freeflow581, good to see your still top side. Don’t worry about getting back from South America in time for the early season, just ping me the coordinates for all your favorite spots & I’ll cover em for ya!
Just the kind of guy I am.
I'd love to be in the woods early to find that fresh dead elm that's tucked away in a valley that's difficult to get to. But a mere 500 miles separates me from doing that. I know the areas I hunt pretty well and GPS allows me to go in without much worry of finding my way back to the car. I have those spots that really produced years ago as way points, but I've found that the dead elms come and go so I spend my first day finding the line and then go to the topo maps for like sides of hills and elevation. I find and hunt completely new areas every years and now have several old spots that I haven't visited in two or three years. I still enjoy road hunting elms, even when season is long gone.
Road hunting elms can be dangerous to your health! I road hunt year round as well for trees (standing, fallen, logged), hunting spots, berry patches, creeks, shrooms and more; many close calls that say I need to be payin' attention to the road. Actually thinkin' of using some modern technology this year to mark spots/GPS rather than my notebook! Better to find the exact spot rather than general location . . .
cant wait to hook up with you again OldElm, and adriana, its always sort of a guess but usually 3rd week is pretty safe. I wonder how deep the frost is, got pretty cold before the snow came, lots of flooding this year I bet.
I have heard from some of my excavator buddy three to five feet depending on where you are that's for southeastern Wisconsin I'm sure it's more towards the high-end up north. We will definitely be several weeks yet before you see your first morel
Finding some good O’le Elms, Frost is coming out just right & snow pack is melting slowly. Perfect setup for morels. The bark is a good example of dead American Elm.
The anticipation is growing by the minute so I thought i'd share my recent morel gear purchase for anyone trying to figure out a better way to haul the haul.
Bought a cooler backpack from eddie baeur for $25. Can fit 3 empty 42 oz oatmeal containers inside. Crush proof place for a good sized batch of shrooms.
Before you get all spore-y on me, I have used a mesh bag one year and it never ended well. My beautiful morels were trashed by the time I got back. I go through so much thick, hard to penetrate sections that it was constantly getting hung up on everything. Not fun.
Good luck to everyone this season! As usual, i'll most likely post honest pics of my first few finds and then fade into the background as the season gets hot.
The anticipation is growing by the minute so I thought i'd share my recent morel gear purchase for anyone trying to figure out a better way to haul the haul.
Bought a cooler backpack from eddie baeur for $25. Can fit 3 empty 42 oz oatmeal containers inside. Crush proof place for a good sized batch of shrooms.
Before you get all spore-y on me, I have used a mesh bag one year and it never ended well. My beautiful morels were trashed by the time I got back. I go through so much thick, hard to penetrate sections that it was constantly getting hung up on everything. Not fun.
Good luck to everyone this season! As usual, i'll most likely post honest pics of my first few finds and then fade into the background as the season gets hot.
I'd still take a mesh bag just in case you find the mother load. Don't make a rookie mistake 3 miles in and not be able to get your haul out. I always take at least two mesh bags and several plastic Walmart sacks just in case. Plan C is to tie a knot in my tee shirt and use it as a bag. Good luck.
Just finished up bottling my maple syrup and pulling all taps and here you guys are already 3 months into morel discussions, ha! So now I transfer my eyes from looking at maple trees while driving to looking for elms.
Old Elm, last picture looks more like it may be an ash tree that has been infested with the emerald ash borer than an elm. There are an increasing number of trees with this damaged bark pattern and only going to be getting worse.
They’re both Elm, I don’t hunt ash trees at all. Up close the difference in the bark is very obvious as you well know. Ash bark also doesn’t have the Kit -Kat bar layering when ya snap it in half.
Oh yes. I just didn't know if the bark cross sample came from first tree. Hard to tell from looking at picture on a little screen, kinda looked like lots of woodpecker holes picking out ash borer larvae. I certainly believe you that it's an elm. One "Old Elm" can always spot another old elm!!! Best of luck to ya this year, look forward to your posts and finds.
Getting pummeled with an April snowstorm here in WI today so spending my time looking at morel progression maps and watching youtube videos of our friends down south picking. Oh the pain! Hahaha. Few more weeks and I will be heading to Illinois to follow em up. May even do the UP this year and some burn sites. Got a nice mess of ramps yesterday. Cooked some up with a Wisconsin Wagyu beef New York strip. Froze the rest of the ramps for when I can cook them with some shrooms.
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Getting pummeled with an April snowstorm here in WI today so spending my time looking at morel progression maps and watching youtube videos of our friends down south picking. Oh the pain! Hahaha. Few more weeks and I will be heading to Illinois to follow em up. May even do the UP this year and some burn sites. Got a nice mess of ramps yesterday. Cooked some up with a Wisconsin Wagyu beef New York strip. Froze the rest of the ramps for when I can cook them with some shrooms.
Nice Ramp’s avngal! We still got a lotta snow in the woods yet, but won’t be long.
Dang I can almost taste & smell those Ramps - so hungry now!
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Morel Mushrooms and Mushroom Hunting
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