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J

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
So, I've been searching for about 2 weeks now in Laurens County, SC and I haven't seen a single morel. And I'm getting sad, because I don't really know for sure if I am searching the right places, at the right time, although I have been doing all the right things, (I think). Taking morning soil temps, (they have I been hovering around 49-50 for about a week now, all the indicator species are blooming (redbud, violets, grape hyacinths, dogwood), searching under tulip poplar, elm, ash, and beech in creek bottoms.
So, then I think, well maybe it is still too early, or, even worse maybe it's too LATE! Turkey season just started yesterday, and according to my hunter hubby and others, this is indeed the time they come across morels while hunting...so I just can't figure this out! However, we have had a little rain this week, maybe we need a torrential rain?
The outside temp last week was cool and perfect, but today it got up to 85. So now I'm thinking it's just too hot.
I know I sound like a crazy person, but I would love for someone to give me some advice. (I have never hunted morels before, however, I do grow shiitake, Lionsmane and chicken of the woods on logs, and have created several morel beds which I hope will fruit next year. Anybody up for advising my sad little self?
 
G

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#6 ·
Janie,
Hi from a fellow girl hunter here from the Ozark Mtns/foothills of Missouri. I do not think it is too late. I think it is just beginning. I do not know your area but most of the finds I have seen are small ones in areas known to hunters or honey holes.
I have been hunting myself for about 15 years. I am mostly self taught by studying the internet, watching youtube videos of hunts near my area, learning the trees and a LOT of walking. I have usually fried a few mess's of morels by now but it is a late season for us due to a very long cold winter.
If you have someone you can trust to take you and teach you it is all the better. Please be careful. Take good care, God bless and good luck.
 
J

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#7 ·
Greetings Janie,
I agree with Garden, the past two coats of lingering snow and cold weather pushed our hibernation bit further. I have search one area for 10 years that never yielded Morels, last year the week before April the 10th we did get the terrestrial rains by the low riding creek with lots of old Tulip Poplars and Dead Elm and by shear luck I was on my hike to check the creek level, leaves and branches aligned with the raging steam few days back looks like the water level reached at least 4 feet above the normal level. Right there under the fully grown fir s and some fruit blooming yellow sine flower of a carpet of Mayapples resided a fulfilled sense of content, a 6 in tall blonde Morel....what a rewarding sense of discovery...did not pick it up. It was a search that ended up by finding a total of 33 that varied is sizes on the same corner slope and within an area of 900 ft square. For two days I would visit and honker down and watch them till it's dark. I finally picked them up and dehydrated them.

So I would say it it still early even down there in NC, unless they have been already been spotted....I'm in Virginia at the foothills of Shenandoah Park and by now last year we had the Tulip poplar's leaves out with fern plants fully grown, so far the ground and the sky bearing leaves is that of the fall with exception to a midget Peach tree in full bloom as of yesterday.

It has been my experience that as long as the anguish is high to find them, I miss them and when you completely forget about what you are looking for, Morels will wave to us. best of luck this season
 
N

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#8 ·
J Bug, dont give up. I hunt just south of Bham Ala and just found 4 very small grey beginner mushrooms the last few days. The 4" soil temps have to get near 53 as a low and range between 53 and 60 for a few days before morels begin to pop. I see you are just south of Spartanburg/Greenville which is very similar to Bham latitude. My best advice is to focus on the ash trees and look around them for a full minute or two (10 ft around the base in all directions) before moving on to the next ash. Just to give you a perspective that the season has just begun. I've looked under 120 ash that I hunt and found the 4 morels under 3 different ash. The season is 8-12 days behind an average season for most in the deep south. By seasons end I will have pulled morels from probably 20 of these ash trees sometimes 1 or 2 morels per tree and less often you hit 7 or 8 per tree. On average 1 in 6 ash produce for me over the course of a season. Bad year less. Good year more. Good Luck hunting.
 
C

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#9 ·
I'm with ya Janie. I am getting frustrated too. I went down through SC following the Savannah River almost to Augusta just a couple days ago. Spent about half the day in the woods. Checking around any suspect trees, with no luck! My guess is it is still a little early. Early spots will be producing right now, but they are few and far between. I believe the best is yet to come. Conditions have been ideal. Don't give up looking, and even go back to any suspect trees you already checked you might be surprised. Will be hitting the woods hard this weekend! Expect for my spots in the foothills to start producing any day. Then up to the ridges :) Good luck!
 
J

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Discussion Starter · #10 ·
Thank you all so much for replying. It feels good to know someone understands my anguish, lol! Most people just think I am nuts! I just checked the ground temp this morning, and it was 56, after just being 49* 3 days ago! This crazy hot weather is just bizarre, but it is supposed to cool down a bit over the next few days, and expecting 50% chance of rain this afternoon.

The weather here in SC since January has just been so incredibly bizarre. We have had periods of unseasonably cold weather followed by maybe a week of almost summer like weather, and then it will return to bitter cold again, and then have another bout of spring like weather, and back and forth all winter long. I wonder if it has been like this in other places across the country, and how that might affect the morels. Perhaps they just get confused, and finally just say 'screw it' and stay underground!

One thing I have noticed, is that I have seen very FEW other mushrooms while out hunting morels. Although I have seen some witches butter, and what I thought was deadly Galeria *shudder*. I was so afraid of it, I didn't even want to touch it, much less make a spore print!

Well, you guys have made me feel much better, so I'm going to assume that since apparently this is early in the season, that maybe I should be concentrating on finding the little greys rather than the blonds for right now. And I imagine the little greys are probably MUCH harder to see.

Good luck to everyone!

 
C

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#12 ·
Janiebug,
I live in SC and hunt every year. It is still too early here. I hunt mostly in Chester county. I found a huge group last year near Blackstock on April 21st. It was warmer last year. I look every morning after I go turkey hunting about 3 days per week. None yet this year but I am confident they will show up in the near future. A lot of rain today and warmer nights coming will bring them out soon. Don't give up, I'm sure you will find some. Good luck!
 
J

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Discussion Starter · #13 ·
So much kind encouragement here! I've been in Florida since last weekend, and haven't been able to check my hunting grounds in 5 days, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will find a surprise when I get there today. However, still haven't had any significant rainfall in the past week.
 
C

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#16 ·
Janie.
I just played golf and then hunted for mushrooms in Fort Mill near my house. Nothing yet. The mushrooms near Blackstock seem to show up late, but all of a sudden they are there. Last year, none one day and three days later I found a lot in the same places I had been looking. It is amazing to me how quickly they appear. Some of the morels I found were longer than my hand. I see on other sites that a bunch are showing up in Anderson. If you search at least every 3 days I think you will eventually have success. I found a few in early May last year. Just keep being persistent and let us know when you find some.
 
J

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Discussion Starter · #17 ·
Yayyyyyyyyy! I found 3 this afternoon. Yes, they are tiny, but since they were my VERY first ever, I just had to pick them! I'm so EXCITED! Okay, they all were found near elms and tulip poplars...but also near wild privets. I'll be back at it again in the morning after hubby finishes hunting turkey. I'm gonna try to post a pick of my MONSTERS, hope this works.

 
J

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Discussion Starter · #18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yayyyyyyyyy! I found 3 this afternoon. Yes, they are tiny, but since they were my VERY first ever, I just had to pick them! I'm so EXCITED! Okay, they all were found near elms and tulip poplars...but also near wild privets. I'll be back at it again in the morning after hubby finishes hunting turkey. I'm gonna try to post a pick of my MONSTERS, hope this works.

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janiebug
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