STL_Roberts...
Welcome to the forum..
Below is some information I found right here on the wildgrown site (left side). They have a summary of ginseng laws and regulations for several states.
Most of the places I hunt seng, I get access to and permission to hunt by simply talking to folks about it. Just this past week at Church on Sunday evening... A guy I have been talking ginseng with asked me to come to his place (several hundred acres) and see if he has seng growing on it. He is interested in hunting it and growing it on his property. One of his neighbors goes to my Church and a few years ago he invited me to go and look for seng on his place (again after we had talked about it some) and we went and looked and found some really nice ginseng there.
You mostly have to sort of make friends with folks, let them get to know you and be honest with them about your intentions, to gain their trust and get to hunt seng on their property.
Some farmers will let you hunt seng, if you will hunt or trap critters they don't want on their farm, Fox, Yotes, Beavers, etc..
Some landowners will let you hunt seng on their property if you offer them a % of what you find.
Good Luck at finding some good places to hunt and with figuring out this fine sport on your own. You are going to need it
It's best to go with an experienced hunter a few times to learn, but it's not easy to get an experienced hunter to take you along.
Below is a link to my youtube channel and to Billy's... you can learn some stuff about seng there.
TNhunter
www.youtube.com/user/YTTNhunter
www.youtube.com/user/ginsenghunter1
Illinois Ginseng Law and Regulations
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• A ginseng harvester’s license is required for anyone who harvests wild ginseng in Illinois and the license must be in the harvester’s possession when they dig or sell wild ginseng.
• A ginseng dealer’s license is required for anyone who buys ginseng that is grown or harvested in Illinois.
• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Illinois is from the first Saturday in September to November 1.
• Wild ginseng may only be sold to a licensed Illinois ginseng dealer, and only from 2 weeks after the start of the season through March 1 of the next year. Possession of wild ginseng between March 2 and the beginning of the next season is prohibited.
• Illinois state law requires all harvested plants be 10 years old (4 leaved) or older.
• Illinois requires that harvesters plant all of the seeds from the harvested plants in the vicinity of the parent plants in a manner that will encourage their germination and growth.
• Ginseng may not be harvested on state land in Illinois, nor in the Shawnee National Forest or Midewin Tall Grass Prairie.
• The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Law Enforcement, serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator. This office can be reached at (217) 782-6431 or:
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702-1271
Missouri Ginseng Law and Regulations
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• No license is required to harvest wild ginseng on private land in Missouri, but the property owner’s permission must be obtained.
• Anyone who buys ginseng in the state of Missouri for resale must register annually with the Missouri Department of Conservation (and file quarterly and annual reports), unless they do not maintain a ginseng business address in the state and they are registered as a ginseng dealer in another state.
• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Missouri is September 1 to December 31 and the selling season is September 1 to March 15.
• Missouri state law requires all harvested plants to have at least 3 prongs, which (except for the mature fruits) must be kept with the plant until it is returned to the harvester’s home or place of business.
• Missouri requires that the seeds from each harvested wild ginseng plant be planted within 100 feet of the parent plant.
• Harvest of ginseng is prohibited on any land owned or administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation and on most other state-owned lands.
• The Missouri Department of Conservation serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator and can be reached at (573) 751-4115 or:
901 West Truman Blvd.
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102
• It is illegal to collect ginseng in Mark Twain National Forest, which can be contacted at (573) 364-4621, or at:
401 Fairgrounds Road
Rolla, MO 65401