TOPIC: Ginseng Reality Show coming to a holler near you

Agreed Brother - The producers of this and the writers are well like I said I agree.

I will share something that is a fact with you. As you would assume I do have friends that are dealers in a lot of places. I want to share a fact with you/

The reason that Ole Snake hat \"Ross\" has not showed us his 1 million in wild ginseng is because he does not have that. They took that young man and recorded him at a farmed woods grown type dealers location and filmed all day for fill ins of different episodes of App-Outlaws the place is not even on his land and the seng used is hand planted it is not wild.

I figured that from episode 1 before I knew this for a fact. The reason was because the man is not old enough to have that much aged ginseng even if he had grew woods grown since he was lets say 10 years old.

Latt wrote:

OK I couldn't help but to comment on the show last night. I firmly believe that not some but all of the show is \"Hollywood\" make believe..

Just to point out a few things below (and there were many) that were obviously staged.

Ole Georgia boy traded a hand full of seng for a tire. Lol The seng he handed over to the parts owner that he said he just dug was already washed. Wonder where he washed it along the walk to the junk yard. lol

Ole Snake hat \"Ross\" has got to be the funniest make believe character on the show. He runs around at night protecting his so called woods full of seng that we haven't even seen yet. Then he pops holes in the poachers truck tires in broad daylight. I mean if I were dumb enough to do that I would wait till dark at least. Then they retaliate and his truck gets lit on fire. lol

Then the old dude that went to Tony Coffman's place with 14.25 lbs of seng in a black trash bag and got $900 a pound for 14.25 LBS said he got $11,000 total. I am not genius but I think 14.25 LBS x $900 per LB = $12,825.
Plus don't ya think if there was 14.25 LBS of ginseng in the bag they would have showed it. That bag was stuffed with something but it wasn't seng.

Not sure how you fellas roll, but if someone shot out my tires I sure wouldn't tell them I would be back at the same spot the next day as ole Georgia boy did. I mean come on really. Secondly, I think I may have put one back in on there tire with that pistol he was carrying even tho he was out manned and out gunned.

And there is the \"General\". He over pays and gives bonuses on top of that to the diggers to buy from him but then offers the old guy less than he promised. That really makes a lot of sense now doesn't it.


I mean come on writers, I am not producer or writer but I could come up with better story lines than this.


The comedy value it priceless.

Latt

Hello Everyone,
I keep telling myself not to comment but I can't keep from it when I see folks making assumptions and and gossiping,especially when that gossip includes me.
I appreciate you guys watching the show and I hope you enjoy it. But if you have questions about certain things that I can help with like the purchase of Ron's ginseng please ask me. Remember I was there !
Ron sets the bag if ginseng on the scale and it weighs 14.27 lbs. and he negotiates a price of $900.00 lb...I will assume your math was correct if you will assume that the ginseng was inside of other paper bags and I deducted the tare wt.and paid only for the net weight at $900.00 lb.
The TV guys have 45-50 minutes to tell their story so why would they waste time showing the entire transaction ? He walked out with $11K and Change.
Same as I read for Mike driving a Ranger instead of a S-10..I don't know how many trucks he drives or owns..do you ?
And Billy..your friend is wrong if he told you that Mike doesn't own that property or at least lives there and it's his family's. I was there in person and spoke to the man and he had no reason to lie to me.
I wasn't out in the woods with those guys while they filmed but they did sell me ginseng and it wasn't woodsgrown.
Like I said earlier. .I'm sure and know they cut and edit for the most bang for the buck and I see nothing wrong with it. I'm getting 20 calls a day from all over North America asking about growing and wanting to learn where and how to harvest it. Most are from places it doesn't grow naturally and some just had ginsenged as kids and wanted to grow some around the house. This show isn't a bad thing for the industry and I intend to make sure that stays that way.

Strong Prong,
Thanks for commenting. I hope you recognized the fact that no one said anything negative directed towards you in the recent post. Observations and so called assumptions are related to the show we all watched.

I do not think we need to bother you with our comments. We all realize this show is as you have stated \"Hollywood\". It is obvious to me and others that have been there and done that relating to ginseng that this show is fake.

I do not think you need to defend yourself anymore. No one here has attacked you personally in my opinion. However, the show is what it is. It is fake and it is not good for our wild ginseng population in my opinion.

I am sure you are truly going to do your best to do as you said and I quote \"This show isn't a bad thing for the industry and I intend to make sure that stays that way\". I am sure your intentions are noble. However, I am sure your fine efforts will not even come close equaling the damage this show has done already and will continue to do to our wild ginseng population.

Once again thanks for posting Tony. I do appreciate your position and willingness to comment on a show that is getting so much negative publicity on this forum.

Latt

Latt,
Thumbs up, bud.

I can watch moonshiners, I know its mostly staged and this show is completely staged. At least on moonshiners, if anything is real, they can claim it as water. I tell ya what wasn't staged though..... The two prongs that old man was holding in his hands that had been dug up! Bottom Line, that's illegal! As I said once before, where is Fish and Wildlife at? A fine time to make a fine example with ample recorded proof.

Hillhopper

Strong Prong,

I also want to thank you for be willing to come on Wildgrown and point out somethings that we never really get to see due to the Hollywood editing! Please understand though, that while we comment on what is shown, we can never hope to comment or make a judgement on something that is edited out.

As far as Mike Ross' trucks are concerned. I am pretty sure that I saw the S-10 in one of the episodes but I believe it was broke down and somewhere on the other side of the barn. It is likely, that the towed or pushed the truck to the spot where it was burned, just for that scene. Sure, we don't know how many vehicles Mike has but I have only seen the two.

Latt and Hillhopper,

Thumbs up X2!

I wanted to bring up another issue that in my opnion is very serious. That issue is not only the guy that shot the tire on Greg's truck but also, how is it that he is even carrying the AR-15 around??!! It matters not whether it is private land or National Forest (Federal Lands as Greg states in episode 3), a centerfire rifle is not allowed to be fielded in the woods outside of legal Game Seasons in which that caliber is allowed. Since I believe that Deer, Bear and Wild Boar Season are the only seasons where this caliber (which I assume is a .223), it is illegal for the person to carry it into the woods (with the exception that he is on his way to a legal Shooting Range). Did the West Virginia DNR, the State, local Sheriff's Office, State Police or Dept. of Agriculture and/or National Forest Service grant this person and the film production personnel a special License or Permit to carry the Rifle? I doubt it but who knows! How many State and Federal Laws and regulations do they have to violate before someone in Law Enforcement steps in?


Frank

I had the opportunity to watch about 15 minutes of one of these shows the other day -then I had other things to do which were more important.

I have been intentionally staying out of this discussion for that reason and the fact that we really don't know what happens and is shown differently. Further, we really do not know what the true outcome and externalities of this show will be in the long run.

Based on the early pickup in calls and emails I've received (in line with Strong Prong's experiences) I think the resulting externalities might actually be twofold.

First, I am still very concerned about the impression that ginseng diggers are all outlaws. This is discouraging to me that a TV network will stoop to that degree. I've not kept up with this thread post by post, but do read some of them along. In the few minutes I watched the show, some of the criticisms I've read here appear to be unfounded. However, I certainly did see the one guy holding what appeared to be very young roots at one point, and he was showing 2-prongs on the ground. I didn’t see him digging the small ones on the part of the show I watched.

Next, my biggest issue is the impression as stated above having a negative influence on administrative folks who either do not know or just do not care about getting to the facts before making decisions which will affect the ginseng industry.

Finally, I think on the flip side, there will be a benefit to the industry as more folks rediscover ginseng and seek information to learn how to do things properly and legally. We should all agree that if more people plant seed, the ginseng industry and culture as a whole can’t help but benefit. Only time will tell if these folks stay committed enough to actually harvest any of the plants they started.

So, write me down as still basically undecided but negative in ways and surprisingly positive in other ways, on the show in general.

Ive seen every episode besides one so far and the show is more about fighting then it is ginsenging the shows defly a fake. My personàl opinion I'll be glad when the shows done with for good.

Frank,

I know we have different gun laws in different states. I am not familiar with West Virginia laws, other than it is an open carry state. Here in Missouri we have open carry laws and as far as I know it would not be illegal to carry that ar 15 basicly anywhere-from wal mart to ginsenging. I am surprised it is different in Tennessee, as most southern states are very pro second ammendment.

Some parts of the show are obviously made up, but I sure hope the show doesnt make people think they can just shoot someones tires out because they dont like them in their ginseng hunting spot.

Hillhopper--- Amen brother!!!!! that ya just cant argue with!!!

lenno wrote:

Frank,

I know we have different gun laws in different states. I am not familiar with West Virginia laws, other than it is an open carry state. Here in Missouri we have open carry laws and as far as I know it would not be illegal to carry that ar 15 basicly anywhere-from wal mart to ginsenging. I am surprised it is different in Tennessee, as most southern states are very pro second ammendment.

Some parts of the show are obviously made up, but I sure hope the show doesnt make people think they can just shoot someones tires out because they dont like them in their ginseng hunting spot.

lenno,

In West Virginia and Tennessee, while it is legal to carry around an unloaded Rifle or Shotgun to pretty much any location that does not prohibit Weapons, it is illegal to carry any Rifle or Shotgun into the woods except during legal Game Hunting Seasons. To carry a Rifle or Shotgun into the woods, implies that you plan to hunt with either of them.

www.wvdnr.gov/hunting/Regs1314/General_regs.pdf

www.eregulations.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/13TNHD_LR.pdf

You can carry a Pistol or Revolver into the woods as long as you are licensed to carry whether it be a Carry or Concealed Carry Permit. However, you are prohibited from hunting with either except during legal game hunting seasons. Even if you have a Hunting License, you must still obtain and have in your possession a Carry or Concealed Carry Permit to hunt with a Pistol or Revolver during legal game seasons.


Frank