Field Research (9/2/21) Ginseng Time & Bigfoot Finds

Hey gang, I'm back with another post from a very recent outing. This is a great time of year for me. Not only do I get to go out looking for bigfoot evidence, but I also get to explore the Kentucky mountains for ginseng. I enjoy doing both and I'm glad I can share the adventures with everyone.

On this particular day, I went to my gifting area and left out some goodies. It was a quick trip as I wanted to hit the woods and look for ginseng. The ginseng season comes in on September 1st for us but I didn't get to go that day due to wind and rain. So I was excited to get out there. 

While out on this adventure I had not one but two black bear encounters.

Check out the video below and then continue reading.

This area of the mountain is very steep and while I have explored it in the past for bigfoot evidence, I had never really searched it much for ginseng. Overall I didn't find much ginseng, but that is okay, I enjoyed being out in the woods.

Photo © by Thomas Marcum

Now just a little bit about American Ginseng. American Ginseng can be found in much of the eastern and central United States and in part of southeastern Canada. It is found primarily in deciduous forests of the Appalachian and Ozark regions of the United States. American ginseng is found in full-shade environments in these deciduous forests underneath hardwoods. Due to this very specialized growing environment and its demand in the commercial market, it has started to reach an endangered status in some areas.

In the United States, American ginseng is generally not listed as an endangered species, but it has been declared as a part of the endangered species scale by some states. States recognizing American ginseng as endangered: Maine, Rhode Island. States recognizing American ginseng as vulnerable: New York, Pennsylvania. States recognizing American ginseng as threatened: Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia. States recognizing American ginseng as a special concern: Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

In Canada, American ginseng is listed as endangered nationally and in Ontario, and as threatened in Quebec, the highest risk category in both provinces.

Now, in the writing above I mentioned I had two black bear encounters. This second one was when I was almost out of the main area and nearing where my truck was parked. This bear could not hear me as it was in the creek and I assume the running water blocked out my sounds. I was able to get pretty close to it and moved forward to get even closer. This is something I do not recommend to anyone. I personally have had numerous bear encounters and felt comfortable doing it. I do spend a lot of time out in the woods alone and have had many run-ins with critters. But I do not recommend getting close to black bears.

Here is the short video followed by some closing comments.

One thing I hope you noticed in the video is how fast the bear can run. Some people talk about running when face to face with a bear, but that is the wrong thing to do. You can not outrun a black bear. I had a face-to-face with a momma bear with four cubs. We looked into each other's eyes. She seems surprised at seeing me and I know I was surprised seeing her that close. I had been down on my knees digging ginseng and heard her romping through the forest. There was a big rock within 8-10 feet of me. As I stood up, she popped around the big rock. In the end, it all turned out well and it was a very wonderful moment for me. I could see the little hairs, and eyelashes, around the bear's eye. That was a rememberable moment but I don't want to be that close to a mother bear with cubs again.

Hope you enjoyed the post and videos. Stay safe!

 

Thanks
~Thomas~

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