# Morels 2016... Thoughts on this crazy weather?



## jdk32581

What is everyone's thoughts about how this warm winter will affect the morel season? Heat wave is coming this week?


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## ant

I think its gona be a quick Morel season.I look to be finding blacks in a few days.Extended forecast looks like we are gona have rain so at least thats good.


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## mbdola

Ant, what part of Ohio do you expect to find blacks? We've had warm March temps like this in NCWV before but I still haven't found blacks til the first week of April at the earliest.


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## jim33

With the weather we have forecasted I am anticipating the morels to be here a couple weeks early this year, with that being said the greys are probably about 3 weeks out from starting in the early spots with the way things are looking now. I am in NW Ohio and don't have any experience with black morels, they just don't seem to be in the areas I hunt. The heat wave of 2012 started the greys in my area during the last few days of March. I agree with ant that it will probably be a short season. Hopefully the weather will cooperate when they start.


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## jdk32581

Jm
Greys pooped the last few days of march wow... I am in NE ohio and do not know what to expect only been hunting a few years. I have a couple black spots maybe I will check them this weekend .

Ant
Where are you located?

What happens if it goes back to freezing next week?


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## mbdola

I wouldn't get too antsy guys. They are just now finding babies down in Georgia, Texas, Alabama. It's going to take a lot of warm weather and a lot of time for anything to wake up in this area. Nothing here is blooming yet. Just relax and let Mother Nature give you the clues.


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## jim33

Sigh


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## morel_scientist

Yes you must rely on the plant growth. Black morels don't start until the spicebushes bloom and greys don't show until the hickories bloom.


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## thunter

10 day forcast - mid 60's or better, lows not dropping below 50
It would be different if we had the usual few days of that, then back to the cold reality. Thats a long enough stretch to get the blacks started. Id bet on having some pics by end of next week.
Hate to be negative, but its never been a good year for me when ive found em in march. We will likely get a good cold snap and it will take away from the season....then again it was a mild winter. Maybe theres a chance.


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## scott c

Agree Thunter, good to see you posting again this year, the tree blooming is based more on photocycle or length of day rather then the temps needed to fruit fungi. Although cold snaps will stall trees blooming or leafing out there is no direct relation to fruit body production of morchella. Ground temps, precip and air temps are what triggers morchella to fruit. May be an early season hoping no freezing for weeks after it starts then the blast furnace. My .02.


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## morel_scientist

The length of sunlight and amount of days of it does effect the trees and bushes and thats when it happens and when blooms are on the trees and bushes the morels are up. I've confirmed it.


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## morel_scientist

Your theory of ground temps precip and air temps falls through because how do you explain warm winters with a week of 70 degree weather and no morels?


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## jdk32581

I took a soil temperature reading in my backyard today around 4pm. Northeast ohio. It was a small hillside that receives sun a few hours a day in the late afternoon but is shaded all morning and early afternoon . It is mossy and covered in maple and cherry trees.

4 inches deep - 47 degrees 
2 inches deep - 50.5 degrees

Scientist , I believe one warm week during the middle of winter is not enough to thaw frozen ground and raise soil tmeperatures high enough. However this year has been warm for a while now. The ground has been thawed for a long time now. With an extended period of warmth, two weeks or more, soil temperatures could raise enough. I believe this is what Scott is staying.


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## thunter

Im with ya scott. 
Never been one to allow for this or that to bloom to indicate when its time to head for the woods, but i am waiting for those first shoots of asparagus to show themselves in my garden. Theyll start, similar to black morels....when ground temps get to 50+. 
Hope its a good season, last years extended cold snap in mid april took a toll in my area.


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## jdk32581

Thunter, i agree. Let us know about that asparagus .

The blooming of trees/plants is a correlation to the start of morel season.That is very different from the causation of morels fruiting. The difference between causation and correlation is the most important distinction in the scientific approach to any theory, morels or otherwise.


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## morel_scientist

The blooming is the causation. There are plant hormones necessary to form new leaves and for forming the flowers, these are formed in the roots first. Those hormones are detected by the fungus and it knows that the right amount of light and temperature has been achieved and the season has officially changed. The morel fungus that is underground could care less about warm temperatures it just wants to know that it isn't for a temporary amount of time.


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## nutsak

I just made a new camo, Ohio SPRING Underbrush. I have a couple of spore friendly mesh bags made already but I have to get some photos uploaded soon!


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## nutsak

Well Here it is, the new sack.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/271436227/morel-spore-friendly-mesh-bag-hardwood?ref=shop_home_active_1

https://img0.etsystatic.com/103/0/9155088/il_570xN.936628964_8o2a.jpg
https://img0.etsystatic.com/102/0/9155088/il_570xN.936628962_dyyk.jpg
https://img1.etsystatic.com/104/0/9155088/il_570xN.936376567_saz4.jpg
https://img0.etsystatic.com/101/0/9155088/il_570xN.936628960_atrt.jpg
https://img0.etsystatic.com/124/0/9155088/il_570xN.936628926_l6qk.jpg

The size of the Bag listed is 10x13 Inches


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## nutsak

SPRING UNDERBRUSH CAMO Mesh - https://www.etsy.com/listing/271436227/morel-spore-friendly-mesh-bag-hardwood?ref=shop_home_active_1


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## ant

Im in SW ohio.And ground temps are in the 50s about a week of this and blacks will pop.And a early year has always been a bad year for me.By the way I have Forcythia blooming here.


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## buckeyebrett

Remember 2012? Worst year I ever had. I'm starting to get that sinking feeling about this year.


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## jdk32581

Scientist
That is interesting I have never heard or read that before. Do you have links or references to that data I would like to read it. Thanks


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## morel_scientist

Actually spicebush Lindera benzoin is the bush you need to be looking out for is the one that the black morels are tapping into. And its all over Ohio.


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## jdk32581

I have never found blacks around spicebush only yellows/greys. Can you post some links to the hormone studies? I am interested


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## morel_scientist

jdk32581 its called signal transduction google it


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## morel_scientist

Yellows show up when the female flowers are budding and about to open on small shagbark hickories in the understory.


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## morel_scientist

Jdk you must be finding greys around spicebush after the spicebush has lost its flowers.
Spicebush is the first bush you will see flowering and that is in the early early spring.


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## morel_scientist

Hold up I think I've realized a confusing situation. I've been under the assumption
We have been dealing with shagbark hickories because they are the canopy and the largest trees 
in the location but I think I'm wrong about the smaller trees in the understory.
Its possible what I'm thinking is the Pawpaw tree. 
The flowers I see on them at the same time as the yellows looks like these and the yellows are always under them.


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## jdk32581

Hmmm. Ok


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## morel_scientist

Yeah its paw paw I checked my photos of previous years and its the same thing.
These paw paws produce a huge fruit like a berry but tastes like over ripe pears.
Its very popular. Its very sweet too. And the fruits don't fall until autumn in September.


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## morel_scientist

So monitor the development of spicebush and paw paw shrubs. When they bloom the morels are up guaranteed.


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## ant

Well will you admit youre wrong if I find some blacks by Monday?


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## 902nd

i let my patches spore up a little before hitting - young cherry tree on ridge tops and slowly moves to holes with moistor as time goes


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## jim33

I personally don't care to use a tree or bush for an indicator, but to each their own. How about that black morel found in Michigan today, that's a trip.


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## interloper

Hi Ohio. Very experienced picker from SE PA here. Reading through this thread and LMAO. 'Morel Scientist', I'm curious about how your hormone theory works with the Elms here that have been dead for 40 years yet churn out blacks every year? Or the old dung piles on archaic farms that host Morchella? I don't think you understand how this works, but best of luck to you. 

10 days of soil temps at 55+ and some rain = blacks in March. Last time it happened here was in 2012, and those circumstances were far less favorable to early fruiting than this crazy season.

Good luck Ohio.


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## morel_scientist

Interloper the elms produce the same allelochemicals that trees produce when going through a drought. Its not what the elm does to trigger them to create fruitbodies but rather what the elm produces as a food that the morel needs and stores up in the sclerotia the year before.
The elm trees are a totally different situation of a sick tree not a healthy one that produces naturals.


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## morel_scientist

Interloper, dung piles? You mean horse or cow patties? Depends on what they were chewing.
Horse manure is used in mushroom cultivation but its not recommended for morels.


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## morel_scientist

Interloper, you are throwing up rare and unusual occurrences of morels.
We are not concerned with the rarities or unusual. 
The norm and average is the focus.
Morels on piles of poop is not the answer. And I wouldn't eat morels growing on poop.


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## morel_scientist

Interloper, I don't think you understand how this works and trolling my posts isn't a good idea.


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## jdk32581

Just watched the video of the black morel found in michigan on the michigan morel hunters Facebook page. Looks completely legit


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## morel_scientist

Its not a video. its photos and they didnt show a newspaper with the date so it could be from last year.


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## morel_scientist

For all we know he is down in Georgia posting pics


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## jdk32581

So basically you are calling me a liar. Thanks. I have tried to be pleasant to you on this thread but you are making it difficult with your posts. It is rude and immature the way you are acting. People come here for information and fun not childish nonsense.

Maybe its time you just move along.

Here is the video i apparently lied about. 

https://www.facebook.com/jason.duncan.3975/videos/g.398870826907/10208500203251582/?type=2&amp;theater


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## grizzly adams

early season for sure , can't say I agree with the whole tree indicator theory but there are things that with experience will tell you when to start looking .Here in the northeast a big indicator for me is when I see plants such as blood root and mayapple's start to sprout .One thing is for sure the only way to know is to get out there and have a look . happy hunting to all.


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## jim33

This arrogance and know it all attitude is getting old fast. Yes there is a video that pretty tells the tale. I'm pretty sure there isn't any snow on the ground in Georgia. It's legit as the fella finding it is a reliable and REPUTABLE poster.


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## jim33

JDK, don't let this fool get you worked up, I'm sure that's what he's after, as I smelled trouble from the get go. And no bush gave me an early indication....


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## morel_scientist

Whatever. Finding ONE morel does not defeat the other cues. And don't try to turn this around.
Interceptor was the first one to troll. 
Go find your unicorns and stay outta my way.


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## cooley

Lol! I'm still trying to get my first black! Last year was horrible too dry and warmed up too fast, this year has to be better!
Grizzly Adams did you do any good in Ashtabula? I went to the lake to look for blacks and nothing, of course the ground was like concrete.


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## chonas

Anyone know if chanterelle territory/morel territory ever overlap?


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## grizzly adams

Cooley ,I did pretty good with the blacks last year but less than average on yellows it wasn't a stellar year but I have seen a lot worse, I'm hoping this year won't be like the 2012 season .It's looking like favorable conditions are in the forecast with a good bit of rain and warm temps. I'm sure I'll be going for a hike by next weekend.


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## jdk32581

Not worked up at all. I find it hilarous. I am too old to try and reason with the unreasonable. Maybe just start a new thread minus scientists and have fun again 
May your bags be full and your threads be free of trolls


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## ant

They can always hijack another thread.By the way I got the fever bad and will hit my early spots this weekend.May take till the middle of next week but Im stretching these old legs anyhow.


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## cooley

Keep me posted Grizzly.... You guys must of had some scattered showers up north we didn't get any rain here, just behind my house I went from 250 in 2014 to 1 that was it. Much success to all!


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## jdk32581

Fever is communicable ant. I am infected. Good luck keep us posted. Lotta trolls living under plenty of rocks. 

Grizzly - what are the conditions of your best black habitats ? I have a few black spots but they are small and very random .I hunt NE ohio. Would love to be more productive. 

My black spots are one cherry stand, one grassy field with briars and no leaf cover or trees, and one pile of dirt on a hill. All three spots are raised up if you know what I mean. Cant figure it out .
Advice would be much appreciated .


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## morel_scientist

Beats being an ignorant hillbilly.


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## morel_scientist




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## morel_scientist




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## grizzly adams

Wow , scientist your post are becoming quite rude ,just out of curiosity how old are you ? Jdk. All but two of my spots are mostly poplar , the terrain verys some is flat and some on hill side's. I also spend alot of time in those raised up spots they are very productive for me .what part of northeast do you hunt ? Might be able to help.


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## jdk32581

Grizzly 
I hunt Geauga, lake, Cuyahoga, summit . Willing to travel though. I have been expanding my radius lately. I am also planning a michigan trip.
Elevated spots are productive for blacks right? I feel like the blacks prefer the moistest spots of the driest areas if that makes sense.

Every time I think he cant go lower on the scale of respectability he proves me wrong. We have now moved to ad hominem attacks... Very intelligent . 
My guess is under 30, pothead, liberal/socialist


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## morel_scientist

No. But that seems to be your level. Mr. Gandalf.


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## morel_scientist

Beats being an idiot hooked on oxycodon. And a confused libertarian.


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## jim33

Good Luck to everyone getting out this weekend. Signs of spring are certainly starting to show here in my area and they are good to see. I'm glad were getting precipitation. Where do you guys that find Black Morels in the northern part of the state tend to find them? Finding greys and yellows is pretty easy, those blacks though....I should have at least accidently found one over the years, but I have no luck with them at all.


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## ant

Jim I have the best luck with black cherry and Poplar.Hope that helps.Im not in the north.Them suckers are hard to spot.


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## jim33

Thanks ant. Just from the pictures I have saw of them they do look hard to see.


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## cwlake

Jim, I hunt NE In. Steuben co. I usually find a few blacks but not a large amount. They are very territorial if that makes sense. Always in the same locations year after year. always on a hillside or a humped up mound. Usually there are tulip poplars, black cherry or stumps around. I think we are still a few weeks away. The ice just came off the lake last Sun. so I know the ground temps. are not there yet. I'll let you know when I find them.


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## jdk32581

May take a peak at one of my very few and small black spots tomorrow. 
The season predictions video came out on matherlys youtube channel. He says he has a unconfirmed black in northern ohio. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSVmz8HS_s


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## jim33

Thanks CWlake, it's pretty flat around here and makes me want to take a trip to try to find them somewhere else.


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## jdk32581

Medina


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## ant

Hell yeah like that pic Jdk.Just checked a early spot and no luck but the woods looks right.Gona give it another go in a couple days.Good hunting.


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## jdk32581

Not my pic, from Facebook ohio morel hunters , gonna check my black patch today


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## buckeyebowman

Have also seen pics on Mushroomhunters (with the newspaper) from Medina Co. One pic looked, to me, a lot like a Gyromitra, but if some of them are popping why not a morel? With all the moisture that's been put into the ground lately along with the nearly ideal temps, why not go take a look? Not many better excuses to get out of the house and blow the stink off!


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## morelseeker

@Jim33 I'd like to tell you where to find blacks in Ohio and Indiana but I'm tired of people yelling at me here. Too bad I couldn't send you a private message. Both places are quite a drive, also they are both southern locations. I wish I could just blurt it out but like I said. Also I may miss out on the blacks in KY but I'm going to wait until the 26th and go down to KY on a hunt.


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## buckeyebowman

Sounds about right for Kentucky, seeker. Went out and had a look around today and found nothing but some little orange 'shrooms. When I got home it occurred to me to get out the temp probe and check the soil temp. In my back yard where the sun had been hitting for 4 to 5 hours, the temp hovered between 46 and 47 degrees. A bit too cold up here, I would say.


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## morelseeker

Attention all morel hunters on Public Hunting Areas April 16 - May 15 is turkey hunting season. In respect to those out turkey hunting you may want to limit your morel hunting to anytime after noon. Find some private woods or hunt river bottoms where permitted. There are also areas marked no hunting zones that you should consider. Maybe this year morels will be over by April 16, but I doubt it.


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## 005587

Morelseeker, thanks for the heads up on Turkey season. I would not have known that and could have gotten my head blown off! Buckeye, here are those orange shrooms I saw yesterday too.

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## jim33

It's all good morelseeker. I wish you safe travels and good luck!


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## cooley

I see black sponge has been found southern Ohio up to Medina which is about the same east and west parallel I'm on and then no reports north of medina in Ohio. I got to thinking ...in Michigan they have found blacks which is way north of me ... Does anyone else believe that lives in NE Ohio that the Morels just skip over us into the state up north?? There should be some up right!


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## the shroominator

Cooley I've often pondered the same thing. I believe tho that our elevation and the lake effect weather we get plays a big role in the "skipping" of the morels. Also..summit county isn't called so for no reason. It's the highest county in the state. Stands to reason that nearby counties aren't a whole lot less elevated. I'm sure there are "micro climates" where early for this area morels grow but I've not found any yet.


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## grizzly adams

I went for a walk yesterday afternoon to some of my black spots , the blood root has just started to sprout but no mayapples yet and unfortunately no shrooms yet either .I'm kind of glad though any exposed shooms risk being frostbitten with this cold front the next couple days .It looks to me like the first week of April should start producing some morel's ,which would be about 1 - 2 week's earlier than normal .I think it's going to be a great year in this part of the state .good luck all.


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## jdk32581

Morelseeker 

Man you are all over the place hunting. I am jealous wish I could travel for shrooms like you. I may be planning a michigan trip this year if I can find the time. I have never been there before. Any michigan tips would be much appreciated jdk32581 at Gmail


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## buckeyebowman

Not to nit pick, but I took another look at the pic w/the newspaper in it, and on there it says "Wayne &amp; Holmes Counties", which are the two counties south of Medina Co. So, not Medina proper! 

I've never found a black either, despite being out early enough to supposedly find one. I've found the occasional half free and some verpas. So maybe I've looked in the wrong places or at the wrong times. Or maybe we just don't have them up here. I did go to a seminar by John Maybrier a few years back, and he said he liked a "popple woods" for finding blacks. We don't seem to have many of those around here. Yes, you'll find the occasional tree, but not a woods. I've seen pics of people hunting blacks in Michigan on slopes covered with nothing but poplar! Maybe it's a climate thing. 

One thing Maybrier did at the seminar was send around a ziploc baggie with some dried blacks in it so everyone could take a sniff. Oh, man! They smelled so spicy and rich! I can understand why people would go wild for them. 

And 005587, the orange shrooms I saw were growing out of the ground. Or, maybe I should say they "appeared" to be growing out of the ground. At any rate they had full, round caps on them. I didn't take a pic since I can't figure out how to post pics on this site. Very close by was the carcass of a gigantic, orangeish looking shroom that was buried under a piece of recently slipped elm bark. I tried to pull it out to have a good look at it, but it was so slimy and nasty that I gave up.


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## cooley

I have watched videos of guys getting blacks and they say they are popple trees on those videos, those trees are ASPEN with out a doubt that they are finding them around. I know TULIP POPLAR too and find very small morels around them at the same time I find yellows. I have both aspen and tulip poplar trees in the woods behind my house not sporadic either there are clusters of aspen and tulip some are mixed together with black cherry in there also, dark soil ,everything they say you need to find blacks and nothing, not one black. I keep looking and zilch. It drives me insane because I have the habitat and look at the right habitat and have never found a single one!


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## wizardscycle

hey cooley, just start dumping all your washings, and trimmings
from your mushrooms around out there.
I did that under my old apple tree, and they started growing there.
it took about 3 years of doing that before they started, but I pick 
mushrooms there every year now. just like walking out to the garden.


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## jdk32581

The aspens in michigan they hunt are big tooth aspen. There are also quaking aspens which they do not hunt in michigan as they do not seem to host blacks. I have found lots of quaking aspen in Ohio but only a few groves of Big Tooth.

Once you learn the difference they are not too hard to tell apart


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## cooley

That's correct JDK big tooth they are finding them around I have a grove of them behind my house and I have never found any around them. Have you found blacks around big tooth? My God of I found any blacks they would have to water board me to get the location of them. Lol!


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## jdk32581

I have not found blacks around bta stands but I only recently started looking for them (bta). I marked a few stands of bta this winter and will be checking this year. 

From what I can gather the black morel bta association is limited to Northern Michigan which is bit discouraging for us here in Ohio.


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## buckeyebowman

I went to the Division of Forestry page on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website. When you look at the list of native Ohio trees it does not show a single poplar! The Tulip "poplar" is listed as Tulip tree and is reported as not a true poplar. The list does show both Bigtooth and Quaking Aspen. Bigtooth is reportedly found all over the state, although I don't think I've ever seen one after looking at the pics. It is listed as a "type" of poplar. 

What I found interesting was in the description of the Quaking Aspen, "found abundantly in northern Ohio, but only found locally in pockets in the southern half of the state. Quaking Aspen (also known as <span style="color: red">POPPLE </span><span style="color: black"> </span>) is a type of poplar that forms root suckers, and thus may form a colony of trees that extends indefinitely.

Could Quaking Aspen be what Maybrier was referring to when he said Popple?


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## morelseeker

@jdk32581 Yes I travel for them but I know of guys that go all over the country even into British Columbia. In BC they don't try to put out forest fires. They just let them go. There you can find 50 to 100 pounds a day, depending on how fast you can pick. Buyers pay $7.00 a pound and you can make between $500.00 to &amp;700.00 a day. About MI. just go up there if there are good spring rains between May 18th to June 7th stay on the western part of the lower peninsula and North of Grand Rapids. Hunt along rivers, State Forests and National Forests. Some of the State Forests will let you camp without a permit, most will not. You can camp in any National Forest in the U.S. as long as you are not close to a National Forest Campground that charges a fee and is improved. Another good bet is to hunt private land on a farm. If you just ask permission most farmers up there will let you hunt as they really don't have time for it. Sometimes they may say I let others hunt here and I have said I just want to hunt today and usually they will let me. Worst thing they could do is say no. Use google maps and satellite images to locate woods that you might liker to try. When you zoom in on satellite you can actually see dead ash trees. If you know of a place where there is a pine grove then look at it on the satellite image and then you'll know what they look like. I try to stay in woods with some pines but mostly mixed hardwoods. You can get a State Forest camping permit through most Mi. DNR headquarters.


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## morelseeker

This year it may be earlier in MI but it can fool you as last year I went to MI and I thought it would be a little early and all I found was blacks and ate them all because I won't sell those. They are too good to let go.


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## jdk32581

Thanks seeker 

Bowman 
In michigan they refer to aspen as popple. Just a common name. Usually big tooth. I have read quite a bit on the michigan forum in preparation for a trip there this year.

Read this thread about BTA http://www.michiganmorels.com/funtalk/showthread.php?t=942
That should help clear it up. There are plenty more about aspen as well.

Tulip poplar is also known in other states as yellow poplar.

I have found lots and lots of aspens the past few weeks. Once you start looking for them you will see them all over in groves. They are easy to confuse with beech and certain maples. I know now there are a lot of spots that I didn't even realize were aspens. Look for the leaves on the ground. They are super easy to identify. Then you will get a better eye for them. 

Unfortunately I really don't think in ohio we will have blacks under the. Even in michigan the southern part of the state doesn't find them in bta. I could be wrong and I hope i am wrong but I have read this on that forum many times.

If I find blacks under bta in Ohio this year you will be the first to know ...


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## jdk32581

Ps
Dont take too much to heart what the dnr website says. I have found them to be wrong more times than not with certain things (not the tulip tree thing though). I will read a description from them about a certain park and the tree make up in the area only to go there and its completely wrong.


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## morelseeker

I've paid for a daily metro parks pass in Lower MI just so I could hunt under big aspen trees. Now that the elms and ash are dead, aspen is the place to go plus under big sugar bush maple trees. Even though the ash are dead they will still produce awhile. That's why I use satellite images. The other tool I use is accuweather.com if you type in the closest city, then click on month, then click on the little box labeled view. There you can see temperatures and rain fall totals, which is very useful.


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## jdk32581

Seeker 

Do the aspen produce yellows and whites or just blacks?

Thanks for the tips


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## buckeyebowman

Seeker, also an interesting comment about sugar bush maples. I know of a rather extensive sugar bush in a local park. It was planted back in the '30's as a demonstration project, then forgotten about for years. I never noticed it until a couple years ago when I drove by and saw sap bags hanging on all these tapped trees. Apparently some "friends of the park" who belong to the local neighborhood association were looking though old park records and discovered the existence and original purpose of this maple grove. They talked the park board into buying a used sap cooker from the Chardon area (big maple syrup country), and allowing them to make syrup. They were cooking in a kind of lean to, but since then the park has put up a proper sugar shack. The syrup is sold at Fellows Riverside Gardens and is called Mill Creek Maple. If you're not there the first 2-3 days after release, you miss out!

So, I now have THREE places I need to go look on Saturday.


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## morelseeker

I find blacks and whites under aspen. My connection in KY said he is just now finding a few small blacks so depending on the temps it will a another week or two for around here, for clay soils.


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## morelseeker

I may go next weekend to KY. If I go around here I'll go to somewhere that is Tranquil if you get my drift.


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## 005587

Buckeye, I never thought about Mill Creek Park sugar maples as a place to check. Since we live in each other's back yard you will have to tell me how that pans out. Speaking of Mill Creek Park, have you ever found morels or fall hens on any of the public park areas? I have always avoided Mill Creek because I figured that being a public and very visited park for us in Youngstown, that some old timers probably already have the spots closely monitored. Do you know of anyone finding them there?


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## jdk32581

Seeker 

Two weeks for..... ? What part of the state are you in?


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## grizzly adams

Just got back from a little walk to one of my black spots near my house in ashtabula co. Mayapples have just sprouted they are only about a half to one inch tall and blood root is about 2-3 inches tall . surprisingly I also found two very small black morels , by far the earliest I have ever found them.if we get some more warm weather a week from now should be getting pretty good. I do have pic's but don't know how to post them ,maybe I can send them to someone to post for me.


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## cooley

Grizzly send to [email protected] I'll see if I can upload for you.


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## grizzly adams

Cooley I think it sent it . the pics were on my phone so I hope it works . if not I can send them in a message to any sceptic's . thanks


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## cooley

These are from Grizzly Adams black morel finds today 3/25/16


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## cooley

Sorry for duplicates above..,..., Grizzly Adams has done the far Northeast Ohioans Proud!


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## cooley

Those look like Aspen leaf in the one photo what habitat and tree where you in Grizzly?


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## grizzly adams

Cooley thank you for the post I am not very good with computers . those little guys were hard to spot I figure there are more under the leaves but I was afraid I would step on them so I backed out.they were on a small knoll on the edge of a clearing around popular or tulip tree's in full sun.rich black soil fairly heavy leaf cover. I would say if we get the temps we will all be swimming in the shooms in the next few weeks. Thanks again Cooley . good luck all.


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## jdk32581

Cooley ... You read my mind about the leaf.

Hey Grizzly looks like with that picture you can start the NE ohio 2016 thread. It's official. Good job keep us posted .


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## cooley

I'm going to check tulip poplar tomorrow, Grizzly is north of me so I need to start looking, then I'm going after a few walleye! Lol!


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## buckeyebowman

005587, I have NEVER found a morel in Mill Creek Park. However, I did find the mother of all ramp patches! It's in the Mill Creek bottoms near the golf course, south of Stitt Pavilion. I don't mind sharing this info, because you could fork up a wheelbarrow load every day for a month and not make dent! 

I also corresponded with a guy on another board who used to live in an apartment complex off Hopkins Rd. He claimed to find Hens galore in the woods that bordered part of the golf course. The course was cut out of a big oak woods, so it kind of makes sense. I haven't puzzled out exactly where he was talking about yet. 

The maple grove is in the park on Bears Den Drive, which comes off the bottom end of McCollum Rd. near Schenley Ave. It's very close to the back end of the Morley Performing Arts Pavilion. If you're able to drive past in the next few days you'll still see the blue sap bags hanging on the trees. I drove past today, but they weren't cooking. 

I did take a quick walk through the woods behind the Scholl Recreation Area on Bears Den Rd. just to have a look at what was going on in the woods. It was next to nothing! There weren't even any little May Apple spikes up yet. The only greenery I saw in there was a tiny wildflower with a pinkish/white bloom smaller than my pinky nail.

In years past when I was in the park poking around, I'd spy folks who seemed to be on a mission. I have no doubt that gathering is going on in there. My Grandma used to live off the lower end of Glenwood Ave. on Garfield St. She knew an older guy who would bring her Hen of the Woods, and she'd cook it up with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Man! You didn't need meatballs in that recipe! I now wish that I'd have asked her how she prepared it. But, I was 16-17, and more stomach than brain!


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## cooley

I checked for 3 hours today....Looked around a big stand of Tulip polar mixed with ash and nothing.... Brisk out this morning things are turning green slowly....maybe someday I'll get those black sponge.


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## grizzly adams

We need a few more days like today to really get this season going , most black's that did pop are still going to be hiding under the leaves . Not sure what this cold weather that's predicted for the first part of April is going to do to the season , just hope for the best and hunt hard . PS I did manage to catch a few walleyes the last couple days in a local river . happy hunting everyone.


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## jdk32581

There are some reports of greys being found in Dayton


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## morelseeker

O.K. they are now finding small to medium blacks in S.E. KY. It will be happening here soon if this weather doesn't take a nose dive and get cold like it always does here in OH. Maybe finally we'll have a good year for blacks. Here's a clue..... I HOPE so. Can't say anything else on this board.


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## morelseeker

I used to live in Kent and it should be a while for that neck of the woods. I have seen may apples just starting to open last week end in Cincinnati area.


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## 005587

Buckeye, are you using the Golfview entrance to get there? I've never done Ramps. What do you all use them for, (pardon my ignorance on this topic)? You are all making me antsy to get back in town to start walking the woods!


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## jdk32581

Seeker

What type of trees for blacks? Hillsides?


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## buckeyebowman

005587, I supposed I should include the same disclaimer I put on another thread. I checked the regs and hunting and gathering are illegal in the park. Yet, I know it goes on. I've seen it. It just pays to be careful. I don't want anyone getting in trouble on my say so. That being said, here goes.

If you go in on Golfview off West Blvd. you're on the wrong side of the creek, at least as far as I know. That's the East Golf Hike &amp; Bike Trail, a closed road that's been given over to joggers, etc., and it gets crowded! There could be gatherables over there, but I haven't spent much time. 

The place I found is off West Golf Drive on the other side of the creek, and leads to the golf courses and route 224. About a third of the way to the courses you'll see Stitt Pavilion, and almost straight across the road a parking area for a recreational field. On the right hand side of the pavilion area is a playground and small ball field w/a backstop. Walk between those and enter the woods, go down a slope, across a small swampy area, and you're there. 

Like I said, I've never found an edible shroom down there, but that doesn't mean they're not there. Ramp bulbs look like a small onion, and taste like a combination of onion and garlic. They're quite pungent! The tops don't look like an onion, though. I'd suggest you Google some images of them so you can recognize them. All parts of the plant are usable, and there are recipes all over the internet. 

On that side of the creek are extensive flats with sandy to sandy loam soils that seem ideal for them. The "patch" covers acres! The farther you wander the more you'll find. But like I said, be careful!


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## grizzly adams

Checked the spot where I found the two small blacks the other day and I'm happy to report there were 9 more tiny ones just barely poking up , some smaller than a half inch tall I covered them with leaves but I don't know what this cold will do to them . blacks are usually more tolerant of the cold than yellows but I'm sure it will slow them way down . I think if we get some warm night's them shrooms are guna pop up everywhere . If anyone has a spot that looks promising and has not found any yet don't give up yet they are still very very small and most are still under the leaves , give it a week or two and they will be much more visible .this cold whether may actually help make for a longer season. Never give up and hunt hard . good luck all


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## cooley

Appreciated the update Grizzly. I checked some areas Sat. Around Tulip Trees and nothing, I'm going to stay out of the woods for a week or so not to trample on any until this weather gets right. I looked at the month of April and not real promising with warmth but as you said it may make for a longer season.


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## morelseeker

jdk Have found blacks in KY near oak and walnut with some scattered wild cherry. In Indiana near ash and beech with scattered maple. In MI always by aspen and ash. I always find them on flat areas on top of ridges and on the sides but don't find as many at the bottom. As many years as I've been picking them you would think that a curled dried leaf wouldn't fool me but it will. I can still stand in a spot and see them 40 yards away though, then I'll hunt around as I walk to the ones I see in a distance. Don't forget to look behind your self as a leaf or plant can hide them and you'll walk right past them. I decided to wait until the weekend after this coming weekend to go to KY. By then the blacks may be over with but I have some spots I can go to here in OH to get some blacks and I won't have to drive so far.


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## jdk32581

Seeker, what trees should I "hope" to find if I were to make the long drive for an ohio black hunt? I read an old "post" of yours back when were the "man". My uncles name is "dale". :-D


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## buckeyebowman

Morelseeker, your two earlier posts make a lot of sense to me. Especially since conditions south of I 70 and north of I 70 are like being in two different countries! It's cold up here! 34 degrees right now, and heading into the upper 20's overnight! Not gonna grow many shrooms in those kinds of temps.


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## cooley

Really not that much difference is 4" soil temp from N. Ohio and S. Ohio according to Central Ohio Farmers Co-Op 
http://www.centralohfarm.com/popup/weather_popup.cfm?map=ne_soil_temps_640&amp;key=fFom10JB9HD9zTTpVaezP3IurU8NVqUfwiPF6qsQmBGRLTdlL%2FEVpg%3D%3D


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## cooley

http://www.centralohfarm.com/index.cfm?show=1&amp;mapID=20&amp;showMenu=0


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## jim33

It's starting to look close to time up here in my neck of the woods. Yippie! Forecast looks a little goofy but I've picked morels with snow falling before. Applied the permethrin tonight...


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## cooley

Which part of the state you in Jim33?


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## jim33

Hi Cooley. I'm in southern hancock county. Usually make my first finds of the year in Allen county. I usually have some pretty early season finds(totally due to microclimates). I'm going to spend a little time out tomorrow. I won't be surprised either way, conditions are getting there.


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## cooley

Keep us posted Jim33. You guys have flat ground like us here in Trumbull Co. Do you find blacks and if so what trees and habitat?


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## jim33

Cooley you are absolutely correct, it is very flat here. I have never saw a black in person to be honest with you. They just don't seem to be in the areas I hunt. I looked up your county, you guys seem to be just a little behind me most years, seems like the lake keeps you guys a little cooler over there or something? I'll let you know what I see tomorrow. I been sick and not able to get out to gauge my hunting areas(mayapples and other woods growth). But from everyday observations things look close. If I find any greys tomorrow they probably won't be pickable.


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## morelseeker

Personally I think with the current weather conditions it should be time for blacks now. I've been in MI. and thought I was seeing cottonwood flying in the air one morning but actually it was snowing and I still found morels. In my area I don't find many blacks but do have some spots that I can go check, where there will be just a few, that I use as indicator spots so I'm not driving way down to south east OH before it's time. On the ridge tops it's better if the ground is undulating instead of perfectly flat. Also I do find most types of morels under scattered pine trees within hardwood forests. They are finding blacks in KY, also finding whites and small grays in OK. When I lived in Kent, OH I really didn't find many morels but a fellow once told me that many were being found around Mogadore Lake. I'd think it would be the woods east of 43 where it crosses the lake and also the woods east of Congress Lake Rd. Both woods are on the south lake border. There is a boat ramp on the north side of 43 but you would have to walk south back across the bridge to get to the woods. I think there in a parking area on the south side of the lake and the east side of Congress Lake Rd.


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## morelseeker

One thing about black morels is they will spoil quickly and if you pick one and it isn't firm smell it and if it is fishy smelling I wouldn't keep it or keep it in another bag.You can dry them and they will last for years, but in the refrigerator they don't last.


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## morelseeker

It's funny how I'll see people hunting them in the same general area that find them earlier and think it's over when the places I'm in are late and still producing good. I hunt areas with clay soil and just a little higher elevation. I think they may be finding them in sandy river bottoms or loamy low lying woods. Maybe I need to hunt the low places too. I do in other states but in OH there are so many signs saying no trespassing along rivers and streams.


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## morelseeker

So jdk you got my hint about where to go?


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## jdk32581

Seeker

Yes I did get the hint, not sure if I am going but I got it.... :lol: long long drive for me but it may be worth it........

Is the hint for what type of trees in that hinted spot in the above post? #70610?


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## morelseeker

jdk If you go down there hunt the ridge tops near the rental cabins and about 3/4 the way down or where the cliffs meet the lower part of the ridges at the west side of the lake, there you will have to walk up and down between the smaller ridges. You'll find them near the crests of those smaller ridges. There are a lot of woods down there that I wanted to hunt but never had enough time.


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## jim33

I did not see any thing today. I was hoping to make a march find again but we still had a great time being out.


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## jdk32581

Thanks Seeker

If I go down it will probably be next week or later... I want to hit it at prime time if I am going to drive that far. I would like to see kentucky doing better before I head that way.
Any thoughts?


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## rumpleforeskin

Seeker, 
When I went to Kent, we would find them around Lake Rockwell in Towners Woods. My buddy used to hunt them there for years but has since left the area. I hope somebody is eating them!


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## jdk32581

Rumple

Blacks or Greys/Yellows?


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## sextonshrooms

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## sextonshrooms

Definitely an early start.nothing at all in woods but i couldve missed some.i saw a guy with some and i found these in a park with open grass and lots of single ash and elms.its a great spot but well known. Im hoping to find myself a nice place thats untouched eventually


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## jdk32581

County ?


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## grizzly adams

Those are some nice little Grey's sexton , what county .Went for a walk again last night to another spot about 15 miles south .I'm glad I did counted over 40 small blacks the largest was about 1 1/2 inches tall , they are coming on its just going to be slow going for a little while .I will take some more pics in a few days . Cooley I was probly getting close to your neck of the woods . The conditions are almost the same same in all locations ,poplar and lots of sun. Happy hunting .


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## morelseeker

I'm going to KY to hunt on the 9th-10th. Blacks will probably be over but there could be some whites, half frees and grays. If I lived up in north eastern OH. I think I'd set my sites on the Allegheny National Forest. That way I could camp for free. It's a big area too.


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## cooley

Grizzly you have my email get a hold of me I'll give you my number, I just got approved for the lake to hunt shrooms last night and I can take others with me. I would like to pick your brain a little more on these blacks up here.


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## jdk32581

I put this on another thread but it got pushed down...
Forget the mesh bag. I am going to do this to a couple shrooms with a torch cigarette lighter in my spots this year. Keep those spores in my hunting grounds

[video]https://youtu.be/K_oKFufLN9s[/video]


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## buckeyebowman

That's wild, jdk! Michael Kuo has a pic in his book "Morels" of a morel sporulating on his scanner. How hot do those torch lighters get? It doesn't look like they're burning the shrooms at all, just getting them to puff spore. I have a butane torch lighter, but it doesn't look anything like the one in the vid. I swear you could solder with it!

One thing, in Kuo's book he claims that the research that has been done so far indicates that morels pop when the morel mycelium starts running out of food and needs to "get out of Dodge". I have to say that this makes sense to me. I listen to a gardening show on local radio. The host talks about veggies and decorative plants both. People will call in about a hydrangea or other flowering shrub, complaining that it bloomed beautifully the first couple of years they had it, but it hasn't flowered since. Invariably he will ask them how the plant looks, overall. The response is, usually, beautiful. Lush green foliage and growing like Topsy! 

That's when the host informs them that they have made life far too easy for the plant! It's living the life of Riley and feels no need to attempt to reproduce. As the host puts it, they need to "threaten" the plant a little bit, make it "uncomfortable". That's what flowering is, or, in the case of a mycelium, producing mushrooms. An attempt to reproduce since the "parent" organism, the mycelium, feels like it's life may be in danger. 

The question then becomes how far does a morel spore have to travel to find more suitable habitat? And how long will it grow in the soil until it runs out of food, and pops more morels? That's just one of the things that make this whole deal so fascinating.


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## sextonshrooms

I posted in another forum here.its montgomery county not from from kettering hospital.i guess yhis place im finding at is know by local ppl and one guy told me he got 4k last year.not sure tho.he did have a bag the day i first went and found a bunch of small ones.they were really small and he probably should have left .not sure on that either.he told me they were blacks he had but these i found are greys i guess.ive never found anything besides yellows before. Im happy tho and its early still i hope weather stays right and ill be looking for a new spot here soon in miamisburg area.


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## sextonshrooms

I meant not far from kettering hospital


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## morelseeker

Just got a call today from my friend who has relatives that live in Floyd County KY., that find many every year, said today that they haven't found any yet this year.


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## jdk32581

Had a southern ohio black hunt planned and now a clipper is brewing.... etd of hunt tomorrow afternoon


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## cooley

Yikes! Looks like 2 in. Of snow on my deck! I was in shorts earlier today! Only in Ohio! Took walk earlier nothing to report here in Trumbull Co. At this point I'll check every week until there here now.


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## jdk32581

Seeker please email me I have a question, jdk32581 Gmail


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## cooley

2-4 inches of snow in my area by morning. I have seen reports all across Ohio of morels being found even in counties next to me but I have not found any starting in my morel woods yet and I'm glad they have didn't with these freezes we had. I bet when it starts its going to be good with this moisture.


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## ant

Yep snow here in Greene co.Well see what happens.


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## jdk32581

View from my porch today.... Bayahibe DR. Needed a vacay badly. What snow? Hahaha


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## buckeyebowman

Wondered where you'd been. You sure picked a good time to go. And yes, it's beautiful and all that, but are there any morels down there? Keep your eyes on the prize! There are none where I am that's for sure. And the ramps aren't ready either, so you haven't missed anything. Enjoy the vacay!


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## mushroom_mentor

Hi guys! My partner and I are passionate about mushrooms, and are trying to spread the love. We've created a youtube channel for people who want to get started finding morels and for people who are into watching mushroom videos. Check out our second video and let us know what you think. Please subscribe so we can keep doing this. It would be great to be able to do this as a daily vlog channel so the support is necessary for that to happen. Thanks! https://youtu.be/dUxufP0AHqY


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## dr_rezes

Stop posting your crappy video's here. Some mushroom experts or mentors, posting video's of false identifying trees. The first two video's were funny enough please no more.


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## markk

I found 3 blacks yesterday in Union Ohio.....starting to kick in now. Shortage of rain will not be an issue like it was last year!


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## not2oldyet

We went on what we thought was an early recon and took bags almost as an afterthought; going to where we find our earliest greys (blacks) and found 50 yellows. I hope its a good season, but it might be out of the ordinary!


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## 902nd

maybe some bigfoot yellows in the next 2 weeks - mostly old - think of checking a 1 time spot years ago - could power lines and niegbers land lool


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## im hungry

@902nd....you stay off those PowerLine on the neighbors...


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## 902nd

@im hungry - ha ha cant see me im like ernst t.


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