like hunting turkeys, for example. You don’ t need a shotgun, or a“ caller” or a Ghillie suit. Well, you might need a Ghillie suit if you want to stake out a suspected patch and wait for the morels to pop up. Mainly you just need three of your five senses, a bag to collect your bounty, and a stick.
While my grandfather was gifted with the ability to find morels that a half dozen other people had walked right past, most of us are not. And that is why I am writing this article. I’ m sure that you have seen any number of self-help and guidebooks with titles that claim to be“ for Dummies” or“ the Complete Idiot.” When it comes to finding fungi, a lack of smarts doesn’ t have much to do with success.
What does matter is a person’ s aptitude for employing their senses of sight, smell, and as claimed by my grandfather, hearing. If you are equipped with reasonably good eyesight, say 40 or 50 / 20, you stand a pretty good chance of finding mushrooms where they have secreted themselves. Or with good peripheral vision you can catch them when they bolt, looking for a better hidey hole.
One of the characteristics of the morel is camouflage, their uncanny ability to stay stock-still, not even breathing, blending perfectly with their surroundings. This is where a good nose comes into play. If you don’ t have or can’ t afford a truffle pig or hound, trained to sniff out fungi, then you have to train yourself. Mushrooms do have a particular odor and you can learn to detect that smell.
My grandfather was blessed with that particular ability, and what’ s more, he had a finely tuned, directional proboscis( that’ s scientific lingo for nose). Not only could he detect a mushroom’ s presence, but he could tell how far and in which direction it was hiding. Gramps also possessed preternatural hearing that allowed him to detect the faint pop of a mushroom emerging from its underground lair. At this point, I should answer the question;“ Where do you go to find morels?” The easy answer is, the woods. Beyond that, things get a little murky. Some experts say the south facing side of a hill, others say in drained but marshy lowlands. Still
others claim the best place to look is abandoned orchards. However, it’ s been my experience that mushrooms are where you find‘ em.
The last item to touch on is why. Why go mushroom hunting? Well, for one, it’ s a good excuse to get out in the woods on warm day in early spring. And then there’ s the exercise component— hiking up and down hills, squatting to pick a mushroom, and running from snakes. Lastly, you might find some. They are pretty yummy.
I personally believe that mushroom hunting is preferable to deer or turkey hunting. While venison, wild turkey, and morels are all pretty tasty, if you bag some morels you don’ t have to field dress’ em or mess with feathers. And they’ re a lot easier to tote out of a deep holler than a deer carcass.
If you decide to join the hunt, I will leave you with this deep bit of wisdom that I picked up somewhere or another:“ All mushrooms are edible, but some of them only once.”
Happy hunting from Brown County! •
Experience Brown County like a local
Stop by the Visitors Center in Downtown Nashville for our favorite spots to eat, shop, explore, and relax! We have maps, menus, and tips— plus official Brown County merchandise!
211 South Van Buren Street 812.988.7303 BrownCounty. com
March / April 2026 Our Brown County 29