mushrooms

[bullrider_oh]

how long does everyone think it will be till the mushrooms are up. earliest we ever found them was april 6th.... we did pretty good last year picket like 2765 i think it was i have some pics if i get a chance to scan them i will post.

[antiqucycle]

Last year was spectacular for yellows, like 2nd week in may. not so hot on blacks and greys. you mentioned salt fork for hunting, yep lots there about the first day of turkey. there is a big difference, almost a week or two between mid ohio like salt fork and 50 miles north of there.
Morels are just plain mysterious. One year real good, next year, not in the same places. Some years elm trees, other years, check other tree species.

One other hint, if you see amish without guns, your in the right area.

[bullrider_oh]

yea i agree on the amish.... yea the weather is getting close to feeling like time to find them for sure... last year was asome down here can't remmber the date but one day last year we found over a 1000 in one day.... do not do much hunting at salt fork all private land.. have ran across couple while turkey hunting though..

[Fish-n-Fool]

In central and SW OH, they generally make their appearance 3rd-4th week in April, depending on the weather. 1st two weeks in May typically are the best.

If the weather holds steady, I'll be checking some early spots on or abouts 4/15.

[mrex]

Ray Charles could have found mushrooms in my area last year. Blacks, greys and yellows all did well. My kids and their buddy found 714 and 3 sheds in under 3 hours on the 25th of April.



The blacks usually start popping about the last week in March / first week in April here in Athens County. The soil temp and precipitation seem to be the determining factors.

My strategy for finding mushrooms is geared more towards specific trees. I find the vast majority of blacks around poplar trees and the yellow and greys near ash and elm trees. A dying elm tree with the bark just starting to loosen is usually golden. Supposedly the spore are contained inside the tree bark and the flaking off releases them. I pretty much just walk from tree to tree and look down.

Some of the old timers in this area believe that mushrooms are on a 7 year cycle in that every 7 years there will be a bumper crop. I can't say there's any science behind it but since I started paying attention many years ago they seem to be right.

[killa gorilla]

I think those old timers are right.My grandpa says about the same thing in I notice its true.Ive learned to listen to him and other old timers weather its a scientific fact or not.More times than not there right.I found about 1200 in one day last year.It took almost all day though lol.Ill walk miles of rr tracks in find hundreds of them.I just fried my last bag of them tonight. Drying them is the way to go boys!

[antiqucycle]

as far as a life cycle for morels, I think thats a mystery period. With puffballs, I have read, what happens is that the mycelium gowing in the ground and "feeding" will sense that its running out of food after several years. at that point it will send up the puffballs to "relocate" as the spores dispense in the air to other locations where it can continue on. I suspect that morels act in the same way. So some years you find one or two in a spot but every few years, a bumper crop. I believe when you find 1-5 morels in a spot, they are from the same plant, and when you find 200, again they are all from one plant.

Mushrooms are one of the least understood creatures in the woods. They grow from huge underground root systems, we just cant see.

Trees, I have found them under elms, elms and apples, poplars, sycamores, and even one white oak on a public hunting area(every year). Never found them around ash trees for some reason. I would say the best spot for rookies, is concentrate on groups of elms and apples mixed.

As for the amish, they like to walk roads checking each elm.

[Limbhanger]

I have to admit something, after all my years of hunting I never had any desire to even look for Morrells, let alone eat one? With this inmind, I'am not sure I've ever seen one? I'am sure I've come across them and recall seeing mushrooms, although not interested in them, never payed attention?

Not sure I'd put time into finding them, although if I come across one now, I think I'd like to try one? I think in the past with hearing about false Morrells, and potentially being poisnous, just kept me from even wanting to try one?

So my question is to you shroomers, can you positively identify false Morrells? And are you taking a chance with some of these? I guess I always had the fear of even a true Morrell possibly being poisnous also? I did do some reading on identify them, and know what they look like, but still question this? Thanks

[BuckSlayer]

Originally Posted by Limbhanger

I have to admit something, after all my years of hunting I never had any desire to even look for Morrells, let alone eat one? With this inmind, I'am not sure I've ever seen one? I'am sure I've come across them and recall seeing mushrooms, although not interested in them, never payed attention?

Not sure I'd put time into finding them, although if I come across one now, I think I'd like to try one? I think in the past with hearing about false Morrells, and potentially being poisnous, just kept me from even wanting to try one?

So my question is to you shroomers, can you positively identify false Morrells? And are you taking a chance with some of these? I guess I always had the fear of even a true Morrell possibly being poisnous also? I did do some reading on identify them, and know what they look like, but still question this? Thanks

Once you try one you will be hooked, they taste great. I found ten blacks on wed, just starting up. I dont believe the harmful ones grow in patches like most morels do. The poisonous ones are totally different in appearance.

Yellow

Blacks

Poisonous


Notice the stem is different and not will not be hollow but instead fleshlike inside.

[antiqucycle]

As far as being poisoned, I think the majority of cases are the result of getting a few bad ones mixed in with good ones. I am sure most people have seen stump mushrooms, the tiny brownies, or ethnic names, that grow where a stump has rotted away, usually 100 or more in one spot, but no telling what other mushrooms are growing in the same place same time. I avoid them.
or your common grocery store mushrooms, white on top, pink, then brown underneath, aka field mushrooms. well some with white bottoms will grow at the same time that will get you sick. They only grow in lawns or pasture fields, not under pine trees.

Obviously you should clearly know what your looking for. If something is not quite the same, dont pick it. the two other keys, are the time of the year, and the situation where you found them. Morels grow in April and May, if its sept, dont pick. Puffballs, field mushrooms, August Sept. dont pick them in may. Sheepshead grow around white oaks in Sept Oct. If its June, its something else growing. If you find a sheepshead around a maple tree, think twice.

Pick only very fresh mushrooms, if its rotted in any way, no pick.
If you find what you think are morels, look around, any elm, apple, poplar, sycamore trees nearby? Is it late april or early may?

There are a lot of edible mushrooms out there, and a few people do get an allergic reaction. I still cant bring myself to pick shaggy manes out of my yard.

The first time you pick em, do ask somebody who knows, to verify what you picked. Morels are clearly the most desirable taste in the woods. If your still leary of what you found, give them away and see if the person drops dead. If they survive go get some more for yourself.

[Limbhanger]

Thanks for all the good advice Buckslayer and Antiqucycle, appreciate it, and if I end up poisioned, I know who to blame?

[Woodland]

Get yourself a field guide to mushroom hunting. With any mushroom the rule is "if in doubt throw it out". A true Morel will be hollow all the way through the stem into the cap. Also the cap will be attached to the stem at the end so there is no overhang of the cap. If the stem is not hollow or there is a white cottony substance in it, throw it out. The exception would be a half free where half of the cap overhangs the stem, hence the name half free. Mushroom poisoning is nothing to mess with. If you are lucky you will only end up so sick for 3 or so days you will wish you were dead. Do some research online. There are plenty of good websites with a ton of information on mushroom hunting. One I frequent is northerncountrymorels.com. A lot of great people there with a lot of knowledge in mushroom hunting. Don't be afraid to ask questions as everybody starts somewhere. They will be very happy to answer your questions as they don't want to see anybody get hurt or kill themselves. If at all possible go out with somebody who knows what they are doing for the first few times and learn something from them. Please be carefull, it is a lot of fun but can be dangerous or even deadly.

[killa gorilla]

Does anyone hunt any other types of mushrooms.I pisk puffballs too.Ive heard about swammies to but no little about them.Except that they taste good.Just wondering what all you guys hunt along with morels.

[chopiq]

A saying you can go by is If it is hollow then you can swallow. Please no jokes about this saying... lol. If the stem is hollow then its good.

[jackalope]

There are old mushroom hunters and their are bold mushroom hunters. There are no old bold mushroom hunters...

If you don't know what your looking at don't eat it......


I wait until I get 3 nights in a row above 50 with sunny days. It helps if there was some rain.. The guys in S.O will see them about a week before Mid Ohio and 2 weeks before northern Ohio.. They say the pop ups move north at the rate of 100 miles a week. So if they are finding them 100 miles south of you it should be under a week to a week when you start finding them in your area.. In Oho I would classify it as South of I-70 and North of I-70..