TOPIC: What do you use for a Ginseng Digger ?

Here is a pic of mine

I know that would make it faster but what do you do where it is rocky? I'd be afraid of moving a rock into the seng and ripping it.

Billy - what you have there does look to be about the same as my old digger. I am not sure if they make those anymore - I have not had any luck finding one anyway.

It does work very well as a segn digger.

PS - I checked out the 2.5 lb maddox/pick at Lowes yesterday evening but did not buy one.

IMO it was a bit too heavy and the handle sure felt shorter than mine. The mattox/pick head had a great shape to it, but was larger than the older head that we have and heavier too and that combined with the heavier fiberglass handle just made the entire tool too heavy for my liking.

Not something I would want to tote several hours while hunting.

PS2 - when digging seng with a long handle tool if the soil is average to soft you can simply dig without bending over much at all - just plunge that blade in to the side of and back behind the plant stem a few times and loosen up the soil and then gently lift it out.

If the soil is hard, lots of rocks/roots then you can bend right over and choak up on the tool handle and work it slow just like you would some short handle tool or flat head screwdriver.

Just cause you have a long handle does not mean you have to take a long handle swipe at digging it out. You can elect to be as gentle as you wish when the conditions call for it and compared to a flat head screw driver you have much more leverage that you can apply when needed.

Like I said - I used to dig with a flat head, and short handle tools - but will never go back.

Also love how the longer handle tool serves as a walking stick, and on really steep places you can slam that head in the ground up above you and use it to pull yourself on up. It also keeps your hands out of the poison oak and out of snake bite range most of the time - and if you do run up on a rattler or copperhead you got just what you need to deal with that.

TNhunter

Maya the digger is never a problem around rock as Tnhunter exsplained you just choke up on the handle and the slim part of this digger is not very wide,not as wide as it may seem in the photos.The handle is a great help in my area where we have alot of water weeds,briars,etc to go through on a day of hunting,also it is a must to me when walking side to side on steep banks and up steep hollers.Speed of digging is not the reason I use this digger,I still take my time when digging and make a good circle around the stalk to keep from hurting the root,but the digger helps in every other part of my hunt from walking to beating a few stinging weeds back :o)

Lol! I'll have to see if I can find one and give it a try. Thanks!

maya wrote:

Lol! I'll have to see if I can find one and give it a try. Thanks!

LoL Y/W

y/w?? Never seen that, probably a dumb question, but what does it mean?

Y/W just was your/welcome,because you said thanks

LOL, like I said probably a dumb question!

I dig seng with the same thing I dig arrowheads with(a masons hammer) and well about a hundred different other uses, I'd be lost without one. I keep the end sharpened to cut through roots. I had to buy a new one this year. Lost my estwing but these cheaper ones do just as well and about 10 bucks or so cheaper than an estwing. I also dig other roots with it to depending on what type of soil. I use it when I'm digging cohosh in rocky ground otherwise I use a regular size pointed shovel. I like a smaller 2 21/2 ft shovel for seal, but I break out the hammer whenever I'm in brushy spots or when there are logs down over patches etc hard to reach conditions. I carry it in my backpack. I usually only carry a shovel in when I know I'm not walking all day and will be digging patches all day. Otherwise just take the hammer so I can use my walking stick/bear killer