TOPIC: Wild hogs and ginseng

Was asked a question that I can't find an answer to. Do wild hogs eat ginseng? My gut instinct is yes. The vermin will eat almost anything. However, wanted to ask the good folks on here. Has anyone ever lost a patch, wild/wild simulated/woods cultivated to hogs? I know wild turkeys can be a problem in the first few years, but they are pretty easily controlled with large sticks and tree branches.

Mills Ginseng wrote:

Was asked a question that I can't find an answer to. Do wild hogs eat ginseng? My gut instinct is yes. The vermin will eat almost anything. However, wanted to ask the good folks on here. Has anyone ever lost a patch, wild/wild simulated/woods cultivated to hogs? I know wild turkeys can be a problem in the first few years, but they are pretty easily controlled with large sticks and tree branches.

Since I only grow a small amount of Ginseng on a relative's property, I might not be the best person to answer your question. However, I have a lot of experience digging Ginseng in areas where there are a lot of Wild Hogs and will give my honest opinion. Just like with Turkey, I believe that young (one to two year old) Ginseng plants and roots are susceptible to damage or being eaten by Wild Hogs. I don't believe that they are much of a threat to the older 3 and 4 pronged or bigger plants. I say this, because I have seen many times where Wild Hogs have rooted all around Ginseng plants but actually left them alone. In fact, on my last dig in the National Forest this year, I found Wild Hog rooting above, below, to each side and even right around several big patches of Ginseng and not a single Ginseng plant or root was touched. If you are still worried that they might damage or eat your Ginseng, then I would advise to use the same techniques given here on Wildgrown for warding off the Deer and Turkey.

I hope this information helps and good luck!


Frank

The answer is yes. Go back and read some of my posts. I have them and their a pain in the butt. Hogs AND skunks will REALLY work on freshly planted ginseng roots. Once it starts to grow they will root up the ground even if it's unintentional looking for grubs or what not and break off the tops or up root the roots.. I've not had much damage to my seed planting but, that's just a screw driver drove in the ground and a seed dropped in the hole.

Hunter wrote:

The answer is yes. Go back and read some of my posts. I have them and their a pain in the butt. Hogs AND skunks will REALLY work on freshly planted ginseng roots. Once it starts to grow they will root up the ground even if it's unintentional looking for grubs or what not and break off the tops or up root the roots.. I've not had much damage to my seed planting but, that's just a screw driver drove in the ground and a seed dropped in the hole.

Hunter,

Do you think that damage to Ginseng from Wild Hogs could be more due to the companion plants that are growing amongst and around the Ginseng? I ask this because we both have had and noted completely different experiences when it comes to Wild Hogs and Ginseng! No matter what answers Mills Ginseng gets, I believe that the answer is to put up some type of deterent to keep them away.


Frank

The wild hogs will and do eat ginseng. Last year I went on a scouting trip to a patch that I was stewarding. I was excited about seeing those plants but as I got close to them I noticed the hogs had been through that area. Everything was gone! The only thing they left was some solomons seal and some madiens hair. I dug around in the loose soil where the plants shouldve been and there was nothing. It was sad. So from my experience I would say yes.

Well, I accept that I was wrong and apologize to Mills Ginseng for giving the wrong information! Since my experience is mainly with Wild Ginseng, it is very possible that Wild Hogs devastated many patches long before in areas that I have searched and found none.


Frank

huntsman53 wrote:

Well, I accept that I was wrong and apologize to Mills Ginseng for giving the wrong information! Since my experience is mainly with Wild Ginseng, it is very possible that Wild Hogs devastated many patches long before in areas that I have searched and found none.


Frank

that take a big man to apologize for something . He has a belief in that is not true. All people should have your class. I believe what you first post said. Myself I don't believe they hunt sein out . I believe if they are rooting around and happens up on it while looking for grubs and such they probably might eat it, I personally have dug sein right were wild hogs have rooted ,up in Smith in Harlan county. Jmo.

Sorry mills myself after goggle search ,it said hogs do eat roots . Hope you can accept my apology. But I have dug sein where they have rooted around. Best they feel good after eating ginseng..lol

I can say that if we had a wild hog population here, I probably wouldn't be growing Ginseng on the scale that I am. They will eat every root and tuber they can flip out with their snout. If they don't eat it it's not because they didn't try. I have seen areas where I hog hunt that looked like a herd of buffalo stampeded through and needles to say, everything was destroyed in a twenty foot wide path by almost a hundred yards long. The population may not be as dense in your area as it was there though. Im just of the opinion that if you have a few you have thousands, being as how they can breed.

The only thing I would know to keep them out would be to surround a plot with a goat fence and bury it about 8 inches deep.

Hillhopper

No need for apologies. We are all on here to learn... I hope. I think that putting up fences would be a bit too much for most people, and would give away ginseng beds to poachers. Methods to deter and exclude hogs from ginseng patches needs some R&D (research and development) until then I'm going to recommend and practice C&F (catch and fry). Again, thanks to all who have weighed in on the subject! I feel very blessed to have this connection to so many knowledgeable people.