TOPIC: Big ginseng on riverbluffs?

I was talking to a couple of my friends, older guys who don't hunt seng anymore, and they were telling me stories of how they use to find the biggest seng on bluffs overlooking the rivers. Anyone else heard of this? I ask because I recently got permission to hunt a new spot this season and it has lots of acreage overlooking the river. Just curious, any response is appreciate..

Yes its true I dig lots of nice shang along the river. My partner dug the bigest roots ever along a river.

KyDiggn wrote:

I was talking to a couple of my friends, older guys who don't hunt seng anymore, and they were telling me stories of how they use to find the biggest seng on bluffs overlooking the rivers. Anyone else heard of this? I ask because I recently got permission to hunt a new spot this season and it has lots of acreage overlooking the river. Just curious, any response is appreciate..

Bluffs on rivers and lakes overlooking the water, are ideal places for Ginseng to flourish! Ginseng in these areas are somewhat protected from the effects of frost in the Spring and Fall due to fog or stratus clouds that develops over and along these bodies of water when the main cloud layers clear and temperatures dip down to near or below freezing, thus giving them a longer growing cycle. Also, due to the amount of moisture that rivers and lakes can provide due to evapotranspiration (water evaporating from the rivers and lakes that rise up over the bluffs and deposit water droplets on the vegetation) and from fog, provides the plants with moisture even in drought situations. This moisture also aids in the decomposing of organical materials (leaves, wood, herbs and weeds) and provides the Ginseng with an abundance of nutrients.

Now the big question is, is there any Ginseng there? Well, you will have to find that out for yourself! Wild Ginseng is likely to have been there and some folks may have raised Ginseng along these very bluffs. If it has not been dug out long ago, you will hopefully be in luck and find some very healthy Ginseng with very large roots.


Frank

KyDiggin...

No doubt that is true here at my place.

In the regular woods around my home place the seng is average to below average in size.

A few years ago I went down a long hollow (that runs east - west) hunting mostly the north hillside and found lots of average to small seng. Then when I got to the mouth of that hollow there was a creek, and a bluff. The bluff faced due east, and was very steep at the top, but the lower 1/3 had some places where you could get up there (if you had some billygoat in you), or were just a crazy seng digger like me

I got up there where I could and MAN found some really nice seng on that bluff. Big 3's and 4's with big ole berry pods - nice. It was all nice bulby root too and covered with root hair.

Below is a pic.

I hope you find some real good seng in your place too. Be careful on those steep places - would be especially good to have a hunting partner when getting around on those potentially dangerous places.

TNhunter

I have found some nice roots along the river bluffs also. About all your experienced diggers know this so it's still hit or miss in finding anything.

The state of Kentucky acquired 1500 acres across the river from my property. They are keeping the Little South Fork as a wild river. Their property also joins with the Daniel Boone National Forest. Miles of wild country.

rootman

rootman...

Agree that most experienced seng hunters would not be suprised to find seng around a bluff. In fact probably fairly well know by most.

What I have found on the bluff's around here is there is a fairly easy section to hunt at the bottom, and then some more difficult places you can get to on up the hill, and then occasionally you will have a flat that is up on the bluff a little - with perhaps some very hard climbing to get to that area.

A lot of seng diggers will visit those easy spots, some the more difficult spots, but few will risk it to get up to those really difficult spots.

It is sort of like most hillsides around here, the bottom 1/3 gets hunted well, but those good spots higher on the hill - not many take the time to hunt up there and that is often where you find some of the best you will find.

That would be my advice to anyone bluff hunting - if you are physically able, give it all you got to get to those very difficult places, and you will likely be rewarded well.

I have found my long handle digger to be very helpful at hooking a tree or stump or root to help pull me up those very steep parts. It is absolutely more dangerous hunting places like that so be as careful as you can, and having a partner along would be a good idea.

TNhunter

TN,
I agree with you 100%

I know this sounds like a tall tale but once I found a few plants growing at the bottom of a large bluff. Of course I had to see what was at the top. I had to circle back about 50 yards to find a way up there. When I got to where I was straight up from where I was down below I saw a large 4 prong with 3s and 2s around the base of it hanging on a ledge about 20 feet below where I was standing. Had to leave it and come back later with a rope to tie to a tree and around my waist to finally lower myself down to where I could dig the biggest. The smaller stuff is still there. ( I guess )

rootman

WWOW!!