# Morel Predictions



## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

With a wave of warm weather expected to bless us this week, I can only begin to think about planning my first trip for morels. Weather channel has the next 10 days with highs at or above 69 degrees. (Peebles, Ohio in Adams County) I have said many times that I typically don't hunt until after the first week of April, but then again how many years has it been over 70 degrees in early March? In addition many of the Easter lilies have bloomed down home, which is a couple of weeks early for them....so one can only assume that everything else is a couple weeks ahead of time, right? I don't plan on hitting the woods this coming weekend, but I am beginning to wonder if the weekend of March 24, and 25 would be a good start. Any thoughts? Maybe just wishful thinking.


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

Definitely gonna be a screwy spring . A buddy found 2 blacks in his yard th other day.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

won't happen...shed hunt and/or hike trails until April.
Now it may be a *little* earlier than normal in April, but it won't be too far off the typical year.


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## brummy (Mar 15, 2006)

I normally start hunting april 15th but with the warm weather and wet winter, I am thinking around the 1 st - the 7th of april. A buddy of mine did walk all day yesterday down around tar hollow, and found 2 small blacks.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Kinda what I thought. Last year we picked a lot of small ones around mid April. I'm going to try and wait as long as I can this year. Kinda hard with all this warm moist weather. I'll shoot for the weekend of the 1rst of April then. That should give me plenty of time to fish for crappie, maybe even catch a few channel cats.


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## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

last year in jefferson co I found a dozen blacks the friday before easter went back and picked on easter day then found started to find the bigger ones about 2 week after that


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## DCopas (Jul 20, 2011)

I have a few spots that always produce early. Last year I found around 50 early black morels on April 4th and they were nice sized as well. I will be out at the end of the month to check this spot with out a doubt. I wouldn't be suprised to see them up early. Fruiting is mostly soil temperature related from what I have read. With no big freeze ups this year down our way, I think the ground will reach the right temperature sooner if the warm weather persists. I would be cautious about waiting too long because undergrowth will be coming up really fast this year, unless we have a cold April.
Hopefully, this will be a better year than I have had for the last few years. My last really good year was in 2009.


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## Guest (Mar 20, 2012)

I am thinking it will be early...how early I don't know....I usually think the first couple weeks of turkey season are prime. This year though it will have to be earlier than that. I figure the ground never froze this year and we have lots of recent moisture in it and no foliage to block the sun from getting to the ground so it will warm fast...I think I will check some of my easy to get to spots this week. Can't hurt to look!!!!


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## jkeeney20 (Mar 21, 2006)

stopped at a buddies last night here in scioto county, he found 8 small blacks yesterday. It won't be to much longer, i'm be out next week for sure


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## BigChessie (Mar 12, 2005)

Last week they were up in Pickaway County


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I walked today fro an hour nothing, but it sure looks right in the woods m,ay apples up and leaves are just coming on have had some reports of blacks and a few greys up...i dont really have many early spots but i will still be checking.....gonna work in the garden and get it ready before the rain this weekend...then mon afternoon headed to the woods. its supposed to cool off after the rain too hopefully i will stumble on a few next week


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

Any day now.


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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

I have a friend in Danville who found 19 blacks in the past couple of days while scouting for turkey season. It is starting for sure, and a couple weeks early. I hope this season is as good as last year.


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## catalac (Jan 13, 2010)

my friend found a bowl full today hasn't gave me an exact number of how many but the picture looks like 30 or so


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

I'm hitting some of my early spots tomorrow with high hopes. I'll post results good or bad


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

Has anyone ever found any in the litchfield area? I've looked several times in the last few years around dead/dying elms and apple trees but zip!! Anyone have any luck in that area? What about Spencer lake?


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

As predicted we found 67 blacks in four hours today. What a odd year. They weren't up in numbers, but the size was average. Hopefully we find the numbers next weekend.


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

Gray, yellow and black, is one prefered over the others or are they all considered the same as far as taste ect.?


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

catfishnut said:


> Gray, yellow and black, is one prefered over the others or are they all considered the same as far as taste ect.?


There is a slight taste difference, but I probably couldn't tell the difference if I was blindfolded. However I do believe there is a texture difference. They greys and yellows have a more firm, thicker skin. When you cook them they tend to hold their shape better than the blacks, which often tend to flatten. I have heard people say that this one tastes better, or they like this size of mushroom over others. Generally my family prefers small yellows and greys. (I believe they prefer the firmness, texture, rather than taste. ) 

They always taste the best when you have to work the hardest to get them. It's more rewarding.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

I went and checked 2 of my earliest spots in Clark county...nada in the first and 7 small grays in the 2nd. Talked to local serious shroomers and they spent 25 hours since Weds...they found a total of 51.

It may be a week or so early, but I wouldn't get too excited. All the legitimate reports out and very few found...even down south. The cold spell coming will kill what little momentum there was.

I won't be going out again until the second week in April unless I know of numbers being found by Reputable local sources.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Here's the 40 combined that my girlfriend and I found, sorry there's no date in the pic for reference. Some of the morels had holes, tops knocked off, and one was even dried up a little bit. We don't hunt public lands, so there is no need to keep things a secret about morels being up. I'm not saying that people are lying about their findings, just that I have no reason to lie. They will be up in full force this weekend, if you wait two weekends you may be missing out on mushrooms on public grounds. I have found that the Columbus area lags three days behind our findings, from that I assume that the Cleveland/Toledo area is a full week behind.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Sean - I didn't mean to imply anybody here is not being truthful. I talk to a LOT of people all over the state daily....I've been hearing of morel findings for 2 weeks When I said "legitimate reports" - it had nothing to do with reports here or anywhere on-line, but rather my personal meaning of "I spoke to a local friend morel hunter whom I trust and have an actual good local report". Morel hunters are much like fishermen

I hunt more spots for morels than almost anybody I know...I've given the exact location to very productive spots to members on this website I have so many. I've been hunting them seriously for 15 years and I have over 200 locations in OH on my GPS.....I don't even make it to everywhere I know morels produce each year. I travel all over daily and make my own schedule so I may check as many as 6-8 locations in a day (while working)

My point is folks get worked up over reports and frankly there just aren't many up right now. This is much like a typical year so far...just a week or so early. There are always guys I know that find handfuls in southern OH very early in April....this year it is late March. 

Unless you have unlimited time you are much better off getting your honey do's complete and yard cleaned up for the next 2 weeks and then hitting the woods.

Are morels up..sure. I know in total of a couple hundred blacks and grays found this weekend....most down south around Athens. Morels won't be peaking in full force this weekend in SW and Central OH - you and I will just have to disagree about that. This is just the beginning of the season regardless of the weather pattern.


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