Dave Richey OUTDOORS

Their quarry: the somewhat elusive morel mushroom. The mushroom's ability to stay hid is well known, and at times, they are abundant and easily found.

Morel mushrooms are being picked now, and if the number of little signs with people sitting outside their car along the road are any indication, the picking has been fairly good.

The warm weather and damp soil earlier provided optimum conditions for these fungi, and the heavy rains last has given the fungi late life. The forecast is for some rain tonight and tomorrow, and hopefully that will spark more new growth of the tasty mushrooms, thereby prolonging the fruiting season.

My son David with big white morels.

Everyone has their own 'shroom picking styles. Some work up the hills which seems to put the viewing perspective of the ground a bit closer to the human eye, and others prefer heading down the hills. Years ago when my vision was keen, I preferred taking a hill-side approach and walked across it. This style gave me a chance to look up, down and sideways.

My son found a passel of white morels last year at about this time, and we had a number of delightful meals from his foraging efforts.

Some pickers move along at a steady pace while others walk slowly and hope to spot a morel. If they find one, chances are that others are nearby. If mushrooms are found on a hill-side, look uphill and down for more sign of the fungi.

The black morels are more difficult to find for most people than the whites. The blacks tend to be somewhat earlier and smaller in size (but not always), and often are found near old ash or elm trees. Fallen bark off standing but dead trees often provide good spots to find black and white morels.

The white morel mushroom is much easier for me to spot against a backdrop of black, brown, gray and green on the ground. They often stand up higher, which also helps to spot them. Many hunters find them on hillsides but they can be found near open fields, on lawn, near barns and garages, and near old fruit orchards.

Finding morel mushrooms is great fun but not for those with bad hearts or weak legs. There is a great deal of up and down climbing, and travel through wooded areas can trip an unwary picker. Most pickers know to look near ash, elm or popple stumps and trees.

Learn to see morel mushrooms.

The trick is to spot the first mushroom. Find it, and then look around nearby. Morels  often grow in small clumps, and just keep looking. They may be covered with leaves, might be sprouting under a fallen tree limb or be right out in the open.

I've found that if you find one, look around, and don't forget to look back at where you just came from. Often a change of position gives an entirely different perspective. I used to spot more mushroom by looking back than I did by looking ahead.

Mushroom pickers  also should be aware that the wild turkey hunting season is open now. Turkey hunters are not required to wear Hunter Orange clothing, but morel mushroom pickers should. If you see someone with a shotgun sitting against a tree, don't talk but wave at him and walk away.

Learn to share the woods with turkey hunters. Their hunting season is open now.

A guy walked up behind me once while I was hunting near Glen Arbor one day, and I'd just finished calling to a gobbler who was gobbling back and moving my way. A few minutes later I could hear a faint noise in the woods, and sat still, waiting for the bird to circle into view.

The noise stopped behind me, and all was silent, and I'm not moving. Suddenly a voice bellers out: "What are you doing?"

I told him I had been turkey hunting until he walked up and half-shouted at me. The turkey by this time was probably 500 yards away. The guy never apologized. It's one thing to blunder into a turkey hunter, and it's another thing to make a lot of noise and scare away the birds. Just move away, and hope you haven't ruined his hunt. He wouldn't intentionally ruin your mushroom picking. Both season occur at the same time and foragers and hunters must share the same woods.

Doing so with others means recognizing their right to be there and participating in their favorite pastime, and foragers should do whatever is needed to prevent disturbing other people. Just being in the same area as a turkey hunter will probably ruin his hunt as people move along, talking.

Key mushroom areas are found near Alpena, Atlanta, Baldwin, Boyne City, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Curran, Empire, Gaylord, Glen Arbor, Grayling, Honor, Houghton Lake, Indian River, Manistee, Mayfield, Mesick, Onaway, Oscoda, Petoskey, Spruce, Tawas City, Traverse City, Vanderbilt, West Branch and Wolverine. Good luck.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors