Mo. mushroom hunters seek fungus bounty

CAMDENTON, Mo. -- Hunters and fishermen are a secretive group. It doesn't matter if it's deer, turkey or a favorite crappie hole, the locations of prime spots are well-guarded secrets shared only on a must-know basis.

Mushroom hunters are no different, and this season is turning out to be one of the best in a long time.

Real shroomers, as those who are dedicated enough to head out each spring are called, not only enjoy the sport of finding the mushrooms, but the time spent outdoors as well.

A mess of morel mushrooms are considered "fine eatin'" by many hunters. That's what gets Mike Burkhart out the door.

He has lived in the Ozarks Lake area for about 20 years and looks forward to the annual spring shroom hunt.

He generally keeps his search to areas along creek bottoms that are hit with afternoon sun. On one hunt last week, Burkhart toted home bags full of false morels, some weighing around 5 pounds.

About the only detail Burkhart will give up is that he was hunting on a piece of property in the Linn Creek area.

Butch Miller said he was moving cattle the other day off Route J, driving along the fence line when he found enough of the false morels to fill more than six grocery bags.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, mushroom hunting can be a bit tricky. The window of opportunity is relatively short. Common and late morels appear in the woods after average daily temperatures reach the mid-50s. That means sometime in April for much of the state.

Typically they are found in moist areas around dying or dead trees.

The morel, Missouri's most popular and sought-after mushroom, is safe to eat.

The false morel is a slightly different fungi and in some people has been known to produce a reaction to a toxic chemical that is found naturally in the fungi. There are reports from across the country of occasional deaths from eating the false morel, according to information provided by the Department of Conservation.