5 Things it Took Me 15 Years to Learn About Morel Hunting

I’ve only been morel hunting for about 15 years, seriously for about the past 5. That would make me a novice to those guys who have been doing it for 30 or 40 years. But in that short time, I’ve learned a few things.

1. Short old men and kids make the best mushroom hunters.

It’s a matter of physics, really. I’m 6’4″, which means my eyes are roughly 6 feet from the ground. I can only walk around hunched over for a limited amount of time. Obviously people closer to the ground have a better chance of spotting mushrooms. Train your 6-year old to spot morels and it will pay off. Little old

men have the ultimate advantage, as walking slowly while hunched over looking at the ground is a great tactic.

2. Whoever said, “Money is the root of all evil,” was obviously not a morel hunter.

Most outdoorsmen are good guys, willing to help a fellow outdoorsmen with advice or dragging a deer. Some will even share their favorite fishing spot or hunting areas. But when it comes to morel hunting, forget it, the gloves are off.  A great morel spot is the Holy Grail of all-things-outdoors. You can’t even put a price tag on a morel honey hole. So don’t expect ANYONE — your friends, brother, mother — anyone to give you their secret spots. That’s just how it is.

3. Hardcore morel hunters hate the accidental shroomer.

Nobody likes the guy who accidentally finds a bunch of morels. It’s nothing personal. But, the real morel hunters have spent days, months, and years humping through woods and river bottoms in pursuit of this elusive springtime treasure. So if you are out walking your dog in the woods and stumble into a patch of 40 or 50 morels, do us a favor and keep it to yourself. Or better yet, tell me where it is and forget about morel hunting.

4. Don’t ask a shroomer where he finds them.

Morel hunting is shrouded in secrecy. Some guys like to post their piles of 500 or more morels on Facebook and tell the world. Others take their plunder and quietly go home and enjoy their bounty. Either way, nobody will tell you exactly where they find them. So if you ask, and the answer isn’t “In the woods,” they might tell you the county they found them in, if you’re lucky.

5. Never give up.

Some people look for years before they start finding them. Like many other outdoors activities, the key to success lies with spending time in the woods. And that goes double for morel hunting. Finding morels has a lot to do with timing, which is one of the reasons that it can be difficult. They literally pop up overnight, so just because there are no morels in a given spot one day, there may be 20 there the next day. Timing is everything.

Regardless of these ruthless realities, you can find morels and have a great time with the family and friends while doing it.