Hi all! My name is John, have been a member for awhile now but haven't yet posted so I guess that makes me a newbie. So, a little about me. I grew up in Licking County, moved to Tucson, AZ in 1974 and lived there for 31 years (to escape harsh winters, lol). Then 13 years living in Australia with my Aussie wife, and am now back in Ohio. Things can come full circle! I'm back in Licking County but will be moving to Noble County in 2-3 weeks. I haven't hunted morels since the early 70s and am so psyched about the upcoming season I can hardly sleep at night - keep counting morels instead of sheep. So I hope I have some pics to post fairly soon. BTW, this site is awesome and provides a wealth of knowledge!
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WELCOME! Yes , this forum is a wealth of knowledge. Just don't ask me where I find morels!
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Good luck
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You may already know this, but I'll give some general hints. You need to know your trees. Not only by leaf, but by bark! This can help you with Winter scouting. Be versatile. I spent my first year having no success, hunting on my 2,200 acre fish & game club. I hunted only the hundreds and hundreds of dead elms on the property. After the season, another member who had clued me in that there were morels on the property asked me how I did. I told him I checked half the dead elms on the property, and found nothing! He asked if I had looked at the apple trees. We have a ton of them growing on the property as well. I said no, and he replied, "Aw dude! You gotta look at the apple trees!" I had no idea.
Since then, I have also found them around Cottonwood and Sycamore. Folks looking for early blacks look at Aspens. I've also heard Tulip trees as a source, but we don't have many of them around here, and I've never found anything near them.
Since then, I have also found them around Cottonwood and Sycamore. Folks looking for early blacks look at Aspens. I've also heard Tulip trees as a source, but we don't have many of them around here, and I've never found anything near them.
Thanks again shroom. Yes, I've done my homework and read about the trees you mention. I even recently ordered the book Trees of Ohio Field Guide by Stan Tekiela. Ever heard of him? I have several of his field guides and I like his approach to field guides. Good photos (bark, leaves, flowers, fruit) and info, plus he always adds some personal notes. The thing that is going to take awhile for me is identifying bark in winter, with no leaves to aid in identification. I've already done some scouting in Noble County and have found a couple of dozen old, old but still alive apple trees. There are also sycamores nearby, growing along a small creek, as sycamores tend to do. I'll be moving there at the end of the month and continue my scouting and take the guide with me. Wish me luck, I'll post pics on here if I get lucky.
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John if your moving to noble county you won’t have to go far for morels. There everywhere around you. Look at old railroad maps that went thru the areas that are abandoned now. Also look for strip mine areas. Coshocton not far from you also has Woodbury which is good hunting as well as other great areas not far away. Good luck!
Thanks for the tips gutterman, appreciate it! Although I've read about old railroad tracks being mentioned in some of the online articles, that's one place that would never have crossed my mind. Any ideas why morels would favor this environment? Are you in or near Noble County?
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I wouldn’t hunt used railroad lines as they spray with chemicals. Old railroad beds are often riddled with overgrowth and apple trees etc. the old timers would throw seeds out as they worked on railroad so when they were traveling they had apples along the way. I’ve literally found morels growing from 3” railbed rocks and zero dirt. I have no real reason why they grow in those old rail beds besides loose soil and usually overgrowth with target trees species. I live in northern Ohio but hunt southeast Ohio every year and have hunted noble and surrounding counties a lot.
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How about those old RR lines that have been turned into bike paths? Been a long time since they were sprayed. They were abandoned many years ago. And if there are still tracks where you hunt, just have a quick look at the top of the rails. If they are shiny, that rail line is still being used. If they are quite rusted, that line has not seen action in a while, and is probably not being maintained.
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i have permission from. the Owner of 23 miles of Privately owned Railroad..
Which is abandon now.. i know for a Fact it hasn't been sprayed for 20 years..
do Yall think there is any traces of weed killer still.. or so minimal now that it be of no Worries
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As a student I used to hunt around the Granville OH area, Go Big Red.
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My biggest find last year were along RR tracks I hunted 50 yrs ago when my morel hunting began. Always seemed to produce.
Hey jashroomer, I know about the Denison area. When I was young my father used to take me hunting in the woods around Sunset Hill. He was the lead carpenter foreman for Denison for well over 20 years. Do you live in the Granville area currently? Did you ever go to the old Granville dump? The surrounding woods there were also productive. I think that dump site has been in disuse for decades though, and no way to drive back to that area any longer. You were probably a student there when my father worked for Denison.
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