Mushroom locations are like bank account passwords- rarely shared and ultra secretive. Ronnie McAllister takes morel hunting so seriously that he annually schedules a week’s vacation to hunt mushrooms in late April. I am a mere “grasshopper” at mushrooming, so I invited the master to a tract of land hoping to learn some of his schrooming tactics. We began along a stream bank searching for morels below mature tulip- poplar trees. As expected, he found the first ones which were barely thimble size. We looked for nearly an hour and found only one more.
Where to Look
Next, we moved to another poplar stand where he found three large mushrooms while I found one. A third location held promise, but no fungus, prompting my mentor to share one of his secret spots on a nearby state wildlife management area. After hiking half a mile into the mountains, we searched around large poplar trees with limited, but consistent success. Morels were small, yet many trees had a single fungus close by. I stumbled onto a dead porcupine and Ronnie remembered seeing the damage the animals do to trees and showed me two large birch trees which were nearly girdled. Suddenly a turkey gobbled and we each looked at each other in surprise. A few minutes later it gobbled again, closer this time, apparently mistaking us for hens scratching for food. Truly a walk on the wild side, McAllister had seen a black bear two weeks earlier not far from our location.
Search Carefully, but be Prepared
McAllister had 26 deer ticks on his body the last time out and takes precautions to wear high boots with pant legs tucked in and wraps his sleeves with tape, creating a bug barrier. Hunters should spray their pants and boots with permethrin (Not on skin) to ward off ticks and other insects. A Shrooner staff, or walking stick helps maintain balance when climbing over rocks, logs and other obstructions and is ideal to move weeds aside or push a briar out of the way.
“I generally have the best luck searching around poplar trees or dead elms on the south or southeast slopes of ridges,” he says. You want to look for places of other vegetation as mushrooms often grow in the shade.”
Share How, but Not Where
The ground must be moist, the soil the right temperature, and Ronnie believes that pH plays a role as well. The trick is to find the first mushroom and then search for similar circumstances- vegetation, tree type, elevation, etc. When he begins to find mushrooms, he may work a grid. “Often if you take a step, just that small change in sight angle can reveal morsel that can be easily overlooked. “One year, rain fell for several days and rather than waiting for the sun to shine, he hunted in the rain, thinking others would not and found four bread bags full of fungus, many in the large size category.
Be a Morell Prepper
Prepping for the Hunt- Whether you consider yourself a hunter or a gatherer, keep these tips in mind to maximize your morel find:
Create a bug shield- Spray your shoes and trousers with promethean. If you are prone to poison ivy, wear light gloves.
Pick up a walking stick to aid balance and move leaves.
Search prime areas like the base of tulip poplar, ash, apple, and dead elms on eastern and southeastern slopes.
Cover ground quickly until you find the first morel, then slow down and look very carefully for more.
Analyze the elevation, sun angle, vegetation, tree-types and look for the next patch in similar circumstances.
Pinch off the mushrooms at the base and carry them in an onion sack for maximum spore disbursement.
Show and share your bounty, reveal the location at your peril.
Any reason to be in the woods makes you a better turkey hunter. Looking for these tasty morsels is the best excuse of all.