# Your best indicator



## hypox (Jan 23, 2000)

PunyTrout said:


> Esgowen and was it @hypox who had the cat that could sniff out morels?


My cat is still at it, but at 13 years old, she is slowing down. I'm taking her out today for her first trip of the year.


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## fishx65 (Aug 24, 2005)

Over the last 20 years, I usually don't find a lot of blacks unless I'm getting hit in the face with lots spider webs. Spent a few hours in Lake this morning and only found a few in my usual spots. This weekend and next week should be pretty good for blacks. They frickin logged out one of my best spots!!!


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## Null Response (Jul 27, 2018)

hypox said:


> My cat is still at it, but at 13 years old, she is slowing down. I'm taking her out today for her first trip of the year.


Please post pictures if she has any success!


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## Cooper (Jan 7, 2010)

I


Null Response said:


> Please post pictures if she has any success!


Would love to see video of her in action! That seems just so cool and bizarre to me all at the same time. Best of luck!


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## CoWalSki (May 31, 2003)

Post a " How to train a cat to find morels " video and I'll be headed to the humane shelter tommorow. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Not much of a Morel hunter, but I was thinking yesterday that some mushrooms should be popping. Maybe I will take a walk down the rd at the state land later today.


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## Macjim (Jan 4, 2011)

I went for about an hour in the woods behind the house and saw a few not edible. As I got back to the yard I saw one black about half an inch tall. I am just west of Chelsea.


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## aph (Oct 21, 2002)

fishx65 said:


> Over the last 20 years, I usually don't find a lot of blacks unless I'm getting hit in the face with lots spider webs. Spent a few hours in Lake this morning and only found a few in my usual spots. This weekend and next week should be pretty good for blacks. They frickin logged out one of my best spots!!!


the year after we logged our property my son and I picked 800... it was almost work.


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## Kevin Hughes (May 2, 2018)

Went out yesterday afternoon to 2 spots usually find them and only found one small.


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## LTH (Nov 14, 2017)

Tons of rain for 48 plus hours and temps near 70 this weekend should get a few popping for sure. Took a ride up to Mio/Glennie area last Saturday and the woods are two weeks behind up there. Found three piles of snow still! I will concentrate my efforts in central Michigan this weekend (starting tomorrow).


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

LTH said:


> Took a ride up to Mio/Glennie area last Saturday and the woods are two weeks behind up there. Found three piles of snow still! I will concentrate my efforts in central Michigan this weekend (starting tomorrow).


I agree


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

I am in Oakland County, don't get blacks here. But for yellows, dandelions in full bloom is a good sign. And lilacs blooming.


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

I


DanSS26 said:


> I am in Oakland County, don't get blacks here. But for yellows, dandelions in full bloom is a good sign. And lilacs blooming.


 always associate new young poison ivy growth with the progression of yellow morel season. And proximity too. Seems it likes the same environment as morels. Look out


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## hypox (Jan 23, 2000)

Found 39 bigger ones today. Well, my partner found most of them.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

I went looking in lapeer county in 4 spots. I dont know much about what i am doing but my son and i found 6 today 5 of them were the size of the nail on my pinky finger. One was as half the size of my thumb. We left them and we were thinking of going back monday. Not sure if that is long enough to wait. We seemed to find them around cherry trees. One group of 3 had dead elm trees within a 10 ft radius but the shrooms were at the base of a cherry.


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

DirtySteve said:


> I went looking in lapeer county in 4 spots. I dont know much about what i am doing but my son and i found 6 today 5 of them were the size of the nail on my pinky finger. One was as half the size of my thumb. We left them and we were thinking of going back monday. Not sure if that is long enough to wait. We seemed to find them around cherry trees. One group of 3 had dead elm trees within a 10 ft radius but the shrooms were at the base of a cherry.



They do not grow as fast as some claim, many time lapse videos on youtube. I would wait until thursday or so to go check the small ones for growth, many of their friends will probably be making an appearance by then also.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

DanSS26 said:


> I am in Oakland County, don't get blacks here. But for yellows, dandelions in full bloom is a good sign. And lilacs blooming.


Morels make my stomach feel like I swallowed knives, so I don't look for them, but this is in my yard.

Oakland County.

Is it a black?

I have no idea. It's black tinted.


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## Grinnell (Nov 20, 2019)

Firefighter said:


> Morels make my stomach feel like I swallowed knives, so I don't look for them, but this is in my yard.
> 
> Oakland County.
> 
> ...


Mulch boner


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Firefighter said:


> Morels make my stomach feel like I swallowed knives, so I don't look for them, but this is in my yard.
> 
> Oakland County.
> 
> ...



Looks like a half free on its way out to me, cut it in half length wise and take a picture. Can tell for sure then.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)




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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Firefighter said:


> View attachment 527403


Ya , it's a half free , not what you want to be eating.


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Definitely a half free, its a shame your stomach don't agree with morels.


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## eyepod (Dec 31, 2010)

When the buds on my forsythia bushes pop, its go time.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

DirtySteve said:


> I went looking in lapeer county in 4 spots. I dont know much about what i am doing but my son and i found 6 today 5 of them were the size of the nail on my pinky finger. One was as half the size of my thumb. We left them and we were thinking of going back monday. Not sure if that is long enough to wait. We seemed to find them around cherry trees. One group of 3 had dead elm trees within a 10 ft radius but the shrooms were at the base of a cherry.


Its hard to say without pictures but normally the ones around cherry tree are true greys that do not grow much if at all. Last year they were bigger than ive seen in my lifetime but generally the smallest of the morels. That said most white/yellows are more grey to start and can go from 1 inch to pop cans. Sunday will not be enough time either way. Have watched one for 23 days one time before it grew. And most would have sworn at day 24 it had popped the night before lol


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## eyepod (Dec 31, 2010)




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## esgowen (Feb 27, 2011)

Firefighter said:


> View attachment 527403


 morchella punctipes aka half free morel ...


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

esgowen said:


> morchella punctipes aka half free morel ...


Did they change it again from morchella semi lebra?


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Waif said:


> Ya , it's a half free , not what you want to be eating.


Perfectly fine to eat, unless you have a problem with morels or other mushrooms.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Oldgrandman said:


> Perfectly fine to eat, unless you have a problem with morels or other mushrooms.


And therin lies the problem.
When a mushroom does not agree with you , it does not agree with you.

Even morels can have an effect on someone they did not before. Just as they can when alcohol is consumed with them , even though it was not a problem before.

When a poster who mushrooms do not agree with posts a half free , I'll err on the side of caution.
People eat beefsteaks too and I'd never suggest they are tolerable either.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Waif said:


> And therin lies the problem.
> When a mushroom does not agree with you , it does not agree with you.
> 
> Even morels can have an effect on someone they did not before. Just as they can when alcohol is consumed with them , even though it was not a problem before.
> ...


Yup that is terrible. I heard it has just set in on people that were fine for years eating morels, then suddenly they can't eat them. I'd probably die it that ever happened to me!


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## esgowen (Feb 27, 2011)

Sparky23 said:


> Did they change it again from morchella semi lebra?


 yea they say similibera is a European species .i believe ..


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

When i took the test thats what we were calling half frees. Wjo know. Changes yearly seems like


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Sparky23 said:


> When i took the test thats what we were calling half frees. Wjo know. Changes yearly seems like


It's all this DNA sequencing. 
I was hoping to learn all the proper Latin names and such. For get it about it, they keep changing ****. I started this hobby to late in life. I'll probably be dead and gone before it all gets straightened out.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

We all will lol. They have changed all therenlatin terms like 3 or 4 times in last 12 15 years. Up untill 5 or 6 years ago half free was a verpa.


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## brent164 (Mar 6, 2005)

May I ask what type of trees were logged??


aph said:


> the year after we logged our property my son and I picked 800... it was almost work.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Sparky23 said:


> Its hard to say without pictures but normally the ones around cherry tree are true greys that do not grow much if at all. Last year they were bigger than ive seen in my lifetime but generally the smallest of the morels. That said most white/yellows are more grey to start and can go from 1 inch to pop cans. Sunday will not be enough time either way. Have watched one for 23 days one time before it grew. And most would have sworn at day 24 it had popped the night before lol


Well we ended up picking them on monday. We went back and they grew a bit as well as some friends. We found another spot with several under an elm. We left about 8 very small ones there and went back today. It appears that this was someones spot. The tree was in the middle of some nasty thorns. The person came through armed with a machete clearing a path and picked the shrooms we had left.

We also picked what I believe are half frees. We havent eaten them yet but i took the true morels and boxed them up for my dads 72nd bday. He was pretty thrilled.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Nice. You have all 3 species there. Whites. Blacks and half free.


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