TOPIC: How do we stop illegal digging out of season?

Maya,
The type of digging that Chieftain is describing goes on here in the mountains of East Tn. all the time. These low life's know they can dig anything and everything and take it to a dealer who will either use it himself or sell it to others to start their own patches. If there was no one buying this small stuff you know they could not sell it. It always comes back to the person who can move these items. The Game Wardens can do all they can, but they can't stop what they can't see. It starts here before daylight and ends at dark or later.

Hugh

Hugh..i seen a lot of this same kinda digging last year.. I guess they figure it is all weight every ounce makes them rich..... Maya I guess he could have been getting them to transplant..i think that guy needs a lesson in 'right and wrong'

If buyers are buying everything and anything.....that's as big of a problem as the thieves imo.

It's not your licensed dealers but your guy down the road that deals with meth, pain pills and whatever that's buying illegal seng. He and the illegal diggers are the cancer.

dont kid yourself. licensed dealers are the primary problem. they buy out of season because the states do not enforce the law. the guys dealing in meth and pills dont have the capital, to speak of, that most licensed dealers do. im not saying all dealers buy out of season, but the ones that do are the problem. the ginseng laws our governments pass dont do anything except punish the honest diggers and dealers. if the government wants to regulate the ginseng trade, they need to do it and do it right, or get out of the way.

Seems like Virginia needs sting operations like Kentucky had back in 2006. Most Ky. dealers will run illegal diggers off in fear of stiff fines and penalties.

Then again, the flip side is, if we ask for more regs or stiffer fines, we may get more than we bargained for.The bad guys don't follow the rules and as always it's the good guys that get hurt w/ stiffer regs. (see gun laws)

So it's right back to the illegal diggers messing everything up for everyone! Period!

both of you are right maya and rootman. we definitely need a sting here in va. heard they fined all in ky who got caught in 2006. that goes to show that government is not making law to protect the species but rather to take property from its citizens yet again. slap on the wrist nothing else. wonder what happened to all the root, money, and guns confiscated in west va in sting two years ago? bet its not in evidence locker.

Well stated.