Mushroom Newbe

[minky]

Would anyone be willing to take a newbe out to show him the ropes for harvesting mushrooms?

I do have 7 acres around Braham and 40 up by willow river we could gather on.

I would be willing to drive a couple hours to get some experience.

Thanks in advance,

Minky

[Stick in Mud]

I might be willing to meet you and head out for a little huntin'. I'm a bit greedy when it comes to "my" spots, but I'll definitely tell you where pushbutton finds all of his. Or I'd be happy to show you what you have on your 40 over by Willow River--I'm still eating mushrooms from last summer, so you could keep everything we found.

Hopefully we could find a few edibles, and I'd help you ID the easier ones. That would get you started, at least. I pass up and down I-35 all the time in the summer heading to Quetico, BWCA, the Thirsty Pagan, etc., so I bet we could find something that worked.

[minky]

Thank you for the opportunity.

I even would be willing take a day off of work to make it work out!

Can a person harvest on state forest land?

There is a lot of state land around Willow River.

[Stick in Mud]

I can't say I've ever looked on state forest land, to be honest. I think it's OK, but I'm not certain about that.

[pushbutton]

I would think so as state parks are. Sna's are off limits...dont know about wma's ? Some county parks are no go, as well as the don't leave the trail nazis in the 3 rivers district. Minky, would take Stick up on it if you two could connect.....as he has mad mushroom skilz. Keep in mind mushroom spots are even more tight lipped than crappies holes...... all i get out of him is "private land near xyz"

[Stick in Mud]

SNA's are off limits? Oops.

[pushbutton]

Ignorance is often yummy bliss......

[Stick in Mud]

It certainly can be. I'll have to check the rules...I figured they were fair pickin'.

I think WMA's are good to pick. I've hunted a few of them all over the state, and I've stopped and chatted with DNR folks there who're working, clearing trail, driving around, harassing bird hunters, etc. I told them what I was doing, and none said anything about it. Most WMA's aren't that great, but I've found a few that had the odd mushroom. A lot of them seem to be pheasanty and/or ducky...not exactly primo territory for the shrooms.

[Stick in Mud]

Alright, so a quick check confirms that pushbutton is right: SNA's don't allow for picking mushrooms. There might be a loophole, though, as it says to leave plants and animals alone (save for those SNA's that allow hunting, fishing, etc.). Now, mushrooms aren't either plants OR animals, so maybe we're safe. We're also supposed to leave other "natural elements" alone, so I'm guessing mushrooms fall under that category, but if you've ever seen a 40 pound orange chicken growing on an old oak, you'd probably agree with me that there's nothing "natural" about it.

[leech~~]

Alright, so a quick check confirms that pushbutton is right: SNA's don't allow for picking mushrooms. There might be a loophole, though, as it says to leave plants and animals alone (save for those SNA's that allow hunting, fishing, etc.). Now, mushrooms aren't either plants OR animals, so maybe we're safe. We're also supposed to leave other "natural elements" alone, so I'm guessing mushrooms fall under that category, but if you've ever seen a 40 pound orange chicken growing on an old oak, you'd probably agree with me that there's nothing "natural" about it.

I've ran into this ruling at a few parks as well. It kind of suk's really because shrooms are a fungus that come and go, it's not like you are taking rocks "natural elements" out of the parks! I did have one say that they had no rule on the taking of fungus so you need to check with them. Most of them allow hiking, so a little early morning "hiking in camo" may work!

[JP Z]

Or under the cover of darkness with a red filter over your headlamp???

[Stick in Mud]

Yeah, it does seem silly to not allow picking mushrooms, though as pushbutton mentioned, there are quite a few parks that don't allow it--or even walking off the trail. It's probably easier just to prohibit ALL picking than to single out certain organisms that are fair game.

I once got reprimanded in a park for walking off the trails...something about preserving the woods for everyone and keeping it "natural." I found it funny...I was on a very wide *paved* trail that had been cut out of the forest. Very "natural," that.

If picking mushrooms were allowed, we'd probably be doing the woods a favor. Chickens, hens, chaga, and honeys are all forest pathogens. If you find them on a living tree, it won't be living for long.

[JP Z]

Stick, it's the same principle as it's OK for lions to eat meat, humans can't because that is murder!

[NoWiser]

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission

Plus, it's more exciting to be hunting for mushrooms when you are also being hunted by the park police

[JP Z]

I like it....an updated version of the "Most Dangerous Game" I can see a new reality show being created.....who can find the most edibles before the Po Po catch them.

[leech~~]

You just need to go early or late when the park po po are not working!