TOPIC: The question of digging tools ?

All dirt is not the same. A small light weight mattock is actually perfect for tighter soil and it also doubles as a walking stick and to tear through briars and underbrush. It would be nice if you could dig all seng with just a digging stick but it's not practical in some of your harder soil.

rootman wrote:

All dirt is not the same. A small light weight mattock is actually perfect for tighter soil and it also doubles as a walking stick and to tear through briars and underbrush. It would be nice if you could dig all seng with just a digging stick but it's not practical in some of your harder soil.

yes could not agree more. My buddy used a screw driver , and some roots, would take 10 minutes or loner to dig. I could dig , 2-3 ounces while he dig one root. But hey to each is own.

once took two seiners on a trip that dug with sticks while i used a mattock next time i saw them they both had new mattocks go figure

I also use grubbing hoes that have a mattock or hoe type ends with one larger than the other. I have not tried the larger of the two but will probably do so next year as it will move dirt much faster and has a longer handle which makes it a better walking stick. On certain occasions, I will resort to the use of my' big Buck #119 or I will sharpen a stick, preferably a small Hickory limb when needed for tight spots (i.e. Ginseng root or fibers growing under tree roots or between or under rocks).


Frank

I agree, ya'll. The fella with the sly southern comments yesterday didn't know what he was talking about. What he and some don't understand is that with a long handled digger you aren't digging the root out of the dirt, your digging the dirt away from the root. Use the ol screwdriver and see how many fine hair roots you pull out that run way down deep. It's like I tell my son when I see him having a hard time with one, \"Dig Big\". I like a mattock but here lately I stick a rock hammer in my belt and a screwdriver to use only if I find one in a tight spot. It still moves a pretty good amount of dirt but while Im walking or climbing it frees my hands up to help me negotiate those steep areas.

Hillhopper

My neighbor, a sang hunter uses a screwdriver. I dig my cohosh with a nailbar and when I do dig sang, most time I don't bother it. I start with the nailbar and fine tune with a half of a broken scissors and fingers. the last 4 prong I dug had hairs that were 6 inches or more long and I just made the dirt fall away from them. I guess you folks wonder why I don't just dig sang. on this Mt where I'm at a lot of people don't have an income except a check. it is hunted hard. I spend a lot of hours in the woods and only see sang ever once in a while. the sang I have dug lost it's berry's so I didn't fell bad about it. I sold some for money and the rest I eat a little piece each day along with the tea I make from the plant. I mark what I don't need and tell my neighbor where it's at. I guess what you use don't make much diff as long as you get all of it out of the ground with out breaking it.

i use a medium sized maddox with an ax on one side and i have a long 1 inch wide chisel i keep on a string tied to my belt.