TOPIC: A couple clarification questions

Hello all, My name is Mike Sidore and I am a licensed dealer in Ny state (new one)
I have a few questions for anyone out there willing to answer.
My first ones are, Can you make a living out of ginseng hunting? Is there an average amount if seng found per season? Where do I look? I'm in upstate New York.
I have heard answers to these before, and I feel I know the answers, but my sources are probably not as good as diggers and dealers themselves.

from my experience from huntin in wv,ky for many years and my last couple years in pa i would say just alone on going out and huntin wild root i would say no not as a yearly salary i just dont think its there like that anymore and what patches you would find to be prevalent haul are way of the beatin path i mean even if you have everyday of the legal season which i dont know the regs in new york but to go out everyday and really put forth the effort maybe but then again whats whould be a livable yearly salary 20,000 ? and that would be rough just on that alone but who knows maybe someone on here could tell us diffrent i just dont think appalachian outlaws is really happening especially im from the wv,ky border tug valley area and every one i know whould dig root for a lil extra cash but deff not enough to live all year on but hey who knows right ? but thats just my 2 pennies haha

I don't believe that they is enough sane left for someone to make a living digging.
(Especially around here)If they was you would have to dig Illegally on properties without permission.The state and conservatory groups have purchased so much property in western NC that they is no way it could be done in my area. I hunt very selectively just on weekends or evenings during season and usually end up with 2 to 3 pounds dry.These people that have washing tubs full are probably digging on properties without permission or out of season. That is just my opinion,they may be more sane in other areas I don't know for sure,I kinda stick around a home range.

you wont make a living at it; like what they have lied about in the television shows. However, one quote from the show is true, you could walk out of the woods with 5 grand in a few hours, but this is not for the weak willed, and besides a lifetime of experience hunting an elusive plant it will still take as much luck.

if I had known what i do now when I started out. I would say research research research, and everything you read take with a grain of salt, there is any many deceptions as there are truths when googling how to find it.

the best advice I can give. scout and good weeds are your friends. dont be fooled by fools sang, it happens to everyone by the way so dont feel to ashamed if you do. Dig anything you have a market for. when your out trying to find a buyer for ginseng ask about other roots. ie Cohosh, bloodroot, goldenseal, soloman's seal. most if not all require atleast two habitat requirements ginseng needs to grow. you wont always find a patch nearr a blood root patch, but your atleast looking in a potential location.

and buy digging other roots you have a market for. even at under 20 dollars a pound. scouting trips start to pay for themselves.

should also note: only dig what can be dug. dont get greedy and clear a patch. IF there is potential to make a living, it requires everyone to follow a few rules: 1. only dig mature plants (3-4 prongs) 2. replant the seeds IN the IMMEDIATE locations. Dont think you can bring em home and start em off in the back yard, it wont work, and kills potential plants from growing in a correct habitat. 3. this is what i do, because a few years ago i hit a nice patch took half and moved on. not even a few hours later the same patch hit by another digger. and half of the half I left was gone. so I started removing tops after I dug my roots. this helps keep the species alive. and I refuse to do it any other way now.

Hi Spartan where in NY are u. U can't make a living on diging alone just not enough n not enough time. U can make some nice pocket change to pay bills n make Xmas alot easier but u have to work really hard n go where no man has walked not to many places like that any more. I sometimes walk as much a 12 hrs in a day. Plus people don't open up there land that easy anymore I get moreno than yes even with a split of my findings. Good luck

There was a time when i trapped in the winter dug off roots and bark in the spring and summer, then dug ginseng in the fall and i made a living but that was before wife and kids now unless you enjoy being poor i dont think its possible to make a living wage atleast not in our area to many harvesters for to long but its still a nice way to make some extra money and its great to get out in the woods and get some exercise

I'm by brockport, it's funny you say that because that was my plan, trap thought winter and dig throughout the legal season. Haha. I understand, so what about that show dirty riches, at one point they said billy could make 200000 a season? I tend to believe more of this show, then others such as Appalachian outlaws., but I do understand it's a tv show. More clarification, I'm a slow learner

i live about 5o miles from billy and do hunt the same countie he buys in and i have no idea how much he make,s buying but i can say he,s not the best paying buyer even in his home countie as far as digging there are hundereds of diggers in the area so a lot of compation.. one thing i do give Billy lots of credit for is here sure can make a fine ginseng hunting video.