TOPIC: learned a lesson

Well. after 15 or more years of planting wild seeds in good spots and fencing in some of the areas I got robbed. Everything wiped out pretty much, little roots laying on the ground drying out, looks like a grave robber. Guy is caught, was on parole and walked in front of a trail camera. I won't go into specifics, you probably won't hear much from me for awhile, but I wanted to say, after the berries are off, cut the damn plant off so no one can pick it. This year I can see the plants 50 yards away, but a good picker can also. Leaves on trees yet so the crime scene is evident. Lost some plants that I would estimate in the 20 t0 35 year old or more range. See you later.

borrowed time, thats terrible that this happened. I am glad you know who done it...Hopefully the law can do something.

Borrowed time, as tough as that was thanks for sharing that information, im sure that it will help people just starting out to realize that they need to do everything they can to protect their crops. Security is the number 1 issue when growing ginseng. I know a few people who know that i am growing and occasionally one of them would make a joke about going ginseng hunting, i let them know pretty damn fast just how serious i was about protecting my crop. I protct my crop like they are my children. Punk Ass Poachers make me sick. They need to get a job and quit being parasites on the rest of us who are trying to live an honest life. It takes a sorry individual to do something like that, i dont care what the reason, i don't want to hear that they are down on their luck, just trying to feed their family ect...ect... bottom line: ... DONT TREAD ON ME... if you dont own it, YOU DONT OWN IT>

Very sorry to hear that BT.

After all these years dealing with them, I have come to understand the thought process behind the average doper. I don't agree with it...but can in a twisted sort of way understand it. However, I still cannot understand someone who thinks it is ok to just help themselves to something that belongs to someone else that way. I think most law enforcement and citizens agree that a theif is the lowest of the two.

BT, Very sorry to hear about your seng.

I had never mentioned it before but I've been hit 3 times in the past 10 years.
At first I thought secrecy and just posting your land would be good enough, Wrong.
Next, I posted signs around any patches that would keep out half way honest people but this still doesn't stop a thief.
Now, I use every deterent I can think of. Cameras, danger and warning signs, scarecrow dummies with seng thief wrote on them with arrows stuck in them, empty shotgun shells stuck on branches and patrol as often as you can.
Like K-duece said cut the tops off as soon as the berries get ripe and even before if the seed cluster is gone.
Even if all this doesn't turn them, looking over their shoulder they will waste no time and leave a lot behind.
I also have a few more things actually quite a few of them but I better not go into details.
I will say this anyone familiar with the Veit Cong.

rootman

Rootman,
Got ya a few pits dug there do ya lol.
I'm right with ya on that crap, if they like my seng so good then they can go in the ground right beside it. I had rather a man punch me in the face than steal a nickel from me, burns me up.

Hillhopper

Just curious for those of you that have been severely poached, were there any warning signs before it happened? Did they take a few and then come back for a big haul, or was it all at once? Were these places you were able to check up on often, or plantings that you visit a couple times a year?

I have always missed plants on the edges of my property for some years. Knew they were there, but they disappeared and never reappeared. Now, with timber co. selling land and Plum Creek clear cutting hardwood land there is some frustration out there.

I have not slept to much since this happened, it's like someone took your pets. Now I doubt that I would have dug the older roots at any time. I am now heavily armed in the woods as this is a self defense issue.

borrowed time, good luck and be careful. sounds like you have a bad situation there.

I've lost some patches to poachers too, but nothing that I've planted from stratified seed and never on my own property. I know lots of good people who allow me hunt ginseng on their land, and a few of these areas have been hit over the years. It has always happened before season had even opened. I wish you the best.