# Des Moines



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Not quite ready in the Des Moines area. Soil temps not quite there yet and we could use some more rain. Id say by the weekend we might start finding some small greys. Forecast looks perfect for the next 1-2 weeks though. Going to be a great year ! Good luck everyone.


----------



## greys (Mar 9, 2013)

Going to be next weekend. I'm sure, was out yesterday and was dry. Needed that rain we missed twice yesterday. Not going out to early this year like I did last because some yahoo on here says they up.show me a receipt or paper for proof of date.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

LOL. Yea i agree, went out tuesday def. need rain. Sounds like were getting some rain this weekend. But it never fails, when we get rain the temperature always drop. Wish we could get a big rain and keep that muggy warm weather. It hasnt timed out like that for as long as i can remember. Also, dont worry as soon as i find one ill post a legit photo.


----------



## greys (Mar 9, 2013)

Agreed. Much rain is needed. It missed us a few days ago all together. The temp drop maybe not a bad thing presuming we get the ground warm enough. Same here as soon as I find 1 or 500 ( am hoping for 500 but will take 1) I'll post a pic with a recipt.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Getting that rain!!


----------



## mushyal (Apr 3, 2013)

I'm in Clive. Found 3/4 of a pound yesterday close to a creek. Found another 1/2 pound today at the same place. Good luck, all!


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)




----------



## Hawkeyes021 (Apr 15, 2017)

How do you go about finding the soil temperature?


----------



## swi shroomer (Apr 22, 2014)

Hawkeyes021 said:


> How do you go about finding the soil temperature?


http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/soiltemphistory.html


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Found over a pound of grays in polk county. Had an hour found a few onesies and pairs lower in short grass. On the way back, 31 in one spot close to road where I parked. western facing in oak elm litter 3 three inchers and then 2 inchers. I guess it's time to work short days


----------



## WHO0TER (Apr 18, 2017)

Looked every day for a week with nothing to report. Guessing they are in places with full sun. I am in a timber with little sun


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

WHO0TER said:


> Looked every day for a week with nothing to report. Guessing they are in places with full sun. I am in a timber with little sun


Leaf litter is thicker than normal years- maybe not enough snow last winter? I'm finding them higher elevation and lifting leaves to find more. Otherwise seems like this is a normal year of growing where they should not like last three years of popping in odd patterns. Finding grays and starting to be bigger today


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Found just under a pound today, mostly greys, ranging in that 2-4 inch size. Hill tops and south facing are producing descent size morels. I am finding greys on the north facing as well, but very small ones as you can imagine. Rained today, and hopefully tomorrow again, should be a great weekend for picking. Good luck!


----------



## bloomer (Apr 10, 2013)

Decent day in Polk co tonight. Mostly 2-4 in. All found in a south facing open wood. Mainly elms.


----------



## WHO0TER (Apr 18, 2017)

Ok I feel better. Found eight (don't laugh, it is a start). Southern exposure, four feet inside the timber. Stretched out 100 yards but all of them exactly four feet in. Nothing in the annual honey spots yet.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Yep, its early. None of my hot spots are producing yet. Just a little early unless its on a hill top or timber edge for the most part.


----------



## bloomer (Apr 10, 2013)

Found east of Boone tonight. Upper section of south facing hills. Woods were primarily oak and hickory mainly but these were found around a handful of fading elms. I only had about a half hour after work to hunt before it got dark. I'll be back!


----------



## Cam (Apr 8, 2017)

i had 20 minutes to spare just now, found 2 blacks where i found all those halfs/verpas. will yellow season ever come ha


----------



## WHO0TER (Apr 18, 2017)

Looked for two hours today and nothing from the annual honey spots. Good news is I haven't spotted a yellow yet so it gives me hope. What is it with pheasant backs? They are everywhere! I haven't tried any but might have to fall back on those if I get desperate.


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> Found just under a pound today, mostly greys, ranging in that 2-4 inch size. Hill tops and south facing are producing descent size morels. I am finding greys on the north facing as well, but very small ones as you can imagine. Rained today, and hopefully tomorrow again, should be a great weekend for picking. Good luck!


Yellows are up still grays. Low western or mid hill on eastern. One or two here and there up to nice flushes of 20-50. 5#yesterday. 1# today and getting ready to head out


WHO0TER said:


> Looked for two hours today and nothing from the annual honey spots. Good news is I haven't spotted a yellow yet so it gives me hope. What is it with pheasant backs? They are everywhere! I haven't tried any but might have to fall back on those if I get desperate.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

found 6 pounds this weekend. Really had to work for them though. Still havent found any jumbo yellows, alot of greys and runt yellows. Timber is super dry in my early spots and it feels too early for all my later spots. Hate this time of year lol. Ill keep grinding though.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)




----------



## WHO0TER (Apr 18, 2017)

Nice, Monster. If I poured water on mine tonight and let them soak, I might have found a pound. Very dry in the timber. I did find a fresh yellow, so there is more to come. Dying elms are a little easier to pick out with the trees leafing out. Nothing in the traditional honey spots but these were on a north slope.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

found 1.5 lbs of fresh yellows on a north facing today under one tree. Got me excited for the rest of the season. Went to another spot and found a lb of rougher looking ones but still pickable. Should be a couple weeks left of the season yet.


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Does very few posts mean very little action? I had 10# last weekend. Monday a dry crunchy walk with a few in an hour, didn't go Tuesday and 3# in 2 1/2 hours Wednesday and Thursday. Still 90% grays. Finding lower hill west, mid hill east none north one patch on bottoms. Dry before now cold slowed down but not stopped freshies How's everyone else doing


----------



## Bryan ramsey (Apr 9, 2017)

Found 25 wed afternoon


----------



## Cam (Apr 8, 2017)

found about 20 yesterday, mostly on the top of ridges facing south. going to go out today when the rain slows down a bit


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

got wet today. Found a couple lbs though.


----------



## Cam (Apr 8, 2017)

iamorelmonster said:


> View attachment 1227
> got wet today. Found a couple lbs though.


any tips lol? i got soaked and found 6..


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Cam said:


> any tips lol? i got soaked and found 6..


Honestly its been a weird year with the weather. Pretty much just comes down to having good trees in the right location. If you know what an elm tree looks like and know what hill sides to check then you should be good. Only other thing is just keep trying. Ive logged alot of miles and hours and have found around 15lbs so far this year all on public ground too.


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

If theirs no good dead elm trees on the land your looking not much you can really do.


----------



## Cam (Apr 8, 2017)

Had good luck during the warm days earlier in the week, just not so much the last two. Just have to keep on lookin


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Cam said:


> any tips lol? i got soaked and found 6..


Cottonwoods are good too. Don't have to have dying elm. I took my 10 year old today and found 4 pounds on public land. Found a nice patch of about 50 right by where I parked the car in elm and oak


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Nice Gus, Yea ive never had any luck on the cottonwoods, must not check them enough. Elm, apple and ash trees i have found them on.


----------



## shroom god (Apr 24, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> Honestly its been a weird year with the weather. Pretty much just comes down to having good trees in the right location. If you know what an elm tree looks like and know what hill sides to check then you should be good. Only other thing is just keep trying. Ive logged alot of miles and hours and have found around 15lbs so far this year all on public ground too.


Sounds like my story IAmm, just grinding it out day after day (weather permitting), and for hours upon end. I'm noticing a lot of trees with just a precious few this year, even trees that are newly dead and should be producing big time. Best trees so far produced 134 and 48 each. Most are 5 or less. Walked my backside off and shredded my arms to ribbons in some godforsaken areas seldom seen by humans. But I live for the annual ritual of clutching a bag burgeoning with the bounty of providence in one hand, rivulets of blood streaming down my arm while I pick the thorns from it with the other. My fortune improves tenfold when I venture into the most hellish places.


----------



## Cam (Apr 8, 2017)

anyone going/been out today?


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

4 lbs today. Some jumbo yellows


----------



## greys (Mar 9, 2013)

Yeah, The jumbos are just getting going. I am gonna wait a day or two for the sun to work its magic but it is safe to say the dsm area didnt get too much rain like we did in 12 & 08. Got some growing in the back yard, need to upload the pics and the date's of them growing... Has gotten over 7 inches now in height. When i first spotted it, maybe 3 inches at the most. Was getting very dry and had to pick some other that were near by before the 4 day rainy stretch b/c they were close to crumbling. All that rain did was freshen it back up and has got it looking better than ever. Something to remember while your out hunting, Morels are like anything else trying to survive, so this is why they are the color they are, Close to that of leaves. Remember that they like to be " camoflag " when hunting. Too often i find some that are stepped on next to, or near, huge flushes. Go from elm to elm with your eyes only on the ground. Get a good walking stick to, It doubles as a extension of your arm allowing you to easily move undergrowth out of your way to spot the mighty morel. The fungus is among us. Good Hunting!!!!!!!!


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Strange season. I've gone out for 53 years- I'm 56 so I've only been paying attention for the last 40 years. Things that still hold true- first pops with first lilac partial bloom at 53 degrees (I learned that number in the 90's). Last bloom alive of lilac is bigfoot time. I once picked 15 pounds with two inches of snow. 
Here's what I learned this year. Soil temp has been below 53 for four days, but they're still popping. Saturday/Sunday 11 pounds Monday three pounds. I'm going out two hours a day on average. The cold weather pops are about 2/3 gray about four inches on average and fresh. Lilacs are staying at not quite full bloom since Friday right at mid season mark. Yesterday they are popping best on sunny spots. 
when the heat comes, should be a week of great picking but the ground cover going to grow fast. 
I've frozen five pounds given away five pounds and have over 10 pounds in the fridge and cooked about 13 pounds. I always stop at 50 pounds and the the funky last three years didn't let me hit that mark, but I'll get it this year. Good luck and I'd say Friday is a good day to call in sick to work


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Im running out of spots to go. Today I went to a spot by a bike trail and every tree looked like a UFO touched down around it. Just weeds trampled everywhere on every elm. Ill just have to get more creative and get farther out. It sucks too cause i know the jumbos are going right now.


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> Im running out of spots to go. Today I went to a spot by a bike trail and every tree looked like a UFO touched down around it. Just weeds trampled everywhere on every elm. Ill just have to get more creative and get farther out. It sucks too cause i know the jumbos are going right now.


I only go public. Last year I was having a good day on a bad year. I came upon a path with a woman sitting on a metal bench and her boyfriend poking around. I spent five minutes giving him the basics and his girlfriend said let's go. They walked off and I walked on. I came up to the bench she was sitting on and saw a nice yellow. Ill try to find the picture. In the area trampled around the bench on the trail, were over 50 nice fresh ones. It was my best haul last year. I chalked it up to karma for trying to help the guy but it's about checking out the area at the right time.


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Under a bench


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

Ended up hitting a nice jackpot today on public. Just had to keep going. Couple lbs in an hour.


----------



## Shroomtrooper 1 (Apr 1, 2017)

iamorelmonster said:


> View attachment 1478
> Ended up hitting a nice jackpot today on public. Just had to keep going. Couple lbs in an hour.


wow, pretty nice size. how much longer do you guys think you have?


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

Shroomtrooper 1 said:


> wow, pretty nice size. how much longer do you guys think you have?


Looking like Mother's Day will be the end in polk county. Not a 10 year but a solid 7. After the last three years being poor to midlin, it feels like a 10. Still finding grays but now 2/3 yellows. I have a spot that gives 3-10 pounds of blacks but they haven't popped at all yet. They are the tastiest so I'm hoping. The cold weather was making the sunny low west spots flush early. Now that it's warming up I'm finding them up on higher ground a little ways. Weird but whatever works. IMO the bottoms will hit Saturday. Got over five pounds today but spent four hours. I stop at 50# so I'm done this weekend. Next week will hit 80s, so the thinner skinned big yellows will be left which are the least tasty imo


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> View attachment 1478
> Ended up hitting a nice jackpot today on public. Just had to keep going. Couple lbs in an hour.


Congrats. Hope you keep hitting em, they are popping fresh as we speak


----------



## Shroomtrooper 1 (Apr 1, 2017)

Glad you had a good year fun gus Now it's my turn for a good year. Starting off well. Good luck


----------



## Hazcon (Apr 18, 2017)

Was hoping you could point me in the right direction. I'm in Des Moines and Ames for work this week and next.
I missed the entire Illinois season at home because I had to work in TX for it. Unfortunately it was too late for TX when I got there. Now up here I should be ahead of the game but have been out a few times this week with no results. Can you tell me what area you think would be good by Sunday? Or do I need to go north? I'm not opposed to traveling.
Any local help would be appreciated.


----------



## Hazcon (Apr 18, 2017)

Thanks for the great advice Fun Gus!
Had a great day in the woods and came out with some big fresh yellows


----------



## iamorelmonster (Apr 30, 2014)

anyone still finding quality morels in the des moines area?


----------



## fun gus (Apr 24, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> anyone still finding quality morels in the des moines area?


Didn't go today but three pounds yesterday. I'm thinking low and mid north


----------



## cornfedbridger (May 11, 2014)

iamorelmonster said:


> anyone still finding quality morels in the des moines area?


Found 3 pounds in Sunday in central Iowa. Only out about an hour. The good rain probably help. I would imagine we still have a strong few days.


----------

