“It’s a family tradition” - a phrase used by both Hank Williams Jr. and Marshfield’s Manary’s. However, the Manary family tradition involves hunting for the widely-known and esteemed fungi; the morel mushroom.
April’s wet nature and warmer temperatures brings life to the forests of Missouri, giving morel mushrooms the perfect environment to grow. It’s appearance leaves new hunters weary, due to the almost brain-like cap, but seasoned hunters know not to judge a book by its cover. The taste alone is what drives so many Missourians to the woods between late March and early May.
Morel mushrooms hunting is serious business, so serious in fact that hunters refuse to reveal where they find them. Typically, hunters have a “honey-hole” that they return to year after year.
Finding even one morel is no small feat in the mushroom community, so when Miller Manary (age 10) found her first mushroom on her “very own” she was hooked.
The evening Miller found her historic mushroom, she was walking with her mother, Julie, on their family farm in Marshfield. Intermittent rain joined them on their quest, as all eyes searched the grounds. Spotting one with no “hints” from her mother, Miller shouted “Mom, I found one!” as she plucked the fairly large mushroom from the ground. The rest was history.
“You get excited when you find one and you’re proud of yourself,” shared Miller. “Then you find more and you just get more and more excited.”
The excitement continued as Miller has been morel hunting several times since, keeping Julie busy in the kitchen frying them up.
“I think we just look forward to eating them,” laughed Julie. “And the challenge of finding them is fun. I think there's a lot of people that have looked for a long time and still haven't had much luck. We just get excited when we do find them and it works out.”
Webster County Conservation Agent Andrew Feistel offers some of his own methods for finding the flavorful fungi.
“I always want the temperatures to between 70ºF during the day and around 50ºF at night. That's when I tend to find more of them,” explained Feistel. “South and west facing slopes are good areas to look in early season. North and east slopes are better for later season, when it starts to get a little hotter.”
Trees also appear to be beacon for hunters. Feistel refers hunters to search amongst dead trees, whose roots are decomposing, creating a good environment for the fungus to pop up. Searching under certain species of trees; heirlooms, ash, cotton or apple trees may lead to success. Mayapples are a sure indicator that mushrooms are near, the two typically go hand in hand.
“If mayapples are growing well I tend to look in those areas,” explained Feistel. “The conditions for mayapple seem to like the same conditions as the morels.”
Feistel’s best advice to a successful season is also seeking out the permission of land-owners to hunt and to take safety precautions out in the woods.
“Make sure you have permission from the landowner before you step on foot on that property. We do allow hunting morels on Missouri public lands in Webster County, but for personal use only,” said Feistel.
Feistel suggests wearing Hunter Orange when hunting. The bright orange vest is not required for spring turkey season, however, it is a safe option if a hunter is looking for mushrooms before, during or after turkey season. Lastly, do not eat a mushroom unless certain it’s an edible species.
Like the Manary’s, the annual hunt has become a family tradition for many Ozark families. It is a great excuse to get outdoors, become educated on native species and pairs nicely with fried wild turkey.
For more information about hunting morel mushrooms, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/.
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