# 3/3/2017 and they are up already.



## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

I decided to check on one of my early spots today following the warm rains 2 days ago. Found 3 tiny blacks in Jefferson county which is in north central KY along the Ohio River. The earliest date for me to ever find any prior to
this was 3/16 last year and that is after 27 years of hunting these things. Amazingly early.


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## nutsak (Feb 18, 2016)

ricard76, I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I do know that if it snows and/or cold snaps from this point on it will be bad for the season!

Best of luck and keep us posted. I will do the same as I plan to go on Sunday, also along the Ohio River.


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## myfinds65 (Apr 7, 2016)

Ah Ricard76 I was afraid of this and its kinda of making me nervous after last year, which was my worse year yet. I am praying that we have no more cold temps or snow. I am really hoping this year is better. I didn't even get a hen of the woods last fall so its been a long dry spell here and this girl has been dreaming of morels since last year. I've never had much luck with the blacks but I'll be checking some spots for sure and let you know whats going on here in oldham county. Good luck everyone!


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## jharrisbrand (Mar 5, 2017)

Wow! Hard to believe so early! I've been out searching in Cincinnati OH for the last week with all the rain and warm weather-but had no luck. I just moved here this past year from northern OH on Lake Erie. With as cold as it stays there from the lake affect the season is generally a few weeks behind normal. Last year when I moved I was too late for the season here. I was an avid hunter back home, and had many "honey spots" so much that I'd give lots of the morels to friends and family. I can't seem to locate any here. There is no communication in the OH message board-so I thought I'd join here and reach out! Any suggestions for me in this new territory would be greatly appreciated guys! 
Thanks!!


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Pic of my find last Friday.


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## scott and glenda (Mar 6, 2017)

Hey guys i live in nky grant county, id like to do some looking this 2017 year! Where do i start? I have access to alot of land!


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Scott and Glenda, I hunt primarily in north central and central KY but I believe you will find Grant county morels in similar environments where I typically find most of mine. The blacks seem to prefer North and East facing hillsides consisting primarily of a poplar and hickory mix. When I search an area for the 1st time especially if I'm not certain blacks grow in that specific area, I will start at the base of the hillside in the morning with the sun to my back. The sun will allow you to pick out the blacks amongst or slightly under the leaf litter. When you find the 1st one, stop, mark it, kneel down and search thoroughly 360 degrees. You will almost always find more than 1. The smaller yellow/grey/ white varieties will grow in similar areas but will pop a week or 2 after the blacks. As for the Big yellows (that will initially pop as a grey), creek bottoms are my favorite areas to search concentrating on searching around live sycamore, dead or dying elm and live ash. Hope this helps. Good luck!


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## scott and glenda (Mar 6, 2017)

I cant believe all these years and i have never looked, i have seen them but didnt realize what they was


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

I went back today to the spots where I found the 3 last Friday. Found 3 more, all still very small 1-2 inches. The 1 that I left last Friday to grow doubled in size from 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch.


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## scott and glenda (Mar 6, 2017)

What effects do temps have on morels? Rain? sun and to much shade?


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Pic of yesterday's blacks. Sorry about the receipt being dated 3/4/17 but it was all I had available to show the date.


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## scott and glenda (Mar 6, 2017)

Ok how in the world do i post pics?


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Check out the F.A.Q section located at the top of the home page and see if that is
helpful.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

I saw a report on another forum today of a fella who found 84 blacks today in Allen county near the KY-TN line. Better pick any that you find before Friday night freeze.


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## scott and glenda (Mar 6, 2017)

Anyone in the grant county, ky area wanna walk some property i have access to and show me the ropes? Text me 859 414 9586


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## tommyjosh (Feb 23, 2017)

[video]https://youtu.be/sFwwGQRs6B4[/video] check out the channel for mushroom vids


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Hunted a couple of spots this afternoon, 1st in Jefferson then later in Hart county near Mammoth Cave Natl Park farther south. Found 6 in Jefferson and 13 in Hart. Some of these just fruited most likely after last nights rain in Hart. Some
we're less than 1 inch with the 3 bigger ones only being 3 inches. Picked all of them due to the low 20
Temps coming tonight.


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## taibo (Mar 12, 2017)

Well shit I'm not far from Allen County at all and I haven't seen a single morel.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

1st time out today since the 10th. Found 7 blacks in the Louisville Metro area. The tip of 1 had been damaged by the freezes this past.
week but the others were not damaged by the sub freezing temps.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

5 of the 7 I picked Sunday. Posting the pic to show what happens when the tip of the shroom gets frostbitten or frozen. The one on the far right was damaged by the freeze. After about 6 hours soaking in water, it regained most of it's original shape.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Picked 21 really fresh blacks this afternoon in The Louisville metro area. Several were 3-4 inches tall and looked as black
as coal against the light colored leaves. Also picked almost a pound of fresh oysters. Just finished making a batch of cream of oyster/morel soup.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

/Users/b1jg/Documents/Image%20(002).png 


Pics of yesterday's finds.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)




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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Had a short hunt this morning in the Louisville metro area in the spots I have been picking the last 3 weeks and found 11 blacks. Starting to find a few on east facing slopes. Most have been and still are on the ridges.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Hunted my farm this afternoon in the Mammoth Cave area and picked 79 blacks in various stages of maturity. A few were past prime and very few that were small. Checked my patches that produce the small yellows/greys but didn't find any. Mayapples were just starting to pop with a few opened up.


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## myfinds65 (Apr 7, 2016)

So far we've found nothing here in north oldham county but I'm hoping that's going to change soon. I've never had much luck finding the blacks and we seem to run a little behind jefferson county. I hope your finds ricard76 are a good sign for the season


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## cpolivick (Mar 30, 2017)

Good morning, looks like some of you guys are having luck up around northern/central KY! I got in the woods for the first time a couple days ago and did not find a single mushroom. I'm still a rookie and have only been hunting a few times and that was just last year. I live in the western most part of KY near the Mississippi River. I think it is still a little early and that the weather/ground temp hasn't got just right yet. I remember last year it was about the 2nd week of April that we started finding a lot of them. Hoping in the next week or 2 I can get in the woods more and find some!


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

pic of the ones I found yesterday in central KY. This will give everyone a good perspective on how far along they are.


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## jand (May 2, 2014)

Went to a few of my early blacks spots today and didn't see any. May apples seem like they are just starting i'm thinking in 5-7 days it should be on good. For the nky cincinnati area if the weather says like it has been the past week.


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## ricard76 (Mar 2, 2013)

Starting to see multiple reports of blacks and greys being found in southern and central KY. This rain looks to be covering most of the state. Picking should be excellent this weekend!


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Black season seems to be winding down in the 2 areas in Ky where I have been picking the past 4 weeks. Half of what I picked this weekend where past their prime. I did pick my 1st greys and yellows of the season. 4 small greys/yellow in Hart county and found 12 of the bigger variety of greys/yellows in Jefferson this afternoon. Picked the
4 biggest and left the others to grow.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Yellows are starting to pop in Jefferson county. Found another 13 today in varied sizes and color fazes from grey to yellow. 2 of the yellows were prime. Got another good rain tonight so they should keep on coming.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

The rains are getting them popping. Picked 37 nice big yellows and greys today in the Louisville area.


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## cpolivick (Mar 30, 2017)

Found a few down in Hickman County, KY yesterday. Not much but it was my first finds of the year.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Was able to pick another 50 2-5 inch greys in the patches that I picked earlier
this week. Getting really timely rains that have them popping. Almost all were found near elm and ash trees in or near creek bottoms.


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## parrothead (Apr 14, 2016)

Rick you are a morel machine. I am an hour north of you in Seymour and nothing yet. Usually do pretty well. Got me a little worried to be honest. I see finds up north of Indy already.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Parrothead, You should see them soon considering you have had quite a bit of rain also. I see them earlier here in the metro area due to the warmth from the city. My Louisville patches come up a few days earlier or around the same date as my patches on my farm 80 miles S of Louisville. Also found 20 Verpa Conicas yesterday which is the hollow false morel. Anyone eat those?


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## donna hale (Apr 9, 2017)

We found one small black morel today. I think the season is winding down. We are in Trimble county


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Got back to pick patches in central ky where I found the my 1st small greys of the season. Surprised that I only found 4 more this morning along with 1 old black.


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## John Green (Apr 12, 2017)

04-09-17 Found my first batch of the season in Elizabethtown, KY.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Checked on some of patches that have been productive for big yellows and greys the past 2 weeks. Found 7 yellows. It's just about finished in the
Louisville area. Need to discover some new patches of the big mature yellows while they are so easy to see and before they deteriorate with the heat.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Found 10 small yellows in Hart county today. Season appears to be just about 
finished in central KY.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Found 8 more small yellows and 2 older blacks while turkey hunting in central KY today.


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