TOPIC: Scouting

Tomorrow starts my scouting for new spots to hunt. My boss has a beautiful camp up in the mountains which has a number of deep revines with all the right companion plants growing there. Last year I found one drainage and dug a half pound dry root, and I haven't even touched this area yet. This is the spot I dug the 63 year old root last year. Hopefully there are several more! Anyone doing any scouting yet?

Here's a pic of the old boy!

Man that's a nice one Maya. I haven't ever found anything over fifty. Did you sell it? I haven't been able to do any scouting yet due to my work being so busy and when I do have extra time I'm in my own plantings. I have secured a few new places to hunt that looks real promising but Iv not checked em out so far.

Hillhopper

That is a nice one Maya..

PS - I would not sell one like that.

I look thru my roots and pull out the smaller roots with long neck stems (20+ years) for my own personal keep and eat stash.

You are not loosing much weight, and you are getting some excelent root for yourself to enjoy.

I did find two nice large double top roots last year and well - - - I kept them too

It took me nearly a month just to eat all of the root hairs and smaller root from those big ones.

I still have several roots left from last years keep stash - should be enough to last me until this years harvest comes in.

On the Scouting - I have not offically been yet although I have several wild patches in and around my wild simulated plantings that I have checked on a few times this year.

I do plan to go on a few real scouting trips soon, and like last year I am going to mark what I find with my GPS.

Last year I marked several in June, that I would not have been able to find in late August without the GPS marking (tops had been browsed).

Good Luck to you Guys this year !

PS --- here is my best long neck picture.

TNhunter

The neck broke after a month or so and was just hanging on by a thread. Had a buyer that was going to give me $60-80 for it before seeing the break. We settled on $40.

Your right TN, very little weight, but I have a couple buyers looking for special roots and will pay by the root!

Did I ever tell you guys that your money looks like play money. Worth about the same to now.

guy

4 hour hike today, some pretty good looking terain, good indicator plants, but nooo seng!

Good evening fellows,
Today I took Boomer to the mountains to look for more wild seng and I thought that you might enjoy seeing the results. He's a great ginseng dog and companion.

Hugh

http://smokymountainflyguide.com/Choosing%20places%20to%20grow%20ginseng.htm

Nice pics Hugh!

I had a real bad close call yeserday. A friend and I went to try and look on a couple of ledges around where I have found some nice roots before. He got on a ledge about 30-40' above me on a real steap mountain and knocked a big rock down that came right at me fast. Meanwhile another friend had called me and I was talking to him on my cell phone. I saw the 15-20\" square rock flying at me so I turned away trying to duck it. Unbelievable it knocked the phone right out of my hand and sent it fying 20' downhill of me. My buddy thought it hit me but it never touched me and the shocking part was I had the phone up to my ear! It couldn't have been an inch away from hitting my head!!!

When I figured out what happend I went down hill to find my phone. There was gash on the side of the earpiece and my other friend was still on the line! He heard a loud bang and rustling sound and couldn't figure out what happend. I guess it was not my day to die!

We did find 20 or so plants, maybe 10 that were decent 3 stemmers.

Wow, Maya
That is way too close for comfort. There are some aspects to seng hunting that can be scary or even deadly, but that allure just keeps drawing us back. Yesterday I felt like I was really taking a chance in some of the areas that I walked through because I did not have snake chaps on and there are Rattlers and Copperheads in that section of the mountains.
I'm glad that your safe and it did not come to anything more serious than it did.
I told my wife last night that my goal was to find some large plants but it is extremely hard to find any 4 prongs in this country.


Hugh

I did get lucky!

I dug a 3 stemmer a little just to see how old/ There was only a scar or two but the root was real nice. Big around as my thumb, and at least 6\". I'm rarely surprised w/ thes roots!