Tips for a Successful Morel Hunt

Each spring, thousands of Americans head into the poison ivy and tick-infested backwoods to search for the elusive and delectable morel mushroom. If you’ve never been morel hunting before, this article will give you some great tips on how to get started. Even the morel-hunting veteran might learn a new tip or two.

Be sure to bring plenty of bug spray, as ticks are extremely prevalent in the environments that morels thrive in. The only thing thicker than ticks in morel country is poison ivy. On our excursion, only one of us was lucky enough to escape it. Be sure to wash the clothes that you were wearing immediately when you get home, and separate from the rest of your laundry.

Morels tend to thrive in environments with moist soil and vast amounts of decomposing matter, such as leaves and deadfall. If you can head out into the woods directly after a soil saturating rain, the delicious fungus should be thriving. You better head out early, though, because unless you have private land, you can bet someone else will be hunting for the same bounty. It is also important to note that there is a strong symbiotic relationship between morels and Cottonwood trees, so that is a great place for you to start searching.

Once you find a spot that has quite a few mushrooms, you can bet that it won’t be the last time they’ll pop up there. Make sure you have a handheld GPS, such as the Garmin Oregon 650t to mark your waypoints so you can find your honey hole next week or next year.

Time flies when you’re morel hunting, so it’s a good idea to bring a fully functional watch like the Garmin fēnix 3 that can not only keep your time, but also how many miles you’ve walked, barometric pressure to see if a storm is on its way, and even severe weather alerts. It’s easy to get turned around, so if you don’t have a handheld GPS with you, the fēnix 3 will have you covered, as it can also track where you go.

Walking slowly and staying alert is key to a successful morel hunt. Always be looking down, and make sure to look behind you, because you may have walked right past, or worse, stepped on your prized treasure.

If you follow these tips, we have no doubt that you’ll have a successful morel hunt. In one half day, we amassed 5 pounds of the delicacy. Once you get home, there are many ways to cook them up; you can sauté your morels in butter, top off a steak, fry them, or whatever sounds good to you. There’s really no wrong way to do it!

For the latest news and updates about Garmin fishing and hunting products follow us at @garminfishhunt on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook @Garmin Fish & Hunt, and tag us using #FishGarmin or #HuntGarmin.

The post Tips for a Successful Morel Hunt appeared first on Garmin Blog.