Springtime brings opportunities you can't find any other time of the year, hunting Morel Mushrooms. Searching for this delicacy may not be on your radar, but it should be.

Morel
Drew Kirby/CANVA
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You may not hear much about this delicious fungi in Wyoming. The reasoning behind that is pretty simple, it's like fight club, you don't talk about them.  The first rule of finding morel mushrooms in Wyoming is, you don't talk about finding morel mushrooms.

Buckrail, which is a Jackson based news site, says finding morels in Wyoming is possible and could be financially promising to you. The elusive treat could be worth $30 or more, so why wouldn't you want to get out and enjoy nature while hunting the mushrooms.

When I was growing up it was an event that my family took very seriously. Both of my grandpa's had their honey hole spots for finding and collecting morels, they were really tight lipped about where they found them too. Once they were collected, the brag was one of the best parts of the adventure. Just like a good fishing story, you may stretch the truth of how many pounds of mushrooms you found. Always of course stating that you didn't want to collect them all, so they'll grow back next year.

Morel hunting is so popular in the U.S. that there is a website dedicated to people sharing the general location of their mushroom find. As you can see, LOTS of people enjoy showing off their find on this interactive map from www.thegreatmorel.com.

morel map
thegreatmorel.com
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What you don't see is anywhere in Wyoming reporting, the reason...it's not quite time yet. Usually May is the month to start looking for these small little treasures. The mushrooms need some consistency of lots of spring daytime warmth, cool evenings, scattered rainy and cloudy days and soil temperatures in the 50's.

Tips on finding morels.

  • Look to the South and Westward slopes
  • Make sure you're picking morel's and not the false morels. Find the difference here
  • Burn sites are great for finding morels. They enjoy the nutrients provided by the burnt trees in the soil
  • You'll have a better chance to find them if you look by certain trees.
    • Maple
    • Cedar
    • Ash
    • Sycamore
    • Cottonwood
    • Willow
    • Birch
    • Pine
    • Oak

Once you find a honey hole of mushrooms, there is Mushroom Hunting Etiquette to Follow

  • Use a mesh bag to carry your shrooms
    • allows spores to fall out and help the future growth
  • Leave some behind
    • not taking all the shrooms you find will allow them to drop spores and come back next year
  • Never ask someone where their honey hole is, just like their favorite fishing spot, they'll send you on a wild goose chase.
  • Be safe and remember it's safer for you to take a friend, carry protection, have a map of the area you're in and be alert for bears.

My favorite way to eat the morels is to bread and fry them.

Morel mushroom in the frying pan
JackVandenHeuvel
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Check out this video if you want an easy way to fry up your shrooms.

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