Tips for 'Shroomers

Equipment

You don't need fancy equipment for mushroom hunting. However, there are some basic things that most mushroom hunters bring to the hunt:

Basket — Or any other suitable container for your finds. Plastic bags don't work. A mesh sack will work.
Wax paper or wax bags — To keep your mushrooms separate, particularly different types. Putting your mushrooms in plastic bags will cause them to spoil rapidly.
Knife — A sturdy knife with a lanyard or string to attach to your person. It's uncanny how knives get lost.
Brush — A soft brush like a small paint brush to clean dirt and insects off of your finds.
Trowel — A small trowel or scoop is useful when retrieving complete specimens.
Magnifying glass — Useful for examining gills and other features of your finds.
Whistle — Useful for keeping in touch with other members of the foray group.
Compass — Carry one and know how to use it. It is very easy to get lost when you are concentrating on finding mushrooms and not watching your surroundings.
Mushroom Key — Take along a reliable mushroom key (reference) and learn how to use it. One popular reference with identification key is David Arora's Mushrooms Demystified (Ten Speed Press: Berkeley. 1979)

Where to Look for 'Shrooms

If you're not sure where to look for mushrooms in Colorado…and there isn't a CMS foray scheduled…check out the CMS publication Stalking the Wild Mushroom for a selection of locations around the state.

2008 Foray Schedule

Forays are field trips to different locations in the mountains to look for wild mushrooms.

When — Most forays are on weekends and most start at 9:00 AM and run to around 2:00 PM.
Where — CMS has a new meeting place for forays. The good news is that it is in the same area as the old meeting place but usually is not so crowded.
Future CMS forays, unless otherwise stated, will meet in the SE parking lot (Stegasaurus) at Exit 259 (I–70/Morrison).

Coming from Denver on I-70, take Exit 259. At the end of the off ramp turn left (south, towards Red Rocks and Morrison) and pass under I–70. You will see the SE parking lot immediately on your left. We will always try to gather towards the rear of the parking lot.
Must be a member — You must be a member of CMS to go on a foray. Members wishing to bring a guest must accompany the guest on the foray. Guests will not be allowed to attend by themselves. Non-members may join CMS and go on a foray by giving the foray leader a check made out to CMS for $28.00.
Car-pooling Preferred — Please note that car-pooling from the meeting area to the foray location is strongly encouraged. It is often difficult to find a place where several cars can pull off the road together to foray. Carpooling is a good chance to meet and talk with other CMS members on a one-to-one basis. Try it, you'll like it!
Come prepared — Remember that you will be going for most of the day into the mountains. Be prepared! Bring your lunch and drinking water. Bring clothing appropriate to the changing weather conditions in the mountains (i.e., rain gear, sweater, jacket, etc.). Wear sturdy footwear. See the left sidebar regarding equipment to bring for mushroom hunting.
Bring proof of membership — Be sure to bring your CMS membership card or a copy of SPORES Afield (with a mailing label addressed to the member) with you whenever you show up at a foray. Except for guests with a member, those with out a card or other proof of membership will not be allowed to come along.
Check in advance — It is always a good idea to check with the foray leader a few days prior to the foray for last minute changes.

Join a foray. You'll like it! Forays are fun. Forays are informative. Forays are educational. Forays are social. You'll learn about mushrooms on a foray.

Morel Foray Report (June 16, 2007) and Photos

Photos from 2005 foray to Pike National Forest

Some hints for beginning mushroomers (From Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming)

CMS Sign up and Release Form — Foray leaders: Make one or two copies prior to your foray. Everyone participating in the foray MUST read and sign the release form. After the foray turn in the form to the CMS Secretary at the next monthly meeting.

A Foray Is No Guarantee

Just a thought: A foray is no guarantee.

A wild mushroom "field trip, hunt, foray, walk, tour" or whatever one calls it, is not:

A guarantee, by the leader or host, that mushrooms will be found!

It is also not:

An effort to gather an abundance of any species, beyond one's personal needs.

It should be:

Considered a visit to an environment which is expected to produce mushrooms in the proper season, which provides an opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat, and to learn to identify them by actual "hands-on" methods, with help form other members of the group, and references to appropriate keys and books.

It should also be:

An enjoyable social event and a time of good fellowship with people who share a common interest in a specific feature of the outdoors.

Advice for beginning wild mushroom hunters

Many beginning wild mushroom hunters take the straight-line approach of learning to identify a particular mushroom they want to find and eat. They read one field guide and then go out and pick mushrooms and try to make them fit the description in the field guide. This approach can be dangerous! Before you pick that mushroom to eat, you need to learn all of its identifying characteristics, including its look alike. The old saying, "A little knowledge is dangerous" applies to mushroom identification. If you want to practice your fungal hunter/gatherer skills safely, you need to spend the time to really make sure you really know the mushrooms you want!

Here are some simple rules you should follow to safely eat wild mushrooms:

Know all the mushroom's identifying characteristics.
Be aware of any look alike species that might be confused with the kind you want to eat.
Know what color the mushroom's spore print is supposed to be and make sure your mushrooms have that spore color.
Get at least one positive ID of the mushrooms from an experienced mushroom hunter.
Eat only a small amount at first. You could be allergic to the species. There are people who are allergic to Boletus edulis and Morchella angusticeps, and these species are considered excellent edibles.
If in doubt, throw it out! If you aren't completely sure of your identification, don't eat it! The same comment applies to mushrooms that are old, smelly or doubtful looking. You wouldn't eat a rotten tomato, and you shouldn't eat mushrooms that don't look or smell quite right!