1. 

   Dennis
   December 16th, 2010 - 16:06

   This site is straight WACK. Why don’t you enjoy human connection and interaction instead of communing with mushrooms?

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     jude
     December 21st, 2010 - 01:15

     Hello Dennis,
     I’m not sure why you’re so upset at our website. What could we do to make our site NOT WACK for you? Nevertheless, thanks for letting us know how you feel. Now as for the human connection/interaction. Mushroom hunting can be a great social gathering. Each time that I go into the woods I’m usually with at least one of my good friends. Also at any given PSMS foray there are at least 20 people present excited to go into the mushroom world. In addition, it can also lead to new friendships by joining an organization like the Puget Sound Mycology Society, or by meeting new people at mushroom identification classes. I’m really excited and hoping to meet some new and interesting people on some of the up coming Forays especially the Foray/Hunt Competition. I guess it’s just how you look at it.

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2. 

   MRTY Jakle
   January 3rd, 2011 - 04:15

   Mushroom guys:

   I checked out your site on the Net looking for morel addicts. Here’s my story. I live in AZ and grew up in Ill.–good morel country. I grew up hunting morels and love it. I moved to AZ and, although it can have bonanza hunting here, these times are rare. It’s usually just too dry.

   I have been learning about “burn morels” out West and that they can be unbelievably abundant. On my bucket list is to pick morels until my fingers ache and I’m trying to “learn up” on where and when to go out here (coastal areas mainly as I understand it) to find them.

   I’m not looking to invade your mushroom patch–just some general info. If someone were to ask me about morels in Ill. I tell them some like, “April 12-24 is the best time, older deciduous forest are best and the Shawnee Nat. Forest has a lot of places to hunt.”

   Any info you can send me to get me going in the right direction would be appreciated.

   Marty

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     jude
     January 5th, 2011 - 02:05

     Hello MRTY Jakle,
     Glad to see you found our site. It’s always good to meet more Morel addicts. Much like yourself I started my Morel obsession in the Midwest, but now I’m in the motherland of fungus. You were totally right on the burn morels; they can be found in huge numbers. However, it’s not really the coastal region. The best areas are on the East side of the Cascade Mountains. Here is a great site for information on burn sites: http://www.inciweb.org/. This site shows the size of the fire, what type of forest, general directions, and even a map.

     So here are my final hints to you. Last week in May to the middle of June is usually peak season in Washington. Wenatchee area is always good, and the Yakima area is super bomb. Devils Gulch Fire (wink wink). Hopefully this helps. Let us know how it goes.

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3. 

   Graham
   January 10th, 2011 - 13:38

   My name is Graham Steinruck, webmaster at http://amateurmycology.com and 2011 vice president of the Colorado Mycological Society. I have recently noticed your blog, and it seems to me that we have very similar interests. My partner James Weiser (another CMS Board Member) and I created the website amateurmycology.com in November. Our main mission is to promote mycology to the general public, as well as making it easier to access this information on the web. It deals mostly with applications for mycelium, mycophagy and beyond. Right now we are working on expanding the content of our website to include links (button style) to blogs just like yours, as well as searching for interest in cross blogging. If you are interested in these concepts, please shoot me an email at amateurmycology@gmail.com and I will get right back to you. Thank you so much and hope you have a wonderful day!
   Sincerely,
   Graham Steinruck
   http://www.grahamsteinruck.com

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4. 

   Dave
   April 2nd, 2011 - 04:28

   Hi there, I came across your site while doing research a few months ago. I would first like to comment on how I think that it is great that you have an intrest in mycology and mushroom hunting and you have a very nice site going here. I do however have a few issues with the way you are going about giving locations away on your blog. I am a recreational and commercial mushroom picker. I have always been very dilligent about not giving any locations/spots away, as I know from prior experience that once found by another person, even your closest friend, word of mouth spreads like wildfire, and you can expect to kiss that spot goodbye. If commercial pickers get a whiff of it, forget about it. When you are hunting you must be discrete, hide your car, don’t advertise that you are picking mushrooms, don’t walk on the road waving around your basket, and certainly don’t go bragging on the internet about where or when you have or plan on going. This is mushroom hunting 101. Even PSMS members don’t give that stuff away that easily. Subtle hinting (east of the Cascades, in burns, cottonwoods, etc.) is cool, but actual locations is a big no no. Part of the learning process is figuring that out on your own. Learning what works and what does’nt, it’s all part of becoming a seasoned hunter. All types of hunters, fishermen and foragers practice secrecy with their spots, because a spot is something that you earn, not obtain. You learn nothing from that. With the growing popularity of mushroom hunting, good areas are going to experience an ever increasing amount of pressure as it is, the last thing we mushroomers need is free advertising on the internet showing everyone exactly where to go. As a commercial mushroom picker this is even more important to me as it is a major source of income to me and I work my ass off to find these areas and keep them secret. A major part of my day picking involves making sure that I am not seen, heard or otherwise letting it be known that I am finding mushrooms in that area, and I take extra time to make sure that I do a good job at this because I know what is at stake. When I saw that you gave away the DG burn, and are planning to have a party at another site I was honestly shocked, and I hope that you will practice a bit more secrecy with future endevors, posts and comments. I guarantee I am not alone with my oppinions here.

   Again I sincerely think that you have done a great job with the bulk of your site and I hope that you take this as a good bit of constructive critisism. Who knows, maybee we will bump into each other out there this year Good Luck.

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   • 

     jude
     April 4th, 2011 - 02:02

     Thanks for checking out the site, and for all your feedback. Im really sorry if I upset you in anyway. I completely understand what you are talking about in regard to picking locations. Growing up my father wouldn’t even tell my mother where we were going on our weekend trips. Nonetheless, I really like to look at it from a more social/educational level. I really have a strong love for mushrooms and think that they are some of the greatest things to be found in our surroundings, and I want to help others in this realization. In the past couple years, mushrooming has become more and more popular. People are out there looking for any type of mushroom knowledge they can find. Therefore, with this site, I am merely trying to help out the beginning mushroom. Yes, I did divulge the DG Fire in one of my blog postings. However, I guarantee that it is the ONLY morel location that I will let other people know besides the general; Wenatchee National Forest 2000′ or Olympic National Forest 3500′. I just didn’t think that it was that big of a deal because there are so many great locations this year (I have 13 different locations to check out this year!) It’s just one hint that can really help an up-and-coming mushroom hunter with there first find. And I know you remember how you felt when you found your first morel, I know I felt pretty dame awesome. Now in regard to the locations of other mushrooms. I always try to keep it broad; near Corvallis OR, Snoqualmie National Forest, Monroe area, Arlington area. All the other areas that I give exact locations too are PUBLIC City and State parks. As I’m sure you, and all other commercial pickers are aware, it is ILLEGAL to commercially harvest mushrooms from a city or state park; so I really don’t feel to bad about giving this information away because no one should really be picking these mushrooms. This way it gives people a chance to go out and see them for themselves in the wild. I’m really sorry for offending you and anyone else in the profession of Mushroom hunting, but I was just trying to shed a little more light on the science of mushrooms. Hopefully, this clears a few things up. Thanks for your comments and concerns. Good Luck, and Happy Hunting.

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5. 

   Thomas
   May 3rd, 2011 - 20:27

   I find it stunning and incredibly dangerous what a cavalier attitude you take towards what is something that can KILL someone if not treated with caution. You just have a small mention at the bottom of your main page that basically says, oh, well, if you die, it’s not our fault.
   Shame on you – should try EDUCATING people and spelling out the dangers instead of just what amounts to a simple shrug of your shoulder. I hope no one gets hurt.

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     jude
     May 4th, 2011 - 01:07

     I completely understand your concern. The majority of western civilization was raised to fear mushrooms. There are thousands and thousands of mushrooms out there and many of them look eerily similar. However, yes, I do attack it with a different attitude. Instead of fearing mushrooms, I want to learn everything about them. Judging by your comment, I’m guessing you never took a look at The Information – The Identification Process page. This page details my identification process and other resources to confirm your ID’s. In addition, we also make numerous warning and mentions on our Mushroom Directory. I’m really sorry if you don’t think that this is enough of a warning; nevertheless, I believe that most people are smart enough to NOT EAT SOMETHING IF THEY DON’T 100% KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!!! That goes for any plant, animal, or mushroom. Lastly, I’m totally open for any recommendations. What do you think we should do to fix this problem? Thanks for your input.

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     • 

       Graham
       May 7th, 2011 - 19:45

       Here, here!

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