Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 12:24:07 GMT -6
How far along is your season Forgy? We are just at the end here because I'm finding many monsters...and yet I'm also finding fairly newer ones too! Super strange year if you ask me. I've been finding morels under so many cottonwoods... I've heard of this but never in seven seasons have I run across it! It's soooo much more fun than finding them with elms because they don't grow directly under the dying, or live, cottonwoods...nope, they grow singly all over they area! I mean it's the closest thing to an Easter egg hunt there is but the prize is soooo much better! I found my first cottonwood patch this past Tuesday and thought 'holy crappers! I just found the glory hole!' Do any seasoned hunters know if cottonwoods will pop 'em every year or only some years?
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 12:40:11 GMT -6
This past week was crazy good for me! Went out again with my buddy PAYNE and oh ma gawd, he was on FIRE! I'm walking around the forest, preoccupied and annoyed with trying to see which grandma will pick up my kids from school so I can stay out longer as our luck was hot and there's Payne, "look at that monster!" I turn around and there's a huge morel, clearly sitting out in the open where I just walked! How I didn't kill it I don't know. He was really in the zone because he could just walk up to the exact right tree and start finding them. We ran across several hunters too, some with a kind of southern sounding accent. Last weekend when I took my friend out for his first morel hunt, we met a couple from the south! And I thought local competition was bad! Here's a pic of Payne and his five pound bag!  |
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 12:41:07 GMT -6
Payne with a monster he found...  |
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 13:07:17 GMT -6
Yesterday I took yet another friend out to collect morels because he's new at it and they have a one year old so very little time to go out and search with work and responsibilities. I just wanted him to be able to take a bunch home because they love them. You guys have probably figured out that I like to teach people how to forage...and not just morels but that does seem to be the most popular request. My other newby friend, that I took out last weekend, well both he AND his wife were allergic! What are the odds? So I don't think anybody has to worry about more competition in the woods because really, most people are not like us in that they are not heading into the heart of the dense forest or climbing a steep slope to find them. No, they are walking down the well kept trails and going in twenty feet to a possible tree that may or may not even be an elm! Anyway, yesterday my newby friend Joey and I are out and we're chattin' it up and hunting the leftovers and he explains how he hopes he will find that morel surrounded tree someday, like you see on youtube. Wouldn't you know that about an hour later he's digging up ramps so I said I was going to look for more mores for them. About ten minutes later I came across this big beautiful monster in great shape, I look further, see another and one close to it. I think, 'eh, I can pick these, I'm sure this is all...I better look around before I pick anymore in case I need to call him over...' and there they were big guys all around! So I quietly call, "uh...Joey? You need to come here..." He got there quick and hen he excitement began! Oh lord he was like a kid in a candy shop...or like Christmas morning where the kid says "this has my name on it! And this one! And this and that!!!!" But he was saying "there's one! Here's another one!!! Oh my God, there's two, three!" Oh hilarious! I was really glad he could experience that. He went to work on the biggest high ever. I bet there were only twelve or so scattered but when you're new, and they're that big, it's amazing! Here he is with his lot:  |
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 13:11:52 GMT -6
Here's the first one I found in that cluster monsters... It's big and healthy!  |
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 26, 2013 13:37:04 GMT -6
After Joey went to work I found a new bunch of cottonwoods as I said. These were the first bad boys I came across:  I was impressed; no elms, just cottonwoods and two pounds of morels! I've gotta be more careful when I'm out in more exposed areas though; I try to keep low and not let passing cars see me because I really don't want to give away an excellent public spot. However, when you keep low and crouch, crawling around picking those lovely little morsels of goodness, you really have to be aware of the many nasty forms that poison ivy can take. I've been getting a touch of poison ivy every year from this one location but I never knew why. I never see any of the poison varieties so I just figured I must be allergic to a weed. Uh no. The poison ivy is so established and so big that all the vines run through the dirt, you don't see them and the leaves grow to be nearly seven inches tall with huge leaves of three! Honestly, it just looks like a short plant! When I looked down at what should be a root area I see this thin branch like vine that it's attached to! I'm thinking 'oh dam..." I thought I had been careful but I had forgotten my gloves and with all the crawling well, I've got the worst case of it right now...worse than I've ever had. Oh and then there's using natures bathroom...the nether regions are even affected. Plus, I've been using cedar oil for my tick and bug repellent directly on my skin (it works fantastic by the way) so my hands spread the poison ivy to my neck, forearms, hairline...yay me. Thank God for Marsh's wife's hot water trick or I'd be itching like crazy. I just have I remember NOT to break the skin this time so I'm not oozing all over. |
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 27, 2013 12:35:29 GMT -6
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Earthmom
Button Mushroom
"Time is a queer teacher; first comes the test and then comes the lesson" -unknown
Posts: 266
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Post by Earthmom on May 27, 2013 17:22:28 GMT -6
This is what I found on Saturday here in Dane County after Joey went to work...  Sent from my SCH-R530U using proboards |
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Post by gramacrocodile on May 27, 2013 20:06:20 GMT -6
Afraid the season may be wrapping up here in Sheb. county. Went out today in the rain and many that we found were a bit past prime. Did find an area with "stumps" so I guess someone else got to a few nice yellows before me. It seems there were more people in the woods than ever.
Saturday we went to an area where we normally have pretty good luck and for some odd reason, that spot wasn't as good. However, grandpacrocodile did find a baby fawn! All in all, it has been a great year with many dehydrated for future use.
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Trapperhub
Mycelium
Mushroom hunting is like fishing......for mushrooms.
Posts: 123
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Post by Trapperhub on May 28, 2013 13:23:23 GMT -6
Made a trip down to Sauk county this last weekend, found about two pounds all were fresh or left behind since there were stumps at each location. My son and wife both found their first morel, so they have caught the fever. Sounds like the season is just about to start in the north and is continuing on in central WI. All the photos have made it very difficult to work these past few weeks. Happy hunting to all!
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Post by CP Dan on May 28, 2013 15:16:44 GMT -6
Quick hunt at lunch today. The big boys are out, which means the end is near  |
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Post by deerslayer on May 30, 2013 10:07:50 GMT -6
I skipped the scrambled morel and egg breakfast this morning- went with a quick bowl of cereal then snuck out the back door into our woods. I only needed 11 more to hit my goal for the year and knew they were just starting to pop in my trusty "late spot" last weekend. I brought back 61 nice-sized blondes and left at least a dozen more to grow. When those are picked, I suspect I will be done. Lots of pheasant backs this year as well.
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Post by CP Dan on May 30, 2013 13:35:32 GMT -6
Saw one of the most disgusting things ever in one of the shrooms from the picture above. The one on the far left that has the top broken off and sitting next to it. It must have broken off because the tip was full. It was full of ants and ant eggs. I sure am glad I cut it in half before soaking it.
I have been known to have bad dreams, when anticipating the start of the season, regarding slugs. That may be replaced with ants.
Yuck!
I know that I have probably eaten my fair share of bugs, but....out of sight out of mind.....
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Post by Payne on May 30, 2013 15:57:26 GMT -6
This past week was crazy good for me! Went out again with my buddy PAYNE and oh ma gawd, he was on FIRE! I'm walking around the forest, preoccupied and annoyed with trying to see which grandma will pick up my kids from school so I can stay out longer as our luck was hot and there's Payne, "look at that monster!" I turn around and there's a huge morel, clearly sitting out in the open where I just walked! How I didn't kill it I don't know. He was really in the zone because he could just walk up to the exact right tree and start finding them. We ran across several hunters too, some with a kind of southern sounding accent. Last weekend when I took my friend out for his first morel hunt, we met a couple from the south! And I thought local competition was bad! Here's a pic of Payne and his five pound bag! [ Earthmom voice ] FIIIIIYAAAAAH [ /Earthmom voice ] |
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Post by mikeologist on Jun 1, 2013 11:03:53 GMT -6
Yo Payne, do you dj? As in, dj pain?
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