# On the board



## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Took a walk finally today. Got 17 blacks. Only one was super fresh rest had been up for a while looked like.


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## ToppDogg (Dec 29, 2010)

Nice !! What part of the state ??


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Sw


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Went to a few spots today. One is a combo spot very reliable for blacks grey's white and half free. Found one tiny half free. Then a white spot with nothing. Then 3 blacks spots with 3 to show. Not good.


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## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

Your report sounds like what mine would be. Only I found a few little greys in a predominantly black spot. Hopefully this rain will help the cause.


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## flyfisher502 (Aug 17, 2015)

what part of the state are you in?


Sparky23 said:


> Went to a few spots today. One is a combo spot very reliable for blacks grey's white and half free. Found one tiny half free. Then a white spot with nothing. Then 3 blacks spots with 3 to show. Not good.
> View attachment 525153


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Southwest again at says right up above 2 posts above this


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Another challenging season ahead it appears. 

Last year after I could not go anymore, I heard/saw that the blacks were still showing amid the white variety flushes, which isn't really all that common...for me. Half-free morels tend to be with the whites, but not the early darks...again in my experience. I want the darks.

IDK, I hope to still have the time off since it ain't happening yet and could be a wacko season again, past years I couldn't get the time off I wanted due to efking work.....I am due for a break! Off until Memorial day weekend works for me!


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

On the board. Sort of. Not bad for an urban area. Wayne county park.... my girlfriend’s first batch ever. Good stuff.


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## Wandering arrows (Dec 20, 2009)

On the board in Ottawa


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Oldgrandman said:


> Another challenging season ahead it appears.
> 
> Last year after I could not go anymore, I heard/saw that the blacks were still showing amid the white variety flushes, which isn't really all that common...for me. Half-free morels tend to be with the whites, but not the early darks...again in my experience. I want the darks.
> 
> IDK, I hope to still have the time off since it ain't happening yet and could be a wacko season again, past years I couldn't get the time off I wanted due to efking work.....I am due for a break! Off until Memorial day weekend works for me!


Should be good up here this weekend with all the warm weather and the rain today. I know someone who found some last weekend north of me


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Went to a few spots today found 17 whites. Decent size and just popped. The around 50 blacks. Only 1 was fresh. But all but 1 were in good shape.


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## BayBound (Apr 15, 2010)

Checked a few spots in Livingston county tonight but nothing going yet. I have never found any blacks here but was hoping for a couple greys. Soil temp was 50 so it is close. Wish we didn’t have a cold snap coming next week.


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

Sparky23 said:


> Went to a few spots today found 17 whites. Decent size and just popped. The around 50 blacks. Only 1 was fresh. But all but 1 were in good shape.
> View attachment 525667
> View attachment 525669


That sum bitch gonna eat your shrooms lol. Just kidding. Awesome sighting. Used to see them a bunch at my grandpas place north of gladwin


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

4 whites 3 half frees was it for the short stops i made today. Nothing worth picking.


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

Found some great potential elms but nothing underneath. But man did they look promising.....


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Nothing here yet, at least for me. Can't wait for the whites,, found a terrific spot a couple of years ago. BTW, what is a half free?


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

toto said:


> Nothing here yet, at least for me. Can't wait for the whites,, found a terrific spot a couple of years ago. BTW, what is a half free?


Morchella semilibra. Thinner taller stringier stalks almost crispy. Small cap. Hollow on cross section. No “cotton” inside. Look up verpa Bohemica and learn to avoid it


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

toto said:


> Nothing here yet, at least for me. Can't wait for the whites,, found a terrific spot a couple of years ago. BTW, what is a half free?


Half free morels on the left and verpa on the right. In reality they are super easy to tell apart, verpa caps look nothing like a true morels cap.


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Thanks, I'll keep looking for the regular morels I guess.


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## Uncle Boopoo (Sep 15, 2008)

In the last week and a half I looked in Lake, Mason, Ogemaw, and Oscoda counties and couldn’t find any. Lots of beefsteaks though and a handful of ticks unfortunately.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Put on a lotttt of miles again today. Found maybe 8 whites and 10 pecker heads. Whites were on the bad end of life cycle. Not looking good


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

Sparky23 said:


> Put on a lotttt of miles again today. Found maybe 8 whites and 10 pecker heads. Whites were on the bad end of life cycle. Not looking good


 
"Whites were on the bad end of life cycle. Not looking good"

Wow, that's not good. Is it dry in your area? The whites around me are staying small, but are looking good and healthy. With this cold weather, I do not expect them to grow much.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

I have been in kalamazoo. Barry. Allegan. Kent. Lake. Newaygo. Osceloa. And mecosta in the last 3 days. All of them were dryer than id prefer. There is still so.e soil dampness but that is going fast.


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## riverwart (Oct 20, 2009)

I've put in a ton of walking over the last few days as well. The morels are definitely coming to an end in southern Wayne County, at least in all my spots. Most are dried out, moldy, and bug eaten. Looked under a million dead elms over the last 3 weeks, mostly coming up empty. Only a few trees with success. A slow season for sure.


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

I have been seeing more people than ever in the woods this year. And lots of people posting pictures on Facebook Michigan morel pages of dozens of tiny one inch morels. They are all getting picked while tiny


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

DanSS26 said:


> I have been seeing more people than ever in the woods this year. And lots of people posting pictures on Facebook Michigan morel pages of dozens of tiny one inch morels. They are all getting picked while tiny


Here is my observation

They shouldn't grow tiny right now, I am talking about black morels in NORMAL growing conditions. I picked enough years to know that they can,* MOST DEFINITELY WILL*...grow to a pretty good size overnight from not even breaking the surface as a visible mushroom 24 hours before. 

So many times I could pick the same woods a couple days in a row and get fresh morels that were not there the day before. Fact is, the black season SHOULD be on it's way out now. 

The white variety morels SHOULD be coming on now, but Mother Nature is not cooperating this season, exponentially less than the previous seasons.

But even they (whites) CAN grow large over night, this is driven by weather conditions.....IMHO and I need to add that this is *in my experience*.


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

I was referring to whites...


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## mainstreet1958 (Mar 16, 2012)

Really? The trillium hasn't even bloomed yet. Just now about 3 inches tall and enfolding.


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## brigeton (Feb 12, 2004)

mainstreet1958 said:


> Really? The trillium hasn't even bloomed yet. Just now about 3 inches tall and enfolding.


The peak for blacks is usually around mothers day. I find the whites around memorial day.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

mainstreet1958 said:


> Really? The trillium hasn't even bloomed yet. Just now about 3 inches tall and enfolding.


Saw them up and the whites of the flowers showing (not fully blossomed) over the weekend, nearly as far up as the Bridge.



brigeton said:


> The peak for blacks is usually around mothers day. I find the whites around memorial day.


Keyword: Usually.

Don't mind me, just look at the reports. It would be awesome if things were (turned out to be) normal this season.


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## brigeton (Feb 12, 2004)

That's why I'm hoping the season can still be saved if we got some decent weather. Some are saying the season is done. IMO it just hasn't been warm enough but if we get a warm up maybe some will pop at least the whites. It's going to be cold this weekend, I don't know what the long range is.


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## mainstreet1958 (Mar 16, 2012)

After this cold front goes bye bye we shall see. The next 2 weeks will tell the tale.


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## TK81 (Mar 28, 2009)

brigeton said:


> The peak for blacks is usually around mothers day. I find the whites around memorial day.


Only a few blacks have popped on our property around Big Rapids. Usually find plenty of black morels there for the first couple weeks of May. I'm thinking that if the forecast holds, my best bet will be the week of the 17th:










Kind of a cold micro-climate there and we get whites into the first week of June many years.

Still hoping.:corkysm55


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

brigeton said:


> That's why I'm hoping the season can still be saved if we got some decent weather. Some are saying the season is done. IMO it just hasn't been warm enough but if we get a warm up maybe some will pop at least the whites. It's going to be cold this weekend, I don't know what the long range is.





TK81 said:


> Only a few blacks have popped on our property around Big Rapids. Usually find plenty of black morels there for the first couple weeks of May. I'm thinking that if the forecast holds, my best bet will be the week of the 17th:
> 
> View attachment 529283
> 
> ...


Love the positivity. I am trying!

I do hope the white season is salvageable if nothing else, no hope for the blacks but then who knows?


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## BayBound (Apr 15, 2010)

I was hoping for a few early whites before the cold snap in Livingston. Nope! One pheasant back. Man it was dry out there. Last year I had my best days here a week before Memorial weekend so there is still some hope!


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

There’s plenty of hope still. Found another fifty or so today all very small. Got em before anyone else saw the spot. Hate to pick em like that but they’ll be in someone else’s belly otherwise. Checked several VERY reliable spots and they are just starting. 


BayBound said:


> I was hoping for a few early whites before the cold snap in Livingston. Nope! One pheasant back. Man it was dry out there. Last year I had my best days here a week before Memorial weekend so there is still some hope!


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

Grinnell said:


> There’s plenty of hope still. Found another fifty or so today all very small. Got em before anyone else saw the spot. Hate to pick em like that but they’ll be in someone else’s belly otherwise. Checked several VERY reliable spots and they are just starting.


Perhaps stop thinking in terms of dates and indicators. Think spots not dates. I’ve picked in June. I’ve picked in March. This cool weather has slowed rampant growth- for sure. I’m suggesting that they’re FAR from being done. In fact- all of the spots I’ve hit around here are just giving up thumb size at best- many half of that. I’d say there’s at least two weeks left of good picking maybe three. Depends on site specific conditions. But don’t let anyone tell you They’re all done. No way


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

And I forget who suggested these- so thank you- amazing books from good people. 50$ bucks for three very well written and photographed. Support the grass roots dreamers.


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

I have the Forager's Harvest, and Midwest Foraging. Like them both.


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