The official season for harvesting wild ginseng in Indiana began Sept. 1 and ends Dec. 31. Adhering to these specific seasonality windows is the first step in avoiding severe legal penalties. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) strictly enforces these dates to ensure the plant has enough time to mature and drop seeds before it is removed from its habitat.

While the digging window is relatively short, the legal timeframe for commercial activity extends slightly further. It is vital to distinguish between harvesting, selling, and buying to remain in compliance with state law.

Harvest Season: Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

Selling Season: Sept. 1 through March 31 of the following year.

Buying Season: Sept. 1 through March 31 of the following year.

Digging ginseng even one day before the Sept. 1 opener is considered a Class B misdemeanor. Law enforcement officials often patrol known “hot spots” during the late summer to prevent poaching and the premature harvest of immature roots.

The “Closed Season Possession Trap” is a common pitfall for many diggers. It is illegal to possess “green” or undried ginseng roots between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, regardless of when they were harvested.  Possession of ‘green’ ginseng outside these dates is a legal violation.

While individual diggers do not need a license to harvest on private land with written permission, an Indiana Ginseng Dealer License is required to buy ginseng for resale.

In Indiana, it is strictly illegal to harvest ginseng on state-owned lands, including state parks, forests, and wildlife areas. Consequently, all legal digging must occur on private property.

You must obtain written permission from the landowner before entering the property. Carrying this document in the field is a critical safeguard against trespassing charges or allegations of illegal harvesting.

Indiana law prohibits the harvest of any ginseng plant with fewer than three prongs (leaves) and requires all seeds to be planted at the site of harvest.

The sustainability of wild populations depends on strict adherence to Harvest Rules. These biological standards ensure only mature plants have had the opportunity to reproduce are removed from the forest floor.

A “prong” refers to a compound leaf. A mature, legal ginseng plant must have at least three prongs. Digging younger plants – plants with only one or two prongs – is a direct violation of Indiana 312 IAC 19.

Expert harvesters also look for the “bud scale scars” on the rhizome, which indicate the age of the plant. However, the prong count remains the primary legal metric for field identification used by DNR officers.

Indiana law mandates harvesters to immediately plant the seeds from the harvested plant at the site of the dig. Doing so ensures the local population can regenerate in the exact micro-climate where the parent plant thrived.

Seeds must be planted approximately one inch deep in the soil. Simply scattering the berries on top of leaf litter is insufficient and often results in the seeds being consumed by rodents or failing to germinate.

Red berry maturity: Only plants with ripe, red berries should be harvested for optimal seed viability.

Minimum 3-prong requirement: Ensures the plant is at least 5-10 years old.

1-inch seed depth: Protects the embryos from desiccation and predation.

The sustainability laws are designed to prevent the extinction of wild populations.

Pheasant hunt reservations

Reservations for put-and-take pheasant hunts will open for purchase beginning Sept. 9 at 7 a.m. ET at GoOutdoorsIN.com. The hunts take place from Nov. 21 through Nov. 29.

New for this year, pheasant hunt reservations will open for purchase in phases by property as listed below. All sales begin at the date and time listed and will remain open until Nov. 9 or until all reservations are sold.

• Glendale and Tri-County Fish & Wildlife Areas (FWAs) hunt reservations open Sept. 9 at 7 a.m. ET.

• JE Roush and Atterbury FWAs hunt reservations open Sept. 16 at 7 a.m. ET. 

• Pigeon River and Winamac FWAs hunt reservations open Sept. 23 at 7 a.m. ET.

Also new for this year, a limit of 20 hunts per customer applies for each sales phase. For example, a customer may purchase up to 20 hunts total for the Glendale and Tri-County FWAs sale and then purchase up to 20 additional hunts for the JE Roush and Atterbury FWAs sale.

Put-and-take pheasant hunts are no longer offered at Willow Slough FWA to allow for the continued re-establishment of wild ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail. Wild ring-necked pheasant hunting is available at Willow Slough FWA and associated properties during the regular season (Nov. 1-Dec. 15).

Hunt reservations are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. A $30 fee and $1 tech fee are charged for each reservation. Hunters must possess a valid hunting license and a game bird habitat stamp to hunt pheasants. Hunters should print their reservation confirmation sheet and bring it with them on the day of their hunts.

More information on property details and purchasing instructions are available at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.

‘till next time, 

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com. Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.