It’s mid April, the days are warmer, the rain has come and so will the Morel Mushrooms. Now how do we know when these tasty fungi are popping, when the fruit trees start to bloom.

The Mid-West Morel’s

In the Midwest we typically see our first Small Gray Morels by the 3rd week of April, but the weather has been cooler this year, pushing them back a couple of weeks.

For myself, I will be out there again this weekend (April 22), but I’m guessing we are still a week away. The Rain is here and the days are warmer, but we are still seeing 30s for night time temperatures. The best temps for the Morel Mushroom is 60+ degrees for daytime and no lower than 40 degrees for night temperatures (soil temps 45 to 55 degrees).

My prediction for the Midwest states this year (2017) is; small grays and yellows will be popping around April 29th, the large Morels will be in their peak the week of May 15th.

Where To Find Morel Mushrooms

Check out a few of my articles on Morels, but here are a few tips;
A. Look in areas of dead Elms and Ash (decaying bark).
B. Look in old Apple Orchards.
C. Search the South East facing slopes/hills for the early Morels
D. Search the edges of the woods and fence lines.
E. Check out the roadside ditches and steep banks.
F. Look in dry creek bottoms that are moist.
G. Search for areas that have a mix of clay, sand, limestone, and decaying matter.
H. Make sure to search areas that have been burned off or had forest fires in the past year.
I. Look in areas where the woods have been recently logged.

Spreading The Morel Spores

One recommendation is that you use a netted type bag to place your Morels in. This will allow the spores to fall out and spread through the area as you’re hunting.