# Eastern NC morels



## carolina shroomer (Apr 9, 2014)

Moved to Wilmington NC from Brown County Indiana where the morels are sacred and abundant about 25 years ago and never hunted Morel. Didn't think they grew her. I hunted my first time in over 25 years today just outside of Wilmington and found 66 beautiful greys in about an hour

I WAS EXCITED


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

I've been hunting for several days (15 hrs) now in the Piedmont Triad area and have found none. Conditions were perfect but must be a tad too early. Going again today. Live on a 300+ acre farm in a rural area of Rockingham County. Pretty much scoured the woodlands recently. I'm hoping that the patch we have found previous years pops back up this year. If it doesn't , I may have to call on my daughter in Wilmy to help me out! Any other shroomers in my area?


----------



## anthonyd (Apr 10, 2014)

Hi, I'm new here, to the forums... I moved from MN about 6 years ago, and haven't been lucky enough to find ANY morels. I live in the Durham area. So far this year, I've been out for about 6 hours checking different spots around the Jordan Lake area. Nothing yet. It would be nice to find something eventually. I'm not all that convinced they are around here. I checked out the woods behind my house for about two hours last night. It's got some pretty decent hardwoods areas, but there are soooo many durn pine trees around! It's hard to stay away from them. 
I hope to find something eventually. It would be nice to prove to my wife that I really am out walking the woods, before she starts getting ideas. :lol:


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

AnthonyD...I think it is too early. Im going again this afternoon just in case because the weather is ideal. We've always found them in April before. Mostly lucked upon . This is the first year I've been completely serious about it..It's almost Turkey season and the population is heavy here..I think if any Morels have came out they have gobbled them up. Trying different times of day too.


----------



## anthonyd (Apr 10, 2014)

Yeah. I know what you mean. I'm kind of impatient about things. BTW, it is Turkey season. The Game Lands, behind my house, are bordering some backwater areas. They do flood when the rains come through, and there are some large patches of just hardwoods, I jsut don't know what kind of tress they are. I looked yesterday, but now, I'm wondering if since the area floods with water when it rains like it did the other day, if it would be a moot point to even look back there. I went to another portion of the game lands that had several large fields, but it looked like they just did a controlled burn to the wood lots around it, this year.
I'm going out again tonight. At least It's nice to get out and strech my legs after riding this desk inside all day. If i started finding any, it would be nice to get the wife to come along sometime. But I like to cover a lot of ground, and she gets bored quick... haha.
Best of luck to everyone.


----------



## shroominator (Mar 12, 2013)

@AnthonyD Look for areas where there are tulip poplar trees, and not too many pines. I'm in Hickory and have been finding some in my usual spot. It's still in the early phase, but I just found 7 more in about 30 minutes. I'm from Iowa originally, and it's a different game down here. You have to look harder to find less, but it makes it worth it. I didn't know they grew here until I'd been here for 8 years and stepped on one in my back yard


----------



## anthonyd (Apr 10, 2014)

I really wouldn't know how to identify the Tulip poplar at this point. I know what it is, but that's only when they have the flowers on them...


----------



## just1more (Apr 13, 2013)

Anthonyd, 

They are definitely around your area. Stay away from any of the pine trees. You would be surprised the areas that are around you that know one thinks of to look. I grew up in ILL and folks around there guard the spots with secrecy! Not many folks hunt around here. I have lived here for about 20 years and just found out last year that NC has morels. Did not take me more than a few hours to find some once I started looking. I plan on hitting it hard this weekend. Last weekend was a tad early and we did not find any and I know for certain they will be there when they pop up. The area is ideal for morels. We ate our last batch in Oct of last year.


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

Anthonyd~ You scared me there for a minute..Turkey Season started the 5th for a week of Youth Season..Adults starts Saturday the 12th..My son and husband have been hunting them for years on our farm. Morels and turkey season go hand in hand around here. They are usually the Morel hunters tho I've been along a few times . I'm going full force this year..We are North of Raleigh, hoping tomorrow will be my first find.. Wish me luck and Good Luck to you as well!


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

Don't give up completely on the edge of pines, we have found them. I will be walking in the creek some tomorrow..A guy posted that he found alot of Morels on the bank of the creek which I've never seen ..
What do you guys do if they are very small when you find them? As soon as that is my case, I want to leave them so they will get bigger and heartier. Am afraid the turkeys will be having a hayday. Wonder how I could save them for future harvest? Im fairly certain that deer enjoy them too.


----------



## jonesey (Apr 4, 2014)

Anthony, google tulip poplar leaves. They are pretty unique among the hardwoods that accompany them. They also catch the wind and wiggle in a unique way. After three seasons of hunting morels I can now identify a tulip poplar in spring doing 50 down the highway at a hundred yards off. Even before the season starts (in case you want to scout for new hunting areas) you can learn to easily recognize their cones which will remain in the treetops and be scattered on the ground.


----------



## wpinksta (Apr 10, 2014)

Ok gang, here is some help. I have been in Raleigh 9 yrs. and find them every year without fail. The first thing you must know is you will hardly every find the big yellows here. The variety in this are is the smaller deliciousa variety, you can find some of my previous post with pics at www.morelmushroomhunting.net. Generally they pop from mid March to early April the end of Mar and first two weeks of April being the best. Find the Yellow Popular find the Morels! That said I have found them growing in the edges of Pine stands mixed in the hardwoods also. You can generally assess if you are too early or late based on the Mayapples 8 - 10 inches and the woods is ripe. Watch for wild violets and the ferns to open also. I find hundreds each year and have found as many as 900 one year on all 4 sides of Raleigh. If you want to chat or are interested in hooking up email me a phone number at [email protected] and I will get back to you. Note: I will be in the woods the next 4 days so I will try to check gmail every evening and try to answer questions or return calls. Do not post your phone to the board or something will find you and it will not be Morels but rather people without morals.

Happy Shroomin,
Bill


----------



## randy l (Apr 6, 2014)

Thanks for the info wpinksta. This is my first year looking for morels. I'm in the Chapel Hill area &amp; have been searching hard for the last week or so. None found yet, but this weekend should be perfect. Have you found any morels yet this season? I've been searching in the mixed hardwoods around the base's of poplar's &amp; ash's. Whats is you're opinion on elevation? Would you be more likely to find them at the top of a mountain(big hill), on the side of the slopse, down by the creeks &amp; valleys, or in all of those places? I've read that south facing slopes are a good place to look(assuming because of the sunlight). Would love to hear you're thoughts. THANKS! Good luck to all.


----------



## jake81 (Apr 12, 2013)

For those interested in a couple hour drive from the Raleigh area, try heading to Uwharrie national forest. I relocated to the Raleigh area from Michigan a few years back and have had great success in the Uwharrie. The forests there have an ample supply of tulep poplar and ash trees that the morels love. I've found a few in the Raleigh area, but never really hit the jackpot like I was used to in Michigan until I went to Uwharrie.


----------



## heliguy (Apr 11, 2014)

Shroominator I live in Hickory as well if you would like to do some hunting let me know
Heliguy


----------



## wpinksta (Apr 10, 2014)

Just got back from 3 hrs. in the woods just south of Garner/Raleigh, found only 3 morels. Two were less than an inch only saw them because I was taking a break on a log and spotted them, the other was about an inch. It still is a little early by Mayapples and ground cover, I would say 3 to 7 days. I have some other spots I will try tomm. as each woods is a little different but right now I would be looking for sparse hardwoods Tulip(Yellow Popular) if possible, damp but not wet ground with some exposure to sun they will show here first. I may even take a road trip tomorrow, have to think about that one.

Bill


----------



## anthonyd (Apr 10, 2014)

It looks like it will rain again, monday/tuesday. That might help some.


----------



## morelater (Apr 11, 2014)

Carolina Shroomer - You've found morels near Wilmington!!?? I just moved here from the Asheville area and thought the soil was too sandy for morels. It's hard to find many hardwoods around - mostly pine flatwoods habitats. Mind telling in what (general) area you found them in? I'm itching to get out there! Thanks!


----------



## carolina shroomer (Apr 9, 2014)

I found 66 greys last Wednesday. Well, without telling too much, you have to get out of wilmington 20 or 30 miles. If you drive up i40 just look on the side of the road. It starts getting full of hardwoods and green vegetation. But, you have to stay away from pines. There is something in the pine, might be the acid or PH levels, I don't know


----------



## carolina shroomer (Apr 9, 2014)

Send me your email address and I'll send some pics. This was my first hunt in nc and my first hunt in over 20 years


----------



## morelater (Apr 11, 2014)

Thanks for the response! I'll have to head out that way and look. My email is [email protected]


----------



## southernshells (Apr 4, 2014)

Carolina Shroomer... I am about 2 hours from Wilmington, kinda centered between Raleigh, and Fayetteville. Really wanting to find morels this year. Been here 4 years and have never found them. In southern Illinois, and parts of Missouri, they were in an abundance... Missing that. You said "outside Wilmington" care to share if was towards Raleigh area or more towards the coast?


----------



## carolina shroomer (Apr 9, 2014)

Southern shells. You should be in a great area where you are. I was probably an hour south east of where you're located. 

Hope that helps! You need damp ground under a low canopy hardwood area. Try south facing hills


----------



## southernshells (Apr 4, 2014)

onceuponamorel..we too are in the triangle area..closer to Fayetteville, bout an hour from Raleigh. Brother in law down visiting from Illinois. So with him, and the husband and nephew and me that 4 pair of eyes. Gotta find something.. Happy hunting to all


----------



## wpinksta (Apr 10, 2014)

Ok, nothing to brag about but found 17 south side of Raleigh today. Tried one of my early woods today, still a little early they are all new fruits 1 to 2 days old I would say, most and inch or so tall.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201527487062281&amp;set=a.1021414828864.3506.1629999127&amp;type=1&amp;theater


----------



## just1more (Apr 13, 2013)

The wife and I just got back from a 4+ hour hunt a few miles north of Charlotte. We only found about 15 to 20 yellow and grays. I still feel it is a tad early. I may try a new area tomorrow.


----------



## petepann (Apr 13, 2014)

I also reside and hunt Rockingham Co., Onceuponamorel. This is my first year morel hunting, though. Till now I thought I was the only mushroom hunter in Rockingham. Imagine my surprise! I too have come up empty handed, as far as Morels are concerned, this year even though I have been hunting HARD. I spent 10 hours and covered 4.5 miles the day before yesterday. All I have found so far this season in the fungi dept. have been Pluteus, Galerina and some Entoloma. Like you stated before, conditions seem ideal with one small discrepancy. Soil temps are still on the low side. I have been monitoring shaded areas of my yard about 2 inches deep for the past week and a half. Soil temps are still in the low 40's despite the warm air temps. I assume it could be due to the excessive ice that we received this past winter. Thats just my uneducated guess. This doesn't seem to be hindering the rest of the spring bloomers though. If you (or anyone else) are interested in whats growing in Rockingham Co. to date, yall are welcome to check out my photos at https://www.flickr.com/petepann. All photos are NC Nature related and completely family friendly.


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

PetePann~I skipped yesterday and today. I figured if anything had come up the past couple days, they would be too small...I bet after today the soil has jumped..it sure didn't feel 40ish when I was working my garden up today. Youjr pics look alot like the farm we live on..I hope I can get out there early tomorrow and then again I may need to wait for rain again. Remember it is Turkey Season in NC. Wear something bright so you can be seen when anywhere near the woods!


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

PetePann~ Here we go again with that frigid setback!


----------



## onceuponamorel (Apr 10, 2014)

Do many of you find false morels??


----------



## carolina shroomer (Apr 9, 2014)

Just found 60 nice yellows outside of Wilmington. This is my third trip to the same spot. found 66 greys last Wednesday, a mix of grey and yellows Saturday and 60 nice yellows today (even in the cold)

Prevalent south facing woods. mostly no more than 30 feet into the woods. from the edge to about 30 feet in or so. damp areas low tree canopy with moderate sunlight getting through to the soil.

Anyone else having any luck?


----------



## petepann (Apr 13, 2014)

Found approx. 40 to 50 "blondes" along the Mayo river in Rockingham Co. over the past two days. https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/114336904289612943876


----------



## petepann (Apr 13, 2014)




----------



## babybarefoot (May 6, 2016)

I know its late I the season by the Triad area just got hit with a weeks worth of rain. First sunny day... you think I could still find em? I have had no luck with it being so dry.


----------



## g_joel (Apr 25, 2016)

In the Durham area, looking every weekend (and last night). Nothing.


----------



## alishaherndon (Mar 28, 2021)

Where in Wilmington did you find them?


carolina shroomer said:


> Moved to Wilmington NC from Brown County Indiana where the morels are sacred and abundant about 25 years ago and never hunted Morel. Didn't think they grew her. I hunted my first time in over 25 years today just outside of Wilmington and found 66 beautiful greys in about an hour
> 
> I WAS EXCITED


----------

