Adawg Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 Don't know if any of you have this problem in your area, but it is widespread here in north western Va. .. There are commercial morel hunters that sell them to local restaurants . No laws against it, but they will clean out your honey hole . http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/2016/04/stalking-the-blonde-morel/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 I'm unsure about how happy I should be about not having this problem, but it doesn't exist around here. Finding a good morel spot is a rare occurrence in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adawg Posted April 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 Well Dave, morels were not that hard to find here at one time .. It was not unusual for a knowledgeable hunter to find 2-5 lbs. in a day .. I know of one gent who would bring in trash bags full . I have never been so lucky .. That ol gent has passed on without sharing his secret Today we have people hunting morels for $$.. Just sad .. Is what it is .. Glad you don't have this prob .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWlake Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I have met a guy from Indiana that takes two long weekends each year and he goes to Wisconsin with a buddy and they fill large coolers full of morels and bring them back to Indiana. on a good weekend they will find 300 lbs. and sell to a country store for $25 lb. That's $7500 for a weekend. You can see why it happens but I consider it raping the land. I don't think it is sustainable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vault Dweller Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 At that cost I'm surprised business hasn't taken the time to buy forested land in areas not of any particular use, burned it to bring out the morels, and then replanted it for use in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 There is a morel festival somewhere pretty close to me. Don't remember exactly where but on youtube they showed a morel auction that they were going for $65 a pound and up. Sorry,I don't remember how long ago that was either. Wade Seems like it might have been around Bloomington area! W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I thought this video was quite interesting. I'm posting it here because this guy is a professional mushroom hunter.His shows kind of leave you thinking ya' really don't want to get involved too much with this stuff. Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DufferinShroomer Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 I dont have any problem with someone harvesting mushrooms commercially. Some reasons: - Clearly nobody else is harvesting the same spots or there wouldnt be enough mushrooms to make the spot worthwhile for the commercial guys , so in general they arent interfering with anyone else. -The theory is that the mushroom is the fruiting body of the fungal organism in the way that an apple is the fruiting body of an apple tree. Hardly anybody would condemn picking the apples from a wild apple tree because the tree itself isnt being materially harmed. -Next year the spot that is fruiting might well be a subdivision. Go ahead and harvest the mushrooms before the bulldozers arrive. -even if the commercial guys dont harvest the morels you arent going to find the spot anytime soon. And if they do manage to deplete a patch they will abandon it and you still wont know about it. I cant help but think about morels fruiting at the base of a dead elm. After a couple of years of fruiting they will have sucked all the available nutrients from the dead elm and the organism will die. Is there really any point in not harvesting the mushrooms when the patch will be dead next year or the year after anyways? To anyone who can actually find enough morels to be worth trying to make a few bucks I say good for you and yes Im jealous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWlake Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Dufferin, I agree with many of your points. I know very well about shrooms only lasting a short time in specific areas. The biggest problem is a lot of commercial pickers are doing it illegally. It is a high stake game anymore. The pickers are using all kinds of technology to trespass and not get caught. There are areas in Wisconsin that post major signs about hunting shrooms. I've heard if your caught, they'll put you in jail until you pay a hefty fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 wildcrafting is one of the few remaining things you can do outdoors without a license or a permit. The only reason that is true is that the governing body hasn't figured out how to control the collecting of these items.When they do you will need a permit for wildcrafting for $50 and a stamp for mushrooms for another $20 and have to check in your finds at a checking station listing what when why where how and how much so they can "protect" the species! The more this is commercialized to sooner we will see this come to pass.A very good example is the changes in the law regarding ginseng in the last 20 years. You are not even allowed to sell out of state and must sell at the price that is set by the in-state dealer and it's against the law to carry it over from one year to another! This is the future of mushrooming and wildcrafting we will be leaving to our children and grandchildren. Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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