# Caldor fire



## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

Headed up to the caldor fire tomorrow and saturday will keep every one yall updated expecting baskets full. fingers crossed.


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

Good Luck. I suspect it will be going off from now until late May, eh? Just have to work your way up in elevation since there is still snow falling up higher 5500k plus. Been cold lately so maybe too early???


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

rossswhite said:


> Good Luck. I suspect it will be going off from now until late May, eh? Just have to work your way up in elevation since there is still snow falling up higher 5500k plus. Been cold lately so maybe too early???


Defintely not to early just gotta hike and find em


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## yocham85 (Feb 21, 2017)

What do you look for when hunting the burns? Certain trees?


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

yocham85 said:


> What do you look for when hunting the burns? Certain trees?


Yea i learned a little from a guy on insta gram. You definitely need to be under fir trees (the short pine needles not the long ones those are most like white pine i think. Nature has its own way of doing things so im not going to say its impossible to find them in pine but fir is way better. Spring boletes love pine though. Then i would find a hill side with fallen logs and walk the logs. Im mkaing a video all about it when im done ill post it.


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## JimC94 (Apr 29, 2018)

yocham85 said:


> What do you look for when hunting the burns? Certain trees?


I look for burned firs and cedars that still have some (dead) needles on them. The season started dry so I look on stream banks, ditches, holes from stumps or anywhere that collected water a few weeks ago. I check slopes that face more or less north first, but they can fruit on any exposure. 
Find the right elevation. I was there on the 18th and they were between 4000-4500 feet, very few at 5000. 
Get away from footprints, if possible. There was not much road access at 4000-4500 feet so you would need to walk a mile or two to find an unpicked area.


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

I've had good luck looking around disturbed areas in burns where lots of logging has happened. Around piles of logs and cuttings. They say Morels can grow wherever they want and not Mycorrhizal so maybe it's the type of ash or nutrients from different detritus??


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## yosemite shroomer (May 17, 2015)

I agree about the trees (although I have also found them in areas not even close to trees) Also, burn areas are great, but once again, have found them in areas with no burns. I also agree about disturbed areas. If I remember right, you want temps around 60 deg F during the day and 45 deg F at night (my memory may be off... it's been a few years) It's actually the soil temps that matter.


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

This is just my half my pops took the other half


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

More pics


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## emarler (10 mo ago)

Nice! Can I ask, what approximate elevation is this?


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

emarler said:


> Nice! Can I ask, what approximate elevation is this?


3900-4200 most were at 4000


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## emarler (10 mo ago)

@yosemite shroomer 



yosemite shroomer said:


> It's actually the soil temps that matter.


What soil temps do you look for?


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

Mushroomsonthemind said:


> 3900-4200 most were at 4000


I saw snow in those pics so was guessing your were more like 5500-6000. Looks like they got snowed on which I reckon is going to put them in bad shape pretty quick, esp if they froze. They look good in your pics though. Thanks for sharing. I hope to get up there in the next week or two. Hope to get my gas $ worth. Also, did you need to get a permit? In years past in other burns I needed to check in at a ranger station and get a permit to pick and they make you cut them in half to keep you from selling them. That's a bummer man.


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## yosemite shroomer (May 17, 2015)

emarler said:


> What soil temps do you look for?


It's been a few years so just going from memory... something like 60 during the day, 45 at night (F)


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

rossswhite said:


> I saw snow in those pics so was guessing your were more like 5500-6000. Looks like they got snowed on which I reckon is going to put them in bad shape pretty quick, esp if they froze. They look good in your pics though. Thanks for sharing. I hope to get up there in the next week or two. Hope to get my gas $ worth. Also, did you need to get a permit? In years past in other burns I needed to check in at a ranger station and get a permit to pick and they make you cut them in half to keep you from selling them. That's a bummer man.


 yea it snowed on thursday. then friday the ground was covered. but on saturday it was completely melted. I dont check soild temps i do research as to what elevation people are finding them then start hunting. the snow actually perseved them real nice.... they were in great condition few were bad but we got like 20lbs so theres always gonna be a bad egg right?


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## Mushroomsonthemind (9 mo ago)

rossswhite said:


> I saw snow in those pics so was guessing your were more like 5500-6000. Looks like they got snowed on which I reckon is going to put them in bad shape pretty quick, esp if they froze. They look good in your pics though. Thanks for sharing. I hope to get up there in the next week or two. Hope to get my gas $ worth. Also, did you need to get a permit? In years past in other burns I needed to check in at a ranger station and get a permit to pick and they make you cut them in half to keep you from selling them. That's a bummer man.


also i mean i know shasta/trinity requires a permit but there is no ranger station where we were nor forest rangers... not saying that its the right thing to do.. i didnt even check or consider that to be honest.


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

Mushroomsonthemind said:


> also i mean i know shasta/trinity requires a permit but there is no ranger station where we were nor forest rangers... not saying that its the right thing to do.. i didnt even check or consider that to be honest.


Cool. Yes. Unless there's a sign or something, lol. I'd probably also just go for it. Thanks for sharing. I'm going next week probably 5000k plus. I will report back.


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## BerkeleyBoy (Apr 12, 2019)

Nice haul! I've never been out there early enough to see them punch through the snow .

I'll be in Mt. Lassen the second week in May.


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## morelorel (Apr 12, 2014)

rossswhite said:


> Good Luck. I suspect it will be going off from now until late May, eh? Just have to work your way up in elevation since there is still snow falling up higher 5500k plus. Been cold lately so maybe too early???


 What Elevation will they be at second week of may?


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## BerkeleyBoy (Apr 12, 2019)

We've had good luck in the past at 4,000 - 5,000', but because of the Dixie fire, it may have changed.


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## JimC94 (Apr 29, 2018)

I checked the Caldor yesterday, April 30. I found a few pounds at 4800-5200 feet. Conditions looked very good, with lots of orange cup fungus. I never found a big area fruiting, just isolated patches.


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## emarler (10 mo ago)

JimC94 said:


> I checked the Caldor yesterday, April 30. I found a few pounds at 4800-5200 feet. Conditions looked very good, with lots of orange cup fungus. I never found a big area fruiting, just isolated patches.


Is this orange cup fungus? Ran into a few of these the other day. Been wondering what they are. If so, do you know much about them?


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## JimC94 (Apr 29, 2018)

Yes, I think that is Caloscypha fulgens. It can be an indicator for morels, but I don't know more about it.
The burn zones are sometimes carpeted with orange cups (like yesterday).


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## emarler (10 mo ago)

Thanks for the information!


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

morelorel said:


> What Elevation will they be at second week of may?


I don't know bro. It's called mushroom hunting because you have to hunt. Start low and work your way up till you find the sweet spot.


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## rossswhite (May 15, 2014)

Went out yesterday. Looked all around between 4800 and 6000 ft for 6 hours. It was warm and windy and dry. The areas in the open were very dry and sandy soil. Very little vegetation and I saw no indicators like snow plants or cups. Found mostly in one area way down at 4800 feet surprisingly and we rejoiced after much effort. There were 2 of us and we got about 5 lbs but I've never worked so hard hunting. I slept like a baby last night.


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## Sterno (8 mo ago)

Too early above 5600 in Dixie fire. Scouted S/N and E aspects with and without springs/water.

S had mediocre vegetation under Pine.
N and E aspects under fir had first leafs to no vegetation except near water. 

A few purple cup fungus around water but it was pretty clear there would be no lucky finds today.


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## bigjohn14 (8 mo ago)

is there any buyers in the area


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## ckell25 (8 mo ago)

Picked some starting-to-get dry at 4750' south facing in the burn area this weekend! They were small but a good patch of em, would say about 1-2lb! I think they were still growing there bc we were close to a creek. Even 100 ft up was crunchy underfoot. Will probably aim for 5000-5200' next weekend!

Orange cup fungus growing all throughout white pine and fir areas, but very dried out in the lower elevation ˜4500 and starting to crisp at the edges where we found morels. Very little vegetation except some baby first and cedars popping back up. Creekside at 4700 had false solomon starting to grow with no flowers yet.


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## MorelShmorel (8 mo ago)

Am planning on going Memorial day weekend, do y'all think there'll still be first flush up in Desolation Wilderness?


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## ckell25 (8 mo ago)

Picked 10lbs at 5600-5800’ last weekend May 21-22, it was amazingly abundant in places, but starting to dry out at those elevations


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