Rate your spring 'shrooming season...

[Stick in Mud]

I'm jealous of your location, Matt. Much, much more variety up there than is available in the old-oak moraines near me. I headed up nort' today and lo and behold found decent mushrooms around the Brainerd area....trumpets and a few salvageable kings. Even a chicken or ten.

[JP Z]

STick, you wanna tell me Where in the Brainerd Area?

[Stick in Mud]

Sure.

Mostly private land, but I got the chickens in Father Hennepin St. Park on the south side of Mille Lacs. I've been "hunting" mushrooms for a while now, and I'm continually intrigued by the way forest ecology determines which kinds of mushrooms grow where. Head up to Bemidji/Walker/Hackensack/Nisswa/ Atikokan/Grygla/anywhere north of me, and mushrooms that don't grow within 60 miles of me litter the ground. Same goes for a bit south and towards the southeast.

But boy can I bring home chickens.

[JP Z]

Thanks, yeah it is weird. Hunted up in Bemidji this spring and it is quite a bit different than my spots here in Brainerd......that and I'm only just starting to learn this all.

[jerkin'm]

Got a nice chicken and left some chanterelles for a day or two - my son was also super excited for some new antlers for his room-(:

[NoWiser]

Chants are back, woohoo!!

My usual honey hole only has a few the size of my pinky nail so far, but I walked some ridge tops and found some pretty big ones. The next month is the best shrooming of the year, in my opinion!

I'm heading up to the Brainerd area this weekend and hope to find something worthwhile up there one morning before the rest of the family wakes up.

The good news is that after an evening in the woods there is no need to eat supper with all the gnats a guy swallows. Man, the bugs are ferocious right now. But, it's all worth it when you fight your way to an opening in the buckthorn and the woods turns gold!

On the menu tonight, grilled pork chops with a side of chanterelles

[JP Z]

Very cool NoWiser, I am planning to get out Hunting Chants this weekend, maybe I'll luck into a lobster as well.

[jerkin'm]

Found mostly tiny ones in west central Minnesota yesterday- mostly the same around home today- ended up with a couple pounds- thank goodness I didn't find any Busch Light- I wouldn't have harvested it anyway, its supposedly edible but I don't believe it....

[B-man715]

Found mostly tiny ones in west central Minnesota yesterday- mostly the same around home today- ended up with a couple pounds- thank goodness I didn't find any Busch Light- I wouldn't have harvested it anyway, its supposedly edible but I don't believe it....

That stuff ain't too bad, but sure isn't a tasty Grain Belt......

How have you been Pat? I hope all is well with you fellas and the critters Have the kids been out-fishing ya lately??

-Take care and good luck shrooming and on the water

[pushbutton]

Ha! Excellent Nowiser beer photo bomb!!! .....and, yeah, glad to see Jerky still kicking and making his kids sit sideways.....

Will soon be ending a 10 day vaca at the lake, going to be a big time ouchy going back to work, and will have to hit some woods and find some chants to ease the pain.

[Matt Breuer]

I'm jealous of your location, Matt. Much, much more variety up there than is available in the old-oak moraines near me. I headed up nort' today and lo and behold found decent mushrooms around the Brainerd area....trumpets and a few salvageable kings. Even a chicken or ten.

Don't be jealous of my location. The hunting around here isn't that great. I just happen to know the area from walking, and walking, and walking, and walking. A lot of my spots for Aug. are thanks to stumbling across goodies while bear guiding... Most of my best picking is NW of here or to the south. That Hack/Walker/Brainerd area is where it's at... St. Cloud and the Metro are also prime areas. There's almost no white oak up here, so I have to travel south for hedgehogs, porcini, and big numbers of other stuff.

Checked my chant spot on Sunday, and picked about 25, left a bunch to grow. Hoping to get out this weekend somewhere new, or head south.

[jerkin'm]

Brandon - big changes in our world, all good, will shoot you a text-

[jerkin'm]

Headed out a little more seriously today- chanterelles, boletes, stunted chicken, and a hedgehog-bugs weren't as bad as they have been- nice day in the woods with the boys-

-

[pushbutton]

Stick got me off the couch this evening after receiving a pic of a chant. Found some smaller ones and a few premature kings. In my spots things are just getting going for the summertime fun. Did not see any lobsters yet, but suspect there might be a few, as well as countless coral, in another spot I did not feel like hiking to. Followed Stick's MO and hit the woods with shorts and a tee shirt. Not the best idea, but all the cool kids were doing it. Actually, the bugs were surprisingly not that bad. Could be that I have not showered in days. My crapple crapped out again, and wether the newest android update or something wonky on this site won't allow cell pics anymore ....so you will just have to use your imagination. ...

[jerkin'm]

Shorts and a t-shirt? You are a brave man.........(: were the pics of you guys in your shorts doing a mosquito avoidance dance??? Not sure I want to use my imagination for that image.....

[Stick in Mud]

Well, since I'm now a "cool kid," I thought I'd chime in.

Yes, I did go out today in shorts and a t-shirt. The bugs weren't all that bad, though the deer flies were thick and provided good sport. There was a decent breeze in the woods where I was, so that must've helped.

And I found *one* chanterelle. That ties my record from last year in these woods, and it was in the same spot as the one I found last year. Sure enough, ten minutes after bragging to pushbutton that I'd found a chant, he sends me a photo of dozens of them.

See what I get for being nice?

[NoWiser]

I was up in the Brainerd area over the weekend. I only had time to get away for a little under 2 hours. It seemed a bit early for chants in the spot I was in. I found 2 tiny ones. I did find a nice big chicken that was absolutely prime, a handful of yellowfoots, and some blueberries. I'll be up again in early August. Hopefully it will be a bit better then.

[Matt Breuer]

NoWiser, I think the Brainerd area should be nice and prime. I haven't been down there yet, but being two hours away, and picking close to 100 chants already, I'd say they have to be going down there!

PB, a premature king? No such thing! Pick 'em as you see them before they get bugged! I found one today that was the size of a golfball and it was already too late...

[JP Z]

Matt,

Was out looking on Friday and the woods were pretty void of anything Fungus related. Found 1 nice COW, and a couple that were now hamburger. Nothing as far as Chants, or any other edibles goes....you know the spot

[MnCatGuy]

Bemidji MN is hands down one of the best areas to hunt mushrooms in the entire state. I'm always surprised at how few people are up there looking for them.

[Matt Breuer]

Bemidji MN is hands down one of the best areas to hunt mushrooms in the entire state. I'm always surprised at how few people are up there looking for them.

You'd have to tell me why you believe this to be true? Maybe because of the lack of pressure, or the great morel and oyster picking? We are basically void of elm, are loaded with pine, and the oaks we do have are scrub oak and red oak. I'd much rather drive south until I hit some white oak and a better mix with less pine... Hedgehogs are non-existent, COW is tough, hens are pure luck, never found hericium here...

[pushbutton]

Mushrooms are always mushier on the other side of the fence....oh wait...bad analogy Oregon is where it's at!!!

[pushbutton]

Doing a rain dance here. Finally picked about 4 dozen cute little button chants that I was keeping an eye on. They were not growing,starting to dry up, and figured something was better than nothing....

[NoWiser]

Had a fantastic morning yesterday with trumpets, chickens, and as many chants as I could carry out of the woods. The chants were absolutely prime. Hopefully this hot spell won't hurt things. I'm going to try to sweat it out after work tomorrow and get a few more pounds.

Hopefully you get your rain, Pushbutton!!

[Matt Breuer]

I retract an earlier statement that hedgehogs are non-existant. I found a giant patch of them the other day. First I've ever found within 30 miles of Bemidji. Just had to look in a place I never thought possible...

Chants are still going strong, and I've scratched the itch with a few lobsters. I would guess that we've got 2 weeks until we're in full force prime summer picking, as long as we continue to get some rain.

Anyone else ready for fall? I can already smell the honey mushrooms frying, and picture the hens in my basket...