Seasons

I know many of us are itching to get in the woods with our seng hoes/forks. I know it's especially hard to watch the tops die back in this heat with 7 weeks left (for Kentucky) to get into the woods.

Yes, it's tempting, to go and get what you can find and think short term. But we have to think longer term and not just about today.

Many dislike and ignore harvest restrictions in place, but our short term greed is what had gotten us to a place where these had to be implemented. If each harvester had waited for the berries and planted them back, thought before making the forest road and the cabin in the woods (on the prime ginseng site, nonetheless), didn't dig up the immature plants, didn't dig up everything they saw (and the next person behind them), respected property laws, we wouldn't even be talking about a ginseng harvest season....

Now, off my soapbox.

Remember - Kentucky's harvest season for ALL types of and all parts of ginseng starts September 1.

After that, happy hunting.

www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/246-00/650.PDF
www.lrc.ky.gov/krs/246-00/655.pdf
www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/246-00/660.PDF
www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/246-00/990.PDF
www.lrc.state.ky.us/kar/302/045/010.htm

yea ky jabber i have been scouting out spots and all i see is the tops wilted over and already turning yellow here so hopefully it aint all dying out.. good luck this year

Hopefully, all this cloud cover over Kentucky will amount to some rain. Dry here in central KY.

For you KY folks or others who are still dry - I do hope you get some good rain soon.

Here in Middle TN, man we have really caught up this week. It has rained several times, good slow long rains too.

I got out this morning just after daylight and picked 30+ red ripe tomatoes - going to put some up this morning - and it started raining on me about the tima I picked the last of them. I have them all peeled now and cut up, ready for processing - and it's still raining a good slow steady rain.

Our drought is officially over for now - I had to mow my yard again yesterday evening the grass has actually turned green again and grown quite a lot this week. Off in the woods it sort of looks like spring again, lots of green, where it was all looking dried up a week or two ago.

Hope you all get a good mess of this rain too.

TNhunter

Tn the rain here has more than took care of the trouble with the short drought the mountians and seng have got there color

Thank the good Lord for the rains

Billy.

KyJabber, I hear what you are saying, but I think that logging and strip mining have done far more damage to ginseng than what diggers could ever do. I am by no means advocating digging out of season, but my uncle has dug seng for 40+ years and recalls all the ginsenging folks used to do back in the day when there was no season. That was a huge source of income back in the day for many poor folk. To this day you can still go dig ginseng in those areas. We all know that ginseng lies dormant from time to time. That coupled with the fact that we as ginsengers can't see every inch of woods, means that we miss ginseng every year. Ginseng would be just fine without the added destruction from logging and strip mining.

CarlM wrote:

KyJabber, I hear what you are saying, but I think that logging and strip mining have done far more damage to ginseng than what diggers could ever do. I am by no means advocating digging out of season, but my uncle has dug seng for 40+ years and recalls all the ginsenging folks used to do back in the day when there was no season. That was a huge source of income back in the day for many poor folk. To this day you can still go dig ginseng in those areas. We all know that ginseng lies dormant from time to time. That coupled with the fact that we as ginsengers can't see every inch of woods, means that we miss ginseng every year. Ginseng would be just fine without the added destruction from logging and strip mining.

I have to disagree with you to a point there CarlM. I agree with you that strip mining is desasterous to ginseng. However, I think the largest danger to wild stands is over digging. Just like we find patches and go back every year to harvest additional plants, imagine just going back every day until the patch is completely dug up. I am sure there are folks who still have the attitude that it is theirs to take and they can't do enough to harm the species. In fact, however, they can do a huge amount of damage in their local area with that sort of immature behavior.

I have to disagree as well BCastle. You have to realize that ginseng has been around since the earth was created. That means there have been thousands of diggers before there was a \"season\". In all actuality I need to make a correction. It isn't just logging and strip mining that have done the most damage. I need to add \"societal progress\" to that list. How much ginseng has been destroyed by strip malls and airports and such? Again I want to stress that digging ginseng before the \"season\" isn't beneficial. However, as I stated it was dug by thousands in the past before a \"season\" was set by government. Somehow it survived all through the centuries!!!!

CarlM, I think you are right, because the ginseng diggers had good common sense and didnt overharvest. I was scouting this morning and one of my best spots had been logged off and they built a road right through the best patches. Its funny how the government can destroy ginseng, but one would be in big trouble for digging that same spot a week before they destroyed it.

I have to agree with all of you to some degree. Over-harvesting, Strip mining, Development of land weather it be for strip malls, roads, housing developments, logging etc all have lessened the natural habitat for wild ginseng to grow.

Over-harvesting is not something new. We need regulations and a ginseng season to secure the future of ginseng. Yes some will not pay any attention to the regulations and the season. However, I believe the majority will and that is going to save many seng populations.

Some states adjust the deer hunting season and number of deer to be shot and tagged depending on the season. I don't know if the state has the resources or information to adjust the ginseng season for any given season. It would be nice to allow seng hunters into the woods a couple weeks early when we have a drought coupled with a summer that has so many hot days.

Think about all the red berries that may fall off the plant that will not get planted by seng hunters if the berries do ripen and fall off prior to the season beginning.
Latt