# Never have any luck...any suggestions?



## MikeMike

Me and my father have a depressing tradition where every year we walk around various forests and go home empty-handed. It's been years since we found any morels, and even then, it was only a handful. 

We're in Hennepin County and generally search around there or neighboring counties, but would be willing to drive.


----------



## HawkeyeMerkels

MikeMike said:


> Me and my father have a depressing tradition where every year we walk around various forests and go home empty-handed. It's been years since we found any morels, and even then, it was only a handful.
> 
> We're in Hennepin County and generally search around there or neighboring counties, but would be willing to drive.


Welcome to the site @MikeMike ! It can be abit of a let down but stay positve. Have You learned some tree identification? Check along creekbeds & places w/some moisture? Strikeout w/morels..? Try your hand @ summer/fall mushrooms. Way easier and some tasty species out there to be had! Checkout the "Summer Mush" threads in Minnesota. Be wise to Follow @tundraking & @jg010682. At the very least You and the OldMan keep hitting' em woods together!! Im confidently betting this will be the overdue morel year for you two!


----------



## jg010682

Best thing you could do to help you find yellow and grey morels is to learn to id the trees they associate with. Learn how to id elm and green and white ash trees are what you want mainly. With the elm trees you want ones that are noticably dieing or dead with the bark slipping off the upper branches and still holding onto the trunk or just starting to slip. With ash trees you are looking for old live trees or freshly dead. If you can id those trees and put enough miles on you will find them. Dont expect to find them by every dead elm or ash though but if you check enough you will find them. Then remember were you found them because they will be in them areas in the future maybe not the same tree but that area of woods will more than likely support them in the future. If you want more info on them look up know your land on youtube adam harington is verry knowledgeable on many species of mushrooms and plants.


----------



## Regionnaire

Timing is everything. You just might be in the right place at the wrong time. Early on, I would only go to one or two parks, and make daily trips until I figured out that particular forest. Then, I branched out and it was way easier to know what to look for.


----------



## fun guy minnetonka

MikeMike said:


> Me and my father have a depressing tradition where every year we walk around various forests and go home empty-handed. It's been years since we found any morels, and even then, it was only a handful.
> 
> We're in Hennepin County and generally search around there or neighboring counties, but would be willing to drive.


The fun of Morel hunting is that it is different each year- I go and start checking some indicator spots and then try and figure out if they are gonna come up in wetter spots or drier spots up on hillsides. It is handy to monitor other people's successes and tips in southern MN as they get closer!


----------



## Crow

MikeMike said:


> Me and my father have a depressing tradition where every year we walk around various forests and go home empty-handed. It's been years since we found any morels, and even then, it was only a handful.
> 
> We're in Hennepin County and generally search around there or neighboring counties, but would be willing to drive.


I'm pretty new at it too, but there are some spots by dried-up river beds that seem to be very nice. the MN river bottoms usually have sandy soil that might work well.


----------



## MikeMike

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments everyone. I really appreciate it. I'll do some more research.


----------



## Jwags

MikeMike said:


> Me and my father have a depressing tradition where every year we walk around various forests and go home empty-handed. It's been years since we found any morels, and even then, it was only a handful.
> 
> We're in Hennepin County and generally search around there or neighboring counties, but would be willing to drive.


Find a few square miles of woods and learn it inside out. I’ve hunted the same 5 square miles of woods for 30 years. I can tell you where they used to come up in there, where they’re coming up now and where they will be in 15 years. I know every shortcut and I know what paths to avoid.
Follow old fence lines. Back when everything was grazed by cattle that where the elms would grow. Little draws off of ravines too.

Mostly, it just take practice.


----------

