Mushrooms!

[duckslayer56]

Just got back from my second trip of the year in Maryland for mushrooms. We got a good rain yesterday, and too windy to sit in a tree for whitetails today. I decided to head out to the woods anyway and hunt for a different quarry. The rain really brought out the hen of woods mushrooms, we found a ton of them. A few chicken of the woods too. I found a lot more chickens than pictured, just way past prime to pick, so I left them for next year. I was surprised to not find any oysters, and most of the puffballs have spored out. But the season seems to be kicking off pretty well for the polypores this year!

Going to dry most of these to add to venison or moose stew later this year. I'll also rehydrate some to cook with some steaks. I don't know what it is about wild mushrooms, but I love them with my game meat.

 

[Fishhead]

Those are some beautiful hens. Been getting into a lot of chicken this year. Not so much on the hens. Glad I'm not the only mushroom junky.

 

[duckslayer56]

I've almost wrecked my truck twice looking at oak trees while driving past them. Good luck on your hunting. The oysters should be coming out now too.

 

[Fishhead]

Mushrooms are pretty much done by me(northeast Wisconsin). We have been getting pretty good frosts the last week or so. I do well on the oysters in early summer.

 

[duckslayer56]

ah yeah, I forgot about that darn geography! It's just now starting to cool off here in MD, last week it was 85, this week it's been struggling to reach 60. I think we've still got a little time left.

 

[Tsnider]

nice! i found chantrelle spots and bring out 10-15 pounds a year. cook them in butter and vacuum seal and freeze. so stinking good.

 

[Fishhead]

Took my son to boy scout camp over the summer and found over 250 chantrelles. One of my favorites.

 

[ChrisS]

This year is incredible. Last weekend turned out to be a monsoon in the Adirondacks and we cut the day's hunt short. But not before we picked about 15 gallon ziplocks worth of cleaned and sliced oysters and late oysters. The weather conditions were perfect and there were mushrooms everywhere.

Some years we have to search to find a gallon's worth. One of the older guys has said that our club doesn't shoot as many deer as other clubs because we spend all our time in the woods looking in the trees for mushrooms and not on the ground for deer.

 

[Fishhead]

Mushroom hunting is just as fun as deer hunting. I never (very rarely) get skunked mushroom hunting. What's even more fun is my kids are better at it than I am. I figure it has something to do with how much lower to the ground they are than me... Especially come morel season.

 

[zorogreenhaired]

some mush are poisonous, what species is this?

 

[Fishhead]

You are correct zoro. In fact I would say that most mushrooms are poisonous. But there are quite a few that are very tasty. The mushrooms pictured above are mostly hen of the woods and the yellow ones are chicken of the woods. Both of those grow on oak trees. My favorites include morels, hen, chicken, oysters, chantrelles, bears tooth, puffballs, pheasant back and chaga. The ones I listed are rather easy to id. I try to add one to my list every year. Mushroom hunting keeps me in the woods longer and that is a good thing...

 

[the big Mao]

My buddy Jan the Bear says all mushrooms are edible......some only once.