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Morels

Found 24 greys in Clayton county, anyone else having trouble locating good elm trees? They're all either dead too long or still alive.
 
I found ZERO!!!! I suck!!!!
Checked elms cut in last 1-4 years. What locations are best??? Ground in Bottoms, tops & which way should ground face? Sun exposure, moisture in soil & how thick vegetation? Any lil tips appreciated. Much like my deer hunting abilities - I’m a humiliated laughing-stock.
 
I found ZERO!!!! I suck!!!!
Checked elms cut in last 1-4 years. What locations are best??? Ground in Bottoms, tops & which way should ground face? Any lil tips appreciated. Much like my deer hunting abilities - I’m a humiliated laughing-stock.

It really can vary, while elms, especially dead ones, are normally a sure bet and should always be checked, I have seen weird situations before while looking for the elusive and tasty morel. Years ago, when I was a kid, the best haul of BIG mushrooms we ever had all came from underneath tall, mature pine trees. Giant morels, some as tall as 12"+ were sprouting up right through the pine straw. We had to cut those ones into several pieces just to get them in the frying pan. This was in Cedar Rapids, where I grew up, about 20 yards from the major thoroughfare through town, 1st Avenue.

Another time, at my farm in SE Iowa, I was finding some, but not a lot when I noticed that I was getting 4-8 nice yellows around every live, mature oak...but pretty much nowhere in between. So I just started walking from oak to oak and collecting the half dozen or so that were there. Easy peasy. :)
 
What Daver said. Also live soft maple can produce from their leaves from last fall. Sycamores are also good trees to check. Sligh 1 quit looking at the deer sign and get your eyes on the ground.
 
I found ZERO!!!! I suck!!!!
Checked elms cut in last 1-4 years. What locations are best??? Ground in Bottoms, tops & which way should ground face? Sun exposure, moisture in soil & how thick vegetation? Any lil tips appreciated. Much like my deer hunting abilities - I’m a humiliated laughing-stock.
I'm with you. Searched my place Saturday. My 11 year old found one good sized stem with a little tiny head on it. That was it.
 
Big stem, little head...be careful that you didn't find a "false morel", for real.
Yeah, I'm 99% sure it was a morel. I left it in the woods though. Had a normal morel stem. The head looked like a small shrunken morel top. Without being sure, I always just leave them. Plus, it was 1. Not much of a meal. LOL
 
Found 30 small greys yesterday on lunch break and 20 minutes after work. They were pretty small and only by trees that got the most sunlight. And now we are back to 40 degree temps
 
Found nine nice yellows this evening! Stopped cause it was getting too dark in the little timber patch. Don’t want to step on any tasty fungus!

Oh, growth report of one of the shrooms on May 2 and May 10! Doubled in size, 1.5” to 3”.

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Biggest was 5.25” tall. Something took a bite out of the back side though :mad:
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We found about 100 last night with the family - mostly spread out and far apart - not many in clumps.
Mostly big yellows but some sizeable grey ones as well
 
Yeah, I'm 99% sure it was a morel. I left it in the woods though. Had a normal morel stem. The head looked like a small shrunken morel top. Without being sure, I always just leave them. Plus, it was 1. Not much of a meal. LOL

You just described the false morel Daver was referring to perfectly. If you turn upside down, the false morels will have gills under the cap where real morels do not.
 
You just described the false morel Daver was referring to perfectly. If you turn upside down, the false morels will have gills under the cap where real morels do not.

Yeah, could have been. I left it. Found 1 today.
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They are definitely up. On my 120 acres. Last Saturday. 1 guy got 50. Wednesday 4 guys got 150. Today three guys got 80.
 
When do morels reseed themselves? When you pick them are you taking them up before they might have spread spores? I usually leave a few for seed. Just wondering
 
From what I’ve read on the subject, they release their spores once the “fruit” is mature and conditions are correct.
 
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