Texas County 2014 Morel Hunt Update

I'm on the Texas/Phelps County line. Got out yesterday and the woods are still sleeping. There are no mayapple shoots yet and the blackberries haven't sprouted, not to mention still no Redbud blooms, It sounds like the next several days and nights will be the warmest yet this year, so it's going to be any day now that Spring will have truly sprung. I'll be eating morels in about two weeks. A few weeks ago, I predicted the first finds to be around April 10, but I think it might be a few days later than that now. You're really close to me, so if you find any, I know I'd better look! Keep us posted!

Kicker, it sounds like we're neighbors! I live off of K hwy just a bit before you get to gov't land (Mark Twain). We should hook up when the season begins and maybe we could learn a little from each other! These warm days and nights are just what we need, but it still looks like the cold isn't over - back to the low 30's this weekend? It will be soon either way though, I'll be checking every day from here on out!

Slabtown is great! I love the nettle patches down the trail in back of the picnic area at the river access! It's a sea of green! Garden - Wayne county is great - I've spent a lot of time in Shannon county and I love that area!

Garden - thanks for the good update - we're getting close!!

Shellkicker - I teach a class in the Fall at the Shannondale craft camp and always have a blast while down in those hills. I think it's the prettiest place in the world! There are a lot of shrooms in that area too. You should have seen the piles of chanterelles I got around there last year!

Jeff is there. I expect to see him again this summer Small world for sure. That is the spot at Slabtown I was talking about, BTW.

Garden - I've seen a lot of raptors the past few days, especially owls! I found the first mayapple sprout on my property yesterday. I have never found a morel here before I have seen a toothwort flower, and they have yet to surface yet, so it could be another week until we see anything! It's starting to be spring-like, but not there yet!

Garden - I'm surprised to hear about trespassers! Most folks around here know better, but I guess it takes a special type to trash the woods...

As for false morels, I have yet to ever see one! My wife is a real mycophobe, so it's hard enough to convince her of the safety of the most famous edibles, but she knows about the poisonings caused by falsies and therefore would never try one! I have read a lot, and talked to a lot of old-timers, and I am not ready to try them myself! I am intrigued by the fact that some people are poisoned and some eat them every year without issue. Maybe someday some old timer will convince me to try them...

The woods are finally starting to awaken! I found some mayapple spikes today and a few little white trillium blooms. Still no toothwort or Devil's Urns, both of which are good indicators for my patch of land. Others may get some blacks sooner than me, as all the morels on this land are common yellow morels. Closer we get...

Hey Happy hippie neighbors! It's good to see you guys on here! We should get together the next few days and go hunting. I plan to spend a lot of time in the woods during morels season this year!

We're getting close at my place, I bet there are some tiny little grays under the leaves right now! I'm going to check today thoroughly...

Grays are the same species as yellows, they are just smaller due to being the beginning of their season - they will grow into big yellows, if conditions are helpful (moisture and temp). I have yet to find any black morels - ever - I fear they are rare around here, but everyone finds yellows in the area. They were on a small ridge, by two small Elms - both dying and covered in witches' brooms. I find one or two morels under them every year. There are also a few nice hickories and red and white oaks right in the vicinity. I checked the bottom nearest these two and nothing yet. Truly any day now, though. I think I'll go out tomorrow and see if I can't find some for dinner down by the river somewhere. I'm going to be hitting up a bunch of new spots, so some honey holes may be discovered!

Good luck, all!

Happypippies - The orange stuff sounds like withces' butter, but if it was on cedar, then it was probably cedar apple rust. We get tons of it around here hanging slimily all over the cedars...

I'll have to check out the others you found, but if they are super hard, chances are they are not edible.

This year seems slow still to me! I still haven't seen any Devil's Urns or redbud blossoms! At least I know the shrooms are coming very soon!

I found four more baby grays yesterday under the same Elm trees as the first ones a few days earlier. Tonight's freeze might slow them down a bit, but not much I think. It's been pretty warm for several days and it is supposed to warm right back up by Wednesday, so hopefully the morels won't be scared away! I'm going to look today - hopefully I'll find some dinner!

Checked my liitle guys by the Elm trees yesterday andx there are now almost TWENTY little morels popping up around them! There is even a two=fer and a couple separate clusters. I walked an Elm and Ash filled creek bottom and didn't find any though. I found some as yet unopened up Devil's Urns and that is a good indicator that it's almost time for the good harvests. IT usually gets into full swing about a week after I see the Urns, so by the beginning of next week, it will be on for sure...

I found two nice yellows Saturday and three yesterday. It's definitely the verge of the bigger flushes, but we needed rain although it did rain a bit overnight and hopefully isn't done yet. Let us all know when the BIG finds happen!!

I have found just over a hundred nice yellows the past two days! A lot of them were on gentle slopes with large shelves of rock out-croppings. Some were in the creek bottoms as well, but they have yet to produce very many. How's all my neighbors doing?

Bummer Garden! I have been imagining my fellow hillpeople finding big piles, not sitting home majorly sick!

I have found far fewer on my land this season than the last two years, but it hasn't been disastrous. A few previously reliable spots didn't do squat though! I have checked a few creek beds lined with old Elm trees and been skunked in at least half the spots I've explored. When I got to each spot and checked out the trees, ground cover, etc., they looked like prime spots, but they were anything but!

I'm not complaining though, and the season isn't totally over, although I bet there's a lot of dried up unfound morels out now. Not sure if we have too much longer, but I will keep looking until there is no more sign of morels!

Get wrll, Garden! Have you ever hunted these hills for other species? I find tons of four or five different species every year, and would be happy to teach others how to do the same! The chanterelles were especially plentiful last year!