Morel Mushroom Hunting: Knowing Where To Look

Hunting For Morel Mushrooms Can Be Tricky Unless You Know What To Look For

April showers bring more than just May flowers in the Midwest. Folks here in Missouri get excited about three things when springtime rolls around…turkey hunting, crappie fishing, and hunting the ever-elusive MOREL MUSHROOMS. I’m one of those folks. There is truly nothing better on the palate than a fried Morel and if you’ve never experienced eating one, you definitely need to put it on your “bucket list” of things to do.

Mushroom Hunting Is An Adult Easter Egg Hunt

Morel mushroom hunting has also been called “The Adult Easter Egg Hunt” because truth be told, it’s exactly like that. Maybe even worse. The traditional Easter egg hunt consists of coloring eggs and then having the kids find them and then fill a basket full. The colorful eggs are easy to find with their bright yellows, pinks, bird egg blue, and even those neon green ones that stand out.

The child with the most eggs wins. Most of the time the hunt is located in a nice, freshly mowed yard and usually some of the eggs have either candy or money inside. Afterward, the kids, dressed in their Sunday best, eats their candy, and Mom or Grandma shells the eggs and makes deviled eggs or potato salad for Easter supper.

Not so with Morel mushroom hunting.

They Are Hard to Find If You Don’t Know Where To Look

Those little boogers are hard to find and you have to know EXACTLY what you’re looking for. More importantly, is that you have to know WHERE to look. I’ll be the first to admit that I am NOT very good at hunting them. In fact, I’m so bad at it I haven’t even gone yet. 

Thank God for my husband because he did manage to find time in between crappie fishing sessions and found me several to fry up and eat with our supper one night. And his success lies in the fact that he knows the most important facet in mushroom hunting and that’s the WHERE variable.

Morel Mushrooms Are Fungus

Never mind the fact that just like all mushrooms, Morels are a fungus. Yes, a fungus. Why would anyone want to eat a fungus? I really don’t have the answer to that except to say that fried up in an egg and flour batter, with a little salt and pepper for seasoning, makes them YUMMY. And because their growing season is short and limited to just several weeks in the spring makes finding them even more of a challenge.

But have no fear, those little devils pop right up when the ground is warmer and the outside temperatures begin to rise. Throw in some rainy days and you’ve got yourself a great time to so in search of mushrooms.

Around Trees Are The Best Place To Find Morels

The best place that we have found to find Morels are on the south-facing slopes of open areas. We go out in the woods and search around the bases of trees first. If I see an oak tree that’s the first place I look.

Some of our good friends, David and Krista Guy of Guy’s Logging, are some of the best Morel seek and finders that we know. This season, alone, they have found hundreds maybe even more than that. Of course any good mushroom hunter, as well as fisherman or hunter, never gives up their honey hole.

However when asked what the secret was to succeed in the woods they gave me a few tips that they use in hunting Morel mushrooms in the spring:

Tips For Success

• Look to see if mayapples are up and about 4 inches. That’s a good sign that the temperatures are right for Morels to pop up.  
• In early season keep your eyes on the south-facing slopes around red oaks, ash, and also dead elms for the small gray ones.
•  Later in the season, when spring rains have settled in and the night temperatures are above 50 degrees, that’s when the yellow mushrooms start popping up. During that time you can add walnut, walnut stumps, and sycamore trees to your list of trees to look around.

Mushroom Hunting Is A Right Of Passage And A Passing On Of Tradition

Morel mushroom hunting is a great time to just get out in the woods. It’s the perfect time of year to spend time with your families and go on a seek adventure to find those hiding mushrooms.

I love how Krista describes her husband’s excitement when he finds his first mushroom of the season. She said, “I like seeing him get excited. He’s like a kid on Christmas morning.”

Like so many mushroom hunters, they love being out in the woods. Once they get that first trip under their belts, you’ll find them hunting for Morels every chance they get.

It truly is a fun time. Obviously with spring and warmer temperatures you have to be aware of snakes that blend into the leaves and those pesky ticks. Chiggers usually aren’t out yet here in Southwestern Missouri but you definitely need to spray down for bugs. 

If you’ve never been Morel mushrooms hunting, grab a Walmart sack and head out into the woods. Be looking down regularly because you’ll miss one of those golden treasures if you’re not paying attention. More importantly, though, you’ll miss the opportunity to connect with your family, make unforgettable memories, and pass down tradition that your children and grandchildren can share with the generations to come. 

xoxoxo

Kelly