# Central PA Season



## packratjim

Post your finds if you want to and enjoy!


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## Charman03

Nothing yet for me in northern York county


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## packratjim

I live in Mifflin County and hunt Center and Huntington counties as well. A few very small blacks up this morning in Huntington County at a reliable spot. Next week should be great especially if we get rain this weekend. Am not going to give up any spots of my own nor would I expect anyone else to do so but would be interested in a mutual effort to cover unknown ground with anyone interested.


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## chase2634

Spent 3 hours yesterday searching a reliable area in late season and only saw some may apples, fiddleheads, skunk cabbage etc but saw no morels. Searched south facing slope, ravines, creek bottoms, railroad tracks and nada. I'm in SE PA. Think we're at the very beginning of the season or the three of us that went are blind.


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## theshadows

Picked 4 in CENTRE county, left some because they were so small. Still seems a bit early. None at our known flushes yet.


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## theshadows

Harvested 3 lbs in CENTRE county today.


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## yergaderga

Anyone ever been morel hunting in Cumberland County? I have trouble finding places with elms that are public property.


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## yergaderga

yergaderga said:


> Anyone ever been morel hunting in Cumberland County? I have trouble finding places with elms that are public property.


And I wonder if there are any good morel trees to look for around here other than elms. Sorry I sent that before I finished.


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## Charman03

I live in Cumberland and I can't even find an elm around here. Have you actually seen some? If so I'd love to actually see one in person. If interested maybe we could go check them out sometime and ask the property owner for permission. I'd be down with a collective hunt


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## Charman03

Otherwise I haven't had much luck within the area.


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## yergaderga

Charman03 said:


> I live in Cumberland and I can't even find an elm around here. Have you actually seen some? If so I'd love to actually see one in person. If interested maybe we could go check them out sometime and ask the property owner for permission. I'd be down with a collective hunt


I talked to someone earlier on wildmushroomhunting.com- here's what he said: "
Elms like basic soil, 5.5 < ph < 8.0. They also seem to favor sunny areas. I see a lot of elms along highways. I think the presence of concrete along highways helps to bring up the soil ph. (But I don't collect mushrooms that grow near busy highways.) Most of the state game lands in my area are in upland areas. But even the game lands at lower elevation seem to lack elms, I think because a significant forest canopy is at odds with the elm's preference for open sunny areas. Elms in my area seem to populate specific areas, maybe a couple mile stretch here and there. More often than not, there's no elms. Where there are elms, small ones are growing, candidates to replace the older ones (24-35 feet high) that continue to suddenly die of Dutch Elms Disease. A good elm morel area is a well-drained wood-plot where most of the trees are elms. (Elms often grow in soggy areas, but this type habitat is generally not good for morels.) Here in eastern PA these types of spots exist, but they aren't common. Further west there are more elms in PA." I know there are tulip poplars in Doubling Gap. But basically elms are weird.


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## chase2634

I found 2 elms yesterday in state forest in SEPA and found 9 around them. Searched for two hours after that and walked miles in what appeared to be good areas with mayapples, fiddleheads, etc with nothing coming up. Tried an entire ridge facing south and nada. Surprised to say the least.


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## chase2634

Would you say these are grey or yellow morels?


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## Fish Guts

Good day today. Elm and cherry trees


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## yergaderga

My dad found this one morel yesterday under a maple, I think, in mixed oak, maple, beech, tulip, ash (or walnut) woods in a state forest. It was about 4" tall.


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## Fish Guts

Found about 60 more today. Some of them were already past due. Maybe a half dozen or so. Found my new hot spot!


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## packratjim

Centre county seems to be doing good now 50 today.


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## Cassy3

Cassy3 said:


> I wish I could say the same! I've been checking my known spots and nothing yet. So today after it rained some I went to another location witch is deeper in the woods and found 4 small burnt ones. I must say it made my day even tho that was it


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## Cassy3

theshadows said:


> Harvested 3 lbs in CENTRE county today.


Have you found anymore since the 19th? 2016 morel season was MY worst season I've experienced!! ☹ So therefore I created one for Center county today hoping to learn where around the county they've been sighted. Realizing this thread was already created for Central I apologize. Where about in central are you finding ? Idk why but for few days now none are popping in locations I've picked many for years. Finally today I came across 4 tiny burnt ones. I went somewhere completely different finally found 2 in a spot I was passing threw. Third one found on a hill deeper in the woods. 4th one found was a location I've picked before. Are you finding in previous locations?


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## Cassy3

chase2634 said:


> Would you say these are grey or yellow morels?


Definitely grey's


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## chase2634

Cassy3 said:


> Have you found anymore since the 19th? 2016 morel season was MY worst season I've experienced!! ☹ So therefore I created one for Center county today hoping to learn where around the county they've been sighted. Realizing this thread was already created for Central I apologize. Where about in central are you finding ? Idk why but for few days now none are popping in locations I've picked many for years. Finally today I came across 4 tiny burnt ones. I went somewhere completely different finally found 2 in a spot I was passing threw. Third one found on a hill deeper in the woods. 4th one found was a location I've picked before. Are you finding in previous locations?


Found 70 in a flush last year and so far this year I've been back 4 times to the same spot with zero morels. The ones I've been finding, which so far the year has only totalled ten, have been scattered and/or the majority found around two young Elm trees. Not a great year for me so far with the amount of ground I've covered and time I've spent in the woods. Hoping things improve this weekend but with temps in the 80's I'm concerned. BTW-We hit that flush last year on May 8. So I'm still hopeful we'll find some producing patches. Good luck!


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## Fish Guts

Another good night, this rain had em coming up!


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## packratjim

Over a hundred today in Huntington county, deep woods, southeast slopes, elms.


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## wade

packrarim said:


> Over a hundred today in Huntington county, deep woods, southeast slopes, elms.


Right on hood reporting Thank You


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## packratjim

Okay today in Mifflin county found a massive hillside covered with tulip poplars and elms...so you guessed it just loaded with blacks both old and new. On the top of the hill were the elms and the blondes...greys were to be found as well mixed in here and there. Several hundred in all were taken. Buddy of mine also did well today in centre county with about 80 blondes of mixed sizes. It's raining out right now so the next few days should bring on a new flush here and there. Good hunting to all!


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## David R

Here in Juanita Co I have zero! Was out on Wen but I think it was still too cold


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## fingletang

Yesterday


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## Cassy3

fingletang said:


> View attachment 1355
> View attachment 1356
> Yesterday


Yesterday in center county I also found a mixture of small black and all sizes of grey and blondes. All together around 75


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## Cassy3

Cassy3 said:


> Yesterday in center county I also found a mixture of small black and all sizes of grey and blondes. All together around 75


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## packratjim

Yesterday in Mifflin county had a bout 70 good blondes and at least that many that were rotten or too old and dried up. Going to Centre county today.


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## packratjim

About a half dozen blacks, some half-free morels, a false morel, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles and last but not least three dozen blondes today but walked long and far to get them. Tomorrow back in Mifflin County and then Huntington County on Thursday and Friday to finish up the week. After that it's back to work.


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## wade

packratjim said:


> Okay today in Mifflin county found a massive hillside covered with tulip poplars and elms...so you guessed it just loaded with blacks both old and new. On the top of the hill were the elms and the blondes...greys were to be found as well mixed in here and there. Several hundred in all were taken. Buddy of mine also did well today in centre county with about 80 blondes of mixed sizes. It's raining out right now so the next few days should bring on a new flush here and there. Good hunting to all!


Good Reporting. ..Thank You


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## Beatnik88

packratjim said:


> About a half dozen blacks, some half-free morels, a false morel, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles and last but not least three dozen blondes today but walked long and far to get them. Tomorrow back in Mifflin County and then Huntington County on Thursday and Friday to finish up the week. After that it's back to work.


You managed to find chantarelles this early??


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## chase2634

Beatnik88 said:


> You managed to find chantarelles this early??


I too found one just starting in Lancaster last week. Surprised me too!


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## theshadows

Cassy3 said:


> Have you found anymore since the 19th? 2016 morel season was MY worst season I've experienced!! ☹ So therefore I created one for Center county today hoping to learn where around the county they've been sighted. Realizing this thread was already created for Central I apologize. Where about in central are you finding ? Idk why but for few days now none are popping in locations I've picked many for years. Finally today I came across 4 tiny burnt ones. I went somewhere completely different finally found 2 in a spot I was passing threw. Third one found on a hill deeper in the woods. 4th one found was a location I've picked before. Are you finding in previous locations?


We start watching for them based on what we see going on at our house. Star magnolia tree getting ready to bloom, asparagus starts peaking through and first creeping Flox blossom. Our first find this year was April 16th. 2016 first find was apr 30th. Season was pretty much over where we pick by the end of the month. Some years it has been May. This year was the earliest first find since we started tracking the date. We hunt in Centre County. We hunt in meadows first, then south side of mountains then north side. It seems to be a ground temp thing and that's the order that things warm up. We don't have a north mountain side location yet though so that theory is still just that. A theory.


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## Sugar12

First time poster, long time lurker, and very much novice hunter. I found 4 what I believe to be half free morels and wanted to confirm they're safe. Can you confirm?


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## Beatnik88

Sugar12 said:


> First time poster, long time lurker, and very much novice hunter. I found 4 what I believe to be half free morels and wanted to confirm they're safe. Can you confirm?



Yep, half frees


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## Sugar12

Beatnik88 said:


> Yep, half frees


Thanks for the guidance!


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## packratjim

Hope to keep this thread going this year. So far a few blacks at 2 different spots but have not been seriously looking yet due to the cold overnight temps. seems we have plenty of rain in central PA and now just need some sun to start flushes. Am going to start tomorrow for sure.


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## Sugar12

I found 8 more half frees yesterday. Some nicer one's too


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## muff1nm4n17

Nice batch in clarion county and 40-50 dried up half free


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## packratjim




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## jpv1125

Sweet pick packrat that’s a thing of beauty!!! Muff you got to love those ramps and pheasant backs great trifecta!!


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## beagleboy

Found in Mifflin co on a south facing ridge. Left some that were starting to go bad. Hope there is a new flush after the rain tomorrow.


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## beagleboy

A couple of pictures from yesterday


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## Brent Horton

packratjim said:


> Post your finds if you want to and enjoy!







  








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Brent Horton


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Brent Horton


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Brent Horton


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May 11, 2018


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## Brent Horton

Brent Horton said:


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## Kicker

muff1nm4n17 said:


> Nice batch in clarion county and 40-50 dried up half free
> View attachment 6730
> View attachment 6731


Nice pics. What do you do with the pheasant backs?


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## packratjim

Started 2019 yesterday in Mifflin county with some blacks and small greys.


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## packratjim

Found quite a few today but left them to grow.


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## packratjim

Some more from yesterday


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