Turkey & Morel mushrooms

[TRAPnHUNT]

Well with the Spring turkey season right around the corner let us not forget that it also coincides with the time that morels start to pop up in the woods.
Here in IL we can only hunt until noon for Spring turkey. Usually I keep my head down & eyes open for those tasty lil shrooms & in the past, I've found quite a bit of them.

Lets hear your tips on finding them as well!

[hanson65]

Dead elm trees here in minnesota or half dead elms and on hild sides more that others last year was a really hot year for them here there are good as heck, cant wait to look for them this spring when Im out trying to kill a bird!!!

Shane!

[watershedman25]

Mostly on flat ground here, lots of leaf cover, sandy soil.

[TRAPnHUNT]

Ive also found them in apple orchards

[cam]

Most of mine are found in the litter underneath blackjack oaks.

[Jack]

Look for the first morels to come up on southern and western facing slopes, as they're normally the first to warm up. But there's allways exceptions to any rule. Like most anything else that comes from a seed or spore, in the ground, they won't start popping til the ground temp's right. One of the best signs, signalling their arrival, are the lilacs...when you start seeing some color in the blossums, start shroomin'! Magnolia's are also another indication that morels may have started coming on in many areas. Seems like, around here anyway, it's usually the warmer/earlier Spring's when this holds true.

During dryer years, with lower than normal ammounts of precipitation, I look in wetter or lower lying areas. And in years when we have above average precip, the hills and sloping areas that drain quicker, seem to produce much better. Most everything has to be nearly perfect in order for morels to come up, and come up in good numbers. If it's too dry or too wet they don't do well.

Mature hardwood forests have been my favorite places to look. Especially if Mayapples, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Trillium are present. There seems to be some sort of affiliation with those plants and morels. Once there, I'll hunt around Dead Elms, dead Cottonwoods, dead Apple trees, live Ash trees, and stands of older(and/or dead) Sumacs along railroad tracks have all been good producers for me.

Alot of areas where forest fires have burnt, the previous year, can produce incredible crops of morels. Never hunted burns myself but I have friends and family that have and it's hard to believe how well they do!

Not trying to sound like a "know it all" here. I'll be the first to tell you..."you just never know where morels are gonna grow" they are where you find 'em. But I used to hunt them, in a half dozen or so different states, to supplement my income and a guy can get pretty serious when it comes to feeding his family.

Hope this helps some of you guys out a bit!

[TRAPnHUNT]

Here are a few Youtube videos that may help those who want to look for them...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNh_RC5rSm4

[bbaloga]

here in pa I find the majority of mine around ash trees along the roads.

[Jack]

Mar 5, 2011 10:43:36 GMT -5 bbaloga said:

here in pa I find the majority of mine around ash trees along the roads.

Around here, I seldom find more than a dozen morels...usually more like 6 or 8(or less), does that seem to be the case in your area too?

[bbaloga]

Mar 5, 2011 13:21:10 GMT -5 Jack said:

Mar 5, 2011 10:43:36 GMT -5 bbaloga said:

here in pa I find the majority of mine around ash trees along the roads.

Around here, I seldom find more than a dozen morels...usually more like 6 or 8(or less), does that seem to be the case in your area too?

yes it is never seem to find the mother load

[ralph]

try old railroad beds i work in pa found 42 at work yesterday

[TRAPnHUNT]

May 4, 2011 15:34:53 GMT -5 ralph said:

try old railroad beds i work in pa found 42 at work yesterday

Now thats a rough day at work!!!

[ralph]

well i was doing my job walking the train the morels just happend to be there lol

[ninedeer]

we find them around old dead elms as was mention before.I have a few patches that produce every year for me.