# St. Louis Area 2015 Predictions?



## smguffer

I predict:

1) First morel in st louis/st charles Area will be found April 11th

2) I will be the one to find the first Morel in the st louis/st charles area

3) I will find more morels than all of you 

:twisted:


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## morelmaniac78

Smguffer, how many pounds did u end up with last year?? I ended up with 60 lbs. Hope to find at least that much this year as well. Going to do a little traveling to find those boogers this year. Let me know if u are interested in taking a trip to my property in Freeburg, Mo. around the middle of April. Good luck to all, won't be too long.


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## adriana

Are there any good morel hunting spots in Clarkson Valley? I'm from Atlanta but am thinking of visiting a friend in the St Louis area during morel season.


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## smguffer

I found 17 pounds and that was too much for me. I was more or less just scouting the last week or so and didn't even really want to pick them any more. i was getting sick of the smell of mushrooms.

i definitely got compltely burnt out on it last year.

in all honesty i'll probably only hunt HARD 4-5 days this season. id be happy with 5lbs haha.

good luck to you morelmaniac. 

and adriana i am not familiar with clarkson valley honestly... if i knew something about that area i'd help but i just dont.


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## adrenaline

Ahhh hate to tell you guys this but you already missed it! Morels have come and gone this season. Found few yesterday all dried up... HAHAHA... seems like someone always says that right before I really start finding them! 
I am betting we start hearing of them being found around the 15th- but I bet I find my first around the 19th. Just basing it on the extended forecast. 
Who knows though! I will def. be out there starting next week- and looking forward it!


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## blarneystone

Hoping for a great season in St. Louis area. I have an ash tree in a grass area where I work and I use as my "indicator tree". As soon as I see a few around that, its time to go into the woods. I turkey hunt in Dent County on the week of the 20th, Hopefully they are in STL the week after that, but Ill take them the week of the 13th if that is what Mother nature wants.


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## sustainable forager

gyromitra caroliniana has been spotted in our area...by myself


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## morelmaniac78

I spotted trillium and dandelions on a hike yesterday, morels not too far behind.


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## morelmaniac78




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## smguffer

i was thinking the same thing. im going to look saturday morning. ground temperature is 50-55. i think there will be a few to find. nothing crazy yet though.


this rain though.... :mrgreen:


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## adrenaline

What do you guys think? This coming week rain and warm... looks good! Ive been watching the back yard- have had a few pop early here the last couple years - its gotta be getting pretty close! Seems like every year I start looking way to early... but I doubt Ill be able to stay out of the woods all week- If anybody wants to hit up local areas let me know- im in St. Charles... I have hunted out at Weldon in the past... haven't really found a ton, but my brother and I pulled out about 6lbs one day last year.
I bow hunted out a bush last fall and found an area that looked promising- might go check it out Friday if anyone wants to tag along... more eyes=more shrooms. at least that's what "they" say.


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## joemoris

Thursday or Friday I will find a few. Posted this on my Facebook...


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## smguffer

@adrenaline - im right there with you... i start getting out in the woods super early. i enjoy taking the dog out but it's also fun just watching the woods come to life. i didnt get a chance to go out today but i'll check around a little bit tomorrow. I'm going to take it easy this year i think. If i can pull 10 or so pounds out i'll be happy. I just have too much on my plate this spring... but i'll find time to get a few hunts in for sure 

@joe moris - LOL. great AD. let me know how that works out for you. good luck sir!


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## turick

I'm in St Charles County also and hoping next weekend will be promising with all the rain and warmer temps this week!


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## smguffer

i've looked around a little bit... so far all of my predictions are incorrect.

1) they have found morels before april 11

2) people have found morels before me

3) im going to be working a lot and im 100% sure everyone is going to find more than me


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## adrenaline

Found my first back yard morel this morning here in St. Peters- Its a small gray, less than 2"- BUT its there- same place as last year! guess Ill have to get out this weekend and see what else is poppin- 
I did hit a few spots on Wednesday- no morels but the snakes were out in full force- saw 7 and one was the size of an Anaconda... 
Good luck out there!


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## smguffer

Indeed the snakes are out! I caught these beauties just yesterday


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## smguffer

I found 4 today. It was more just to get the dog out in the woods and start training my eyes

all 4 were less than an inch and a half tall.


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## smguffer

i found 7 more today on lunch break. here are a few of them.


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## smguffer

what a slow slow start lol. i've only had 3 finds so far

1st time: 4

2nd time: 7

3rd time (today): 10 .. and all 10 were drying up

we need more rain combined with warm temps!


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## blarneystone

Went out 4/15 to a public forest area in Saint Louis County. Found about two pounds of greys. Only found one large yellow. Some areas were already picked and saw lots of stumps. 
I think this weekend or maybe early next week the yellows will be up.


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## smguffer

I didn't find any morels this morning (i went to a new spot) but i did find this... which is probably just as cool if not cooler.


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## racerx

Wow! what is he doing?


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## smguffer

it was a "short ear" owl. apparently they make their nest on the ground. within 15-18 days of hatching they start to walk around the forest floor. they will walk around within 200 yards of their nest before they finally have the feathers they need (i believe 50ish days after hatching) to fly away 

once i got up close to him he started clicking his beak together and fanning his wings out trying to intimidate me. i had 3g in the woods so i googled what type of owl it was and what their breeding patterns were before i walked away. i wanted to make sure it wasnt injured before i left. but after reading about them (while he was still right there clicking his beak at me) i felt pretty comfortable leaving him. he looked healthy. just needed another week or so to get the flying feathers 

it was a pretty cool experience


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## mushroomsarah

Smguffer that is an amazing picture! I saw an owl out in the woods sitting on the ground too just yesterday. Now I know why! I was afraid to approach him too closely because birds kind of freak me out. I've been up north of KC this weekend and found about 20 small mushrooms up here. I was worried I would be missing prime time in the STL area this weekend but it sounds like maybe they haven't really come on strong yet. Looks like the nights are going to get chilly this week, will that shut the season down do you think or will there still be a chance when it warms back up?


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## smguffer

Maybe it's just wishful thinking but i really believe this rain is going to get things going finally. The way things are looking i'm a little bit skeptical of how productive it's going to be for st. charles/st. louis. We aren't getting enough rain and the humidity forecast doesn't look too promising. 

Things here have been really slow but my own personal prediction is that Wednesday-Sunday is going to be productive. 

The cooling temperatures aren't going to hurt much (they might actually help). The ground temperature is already warm enough and I think the forecast temperatures are going to keep the ground around the 55 degree range which is good. It should also keep the ground moist longer as long as we get enough rain. 

im crossing my fingers


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## mushroomsarah

I'm crossing my fingers for your predictions too became I'm off Thursday-Sunday! I'm hoping to just find enough to try a few recipes. That has yet to happen, but I'm hoping!


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## smguffer

send me a message on facebook some time if u want some tips. Spencer Guffey


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## smguffer

Found these today.. it's been a really slow/bad season for me so far in the st. charles area. 

me and a group of friends are going to do a big/long hunt sunday. hopefully the humidity the next 2 days and precip from friday/saturday give us a helping hand


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## woodsman1

Who ever said this was Gona be the best morel season in a long time was wrong. Finding some here an there but no big flushes an not hearing of any. This season has me stumped. I have found a few big yellows which tells me it's starting to wind down but the flush hasn't hit yet. I hope we get a good flush when it warms back up. So far it's been disappointing


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## smguffer

A friend i've been talking to used the word "micro climate" .. i think it fits perfectly for the season we're having so far here in st. louis/st. charles.... some "micro climates" have conditions that are just right and are producing just right, but you're right.. no big flushes yet.

the rest of the areas just aren't hitting yet. i think they're just on the verge of hitting once the conditions get just right. my own personal theory (based on the 15 day forecast) is that if we get rain around the 4th-6th of may, it's going to be one big "pop" .. they will stick around for a few days and then the season will be over. 

we got a hunting party going on a really long trek through the woods sunday. there will be at least 6 and maybe 8 sets of eyes scanning over about an 6-7 mile stretch of woods. whatever happens sunday should give us a pretty good indication as to whether the rain we get tonight and saturday is enough to get them popping!

this rain might be exactly what we need .. it's supposed to rain hard when the air is ~55 degrees, and then rain again when the air temperature is ~70. that second warm rain might do the trick


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## smguffer

RAIN!!! ST. CHARLES/ST LOUIS GOT RAIN!!! ... too bad the temperature is going to drop again 

i took the kiddos on a short little hunt today. they found 6


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## elitenaut

Hit the woods again today and found around 5lbs. Lots of big yellows .I wouldnt expect a big pop this year. Theyre not hitting like last but theyve been up for around two weeks. Had to use my poncho today and man that sh!t gets caught on everything.


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## smguffer

lol. congrats on your 5lbs. mind me asking what type of terrain you were hunting? river bottoms? creek bottoms? hills and deep valleys?


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## shroomblaster

Found 21 today in the rain


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## elitenaut

I never hunt anything but river bottoms. They always guatantee if you walk long enough. Headin out again in an hour will keep yall posted.


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## smguffer

me my brother and my cousin went out today for about 4 hours or so. we found 25 total.... some on the river bottoms, some close to a creek, and some at the bottom of a bluff/hill where water was running off onto flat ground.


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## the original morelmama

Went out twice this weekend and found 78 nice yellows. Left about a dozen that were too far gone. Found tons of dead elms and only a couple produced morels so it's a crazy season or someone got there before me. We searched bottoms, hillsides and ridge tops. Didn't do very good on the ridge tops this weekend although a few days ago I did ok there.


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## the original morelmama

Darling kids smguffer! They look so proud of their mushrooms. Hunting mushrooms is such a nice family thing to do.


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## alyons2008

You guys find any out at Busch Wildlife? I've been out on the trail for an hour and can't find any...


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## smguffer

i went out to bush today for 1/2 of the hunt with 2 other guys. we went about 3 miles and hit pretty much every type of terrain there was, we only found a total of like 10 in one little area

it was 50-70 yards off of a creek bottom and had a large hill right against the flat ground... im assuming the run-off rain from the hill and the moisture from the creek is what got them to pop. 

black = ground line
blue = creek
red x = where we found them


thank you for your compliments on my art work in advance


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## smguffer

the area we found them in had already been hunted probably yesterday or the day before. it was pretty close to a large gravel trail that many people use. i saw a few cut stalks


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## woodsman1

So now that it's warming up whats everyone's thought for this season. Is it about over? Or you think we will get another good flush for a week or 2


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## smguffer

my prediction as of now (or maybe its just desperately hoping)

1) there will be some good flushes in the woods by this thursday/friday. i think there's a good chance they will dry up quickly though due to no precip and low humidity

2) there will be one last push up in the north facing hills and other areas where the ground has taken longer to warm up around the middle/late next week once all the rain starts falling ... and next weekend will basically mark the end of the season

*crosses fingers*


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## alyons2008

out at Busch again.. not finding any. You guys havin any luck today?


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## smguffer

i didnt go today but these morning temps have been really cold. i think thursday/friday have better chances of producing.


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