# Intro and a few newbie questions (STL County)



## Cap'n_Stems (Apr 12, 2017)

Hello all, I am in the Valley Park / Fenton area near 141 and 44. Seems like there are a lot of promising places around here but I have yet to find a score. A few years ago a neighbor gave me a fried Morel to try. Needless to say, I very much enjoyed it. I love being outdoors, especially hiking. Figured I'd give mushroom hunting a try this year but so far have had zero success. I've read up and feel mostly confident about where and when I "should" be looking, but can't help but wonder how many others are in my area doing the same. It seems any time I go far off the beaten path and find a promising area all I find are boot prints in the mud. I've clocked about 5-6 hours of searching since March 31 and am getting a bit discouraged. 

A few of questions:
There was a major flood in the area Jan 2016. Is this good / bad / no effect?
Areas thick with honeysuckle bushes? 
Areas with ground ivy (creeping charlie)?

I am determined to find my first wild morel this year! Any advise or words of encouragement are warmly welcomed.


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## Casey (Mar 31, 2017)

I found a big yellow in Warren county today. They are hard to find some times, don't give up!! It is well worth it when you find the mother load.


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## joemoris (Feb 23, 2014)

Cap'n_Stems said:


> I am determined to find my first wild morel this year! Any advise or words of encouragement are warmly welcomed.


 Howdy and welcome. The peak season in St Louis County for me has always been around 18-20 April on average. Flooded lands can be bad, at least for me. They are growing! Babler State park has yielded many big ones, dont lose hope. Welcome to teh board


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## Cap'n_Stems (Apr 12, 2017)

I was at the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend and ended up finding one, about 3.5" tall. I looked all around for more but it was all alone. It was pretty dried up but still edible.

I am leaving Wednesday to go camping in northern Iowa so I'll try my luck there too.


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## jasonl (Mar 29, 2015)

floods IMO....spread toxins to the soil.......and I wouldn't want to risk ingesting that.....look for cottonwood tree's...maple...sycamore...elm...ash...not sure what others.....try skipping the bottom land and try some slopes ....or wet weather washes ....I aint the best morel hunter..and I am not near St. Louis...but I know a thing or two about mushrooms..lol.....keep looking


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