7 Tips to Increase the Success of Your Morel Mushroom Hunts!

When the springtime arrives, and many hunters are out pursuing their Spring turkey there are a select few that are pursuing a different kind of prey. The Hickory Chicken, Dryland Fish, Molly Moochers, or the Sponge Mushroom are all nicknames of this woodland delicacy: The Morel Mushroom. Quickly sprouting and vanishing Morel Mushrooms have a mystique attached to their name. Many mushroom connoisseurs covet their secret harvesting spots with a tight-lipped secrecy. So much so that they won't even tell their closest family members the location of their honey holes. Morel Mushrooms remain a rare delicacy due to the inability to cultivate, and a seemingly unclear catalyst for, their growth and location.

The Mystique Surrounding Morels

One aspect that adds to the demand for morel mushrooms, causing the price to be upwards of 20 USD a pound, is the inability (or rarity) of cultivating them. Although cultivating Morel Mushrooms is not, in essence, impossible, it is extremely difficult. Especially if one does not have access to the technology to uphold the strictest lab conditions and technology. I always thought my million-dollar idea would be a morel farm. Yet, it seems that there are way too many variables to their growth that are hard to recreate. If you have the available land, you can mimic the conditions to a degree. For the common person though, it's no household garden.

1: The 40, 50, 60 Rule

The 40, 50, 60 rule is the most important rule in determining what time of year one would find success in searching for morel mushrooms. In basic terms, these numbers stand for 40 degrees at night, 50-degree soil temperature, and 60 degrees during the day. If you find a span of time that consists of these marked temperatures, that is the time to focus your efforts. Miles = Piles Baby! This temperature has been a proven catalyst for the optimal growth of the Hickory Chicken. Utilize all the tips and tricks in your arsenal, and guess what. If you have none, keep reading I've got plenty for ya.

2: Best Day to Hit the Woods!!!

The best days to go out and hit the woods would be the springtime. I mentioned the 40-50-60 rule and that's all good, but it's not limited to this time only. This is just a great focus point if you can only make time for a few days. Overall, morel season can last from March to April in the Midwest depending on the weather. The best days to focus your effort on for the later season would be after a rainy day. Mushrooms are fungus and they love low wetlands, especially after rain.

3: Location Tips

Now, just saying "Go check the woods" is pretty broad, wouldn't you say? Therefore, there are some cues that nature will provide to you that will give you spots that have higher odds of producing morel mushrooms. Those locations are as follows: burn sites, disturbed areas, downed trees, riverbanks and flood planes are potential morel grounds. The soil type you are looking for is loamy soil and certain trees (including ash, tulip, apple, aspen and elm) also attract morels. A great tip on how to determine if the soil is good for morels is to grab a walking stick that has a thin point to it, maybe half an inch in diameter. As you walk in a potential morel ground poke it into the soil, if it takes a lot of effort to pierce into the soil it's a little too hard. Not saying that morels WON'T grow there, but there are certain soils that provide better nutrition.

4: Frequency of Hunts

Morel hunting is similar to shed hunting for antlers in the aspect that you will have to revisit the same location quite frequently. Morels can grow from nothing to full grown mushroom caps in 10-12 days. So, if you miss that window, welp, better luck next year. I recommend every 2 days taking a trip out to the woods, especially if you have a spot, you've thought has potential or you've found morels in years before.

5: Sweep Searching

The first thing I do while searching for morels is to hit the honey hole spots, I discovered in previous trips to the woods, whether that is deer hunting, turkey hunting, or shed hunting. If I strike out, I will start sweep searching/grid searching. Hit the locations I mentioned above and broad sweeping searches. Here's the thing though, once you find a mushroom, they do usually grow in patches. You have to slow down your steps and keep your eyes peeled, you might step on one if you aren't careful.

6: Harvesting: Myth or Fact?

There is a debate in the Morel Hunting world about whether or not you should pluck the mushroom or cut the base with a knife. There really is no evidence, but one theory is that if one plucks the mushroom that it damages the base, and that spot will not have mushrooms the next year. Personally, even if there is no proof, I am not risking the future growth of my honey hole, so I do cut the mushrooms up. But, to each their own.

There is a second major debate also. One big No-No that is no debate is that you must keep the morels in a bag or basket that has airflow. You cannot put the mushrooms in a bag that seals them, or they will start to decay. One more reason is that, if you have the mushrooms in a netting bag or basket, any leftover spores in the mushroom itself will fall onto the ground and grow the following year. Unfortunately, depending on who you talk to there is not a bunch of evidence that there is any truth to that and most likely the mushroom already dropped all the spores prior to you picking it. Oh, well, we can hope though. Just in case if anything, right?

7: Spotting Fakes

Unfortunately, like a lot of things in nature, morels included, there is a look alike. That look alike is not a cool brother to hang with, he'll kill ya' if you eat him. Like all mushroom hunters you need to be well versed in identification of your chosen target. So, be sure you know how to identify morels as true morels before you eat them. False morels are mushrooms with dense, cottony insides. Some are even red, which my personal 'De Facto' bet in nature is "RED=DANGER". If you aren't sure, cut the fruit open to ensure it is a hollow true morel. Be safe out there. Losing at the game of morel hunting doesn't just involve not finding one. There are potential health threats.