Iowa Morel Mushroom Report 4-21-09

Posted on April 21st, 2009 by outdoorsportsman

Well fellow Outdoorsman it is that time of the year again.  Time for the morel mushrooms to start popping up all over in the timber.  Now they might just be starting to come up out of the ground a little bit, or maybe they might not be out of the ground yet in your favorite hot spot.  I have been out looking a couple of times and I haven’t found anything yet.  This Spring hasn’t exactly been a very warm one, so in a lot of places, they probably aren’t even out of the ground yet; soon though, very soon.

Here is what I have found and/or heard from people who have been looking for morels this Spring…

“…found 7 small greys today in the grass around an Elm stump…” – Des Moines
“…small amount of greys are now being found near here…” – Wapello
“…friend found some small greys…” – Pella
“…found a couple of small ones…” – Council Bluffs

The air temperature matters, the moisture matters, but the soil temperature especially matters around this time of the year.

If you have been out, but haven’t found anything yet, don’t get discouraged, you are not alone.  The morels will be popping up soon, everyone will be happy, and life will be good!!

Please share your mushroom hunting success stories with the rest of us…  I know that I will for sure!!!

Safe and Happy Hunting,
The Outdoor Sportsman

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Filed under: From My Readers, I Need Your Help, Mushrooms

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76 Responses to “Iowa Morel Mushroom Report 4-21-09”

  1. Brent, on April 21st, 2009 at 7:34 pm Said:

    Found 2 small greys within about 10 minutes of searching. Found these on a hillside with a bit of moss on April 11th 2009. Looked around a creek and other hills with lots of moss, found nothing. I think a couple of warm days they will start poping good.

  2. admin, on April 22nd, 2009 at 7:30 am Said:

    Brent,
    Thanks for sharing your findings with the rest of us. I think that you are correct, with a couple of warm days that should really help. It will especially help with bringing up the soil/ground temperature.

    One question for you, did you find them on north facing, south facing, east facing, or west facing hills?

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  3. Mark Hewitt, on April 24th, 2009 at 12:22 pm Said:

    Hi Sportsman, just wanted to say thankyou for linking to my post about morels! Looks like you’ve got a great blog here, lots of useful information (okay, not so useful to me as I live in England!), just wanted to wish you the best.

    Cheers
    Mark

  4. Mark Herbst, on April 25th, 2009 at 6:46 pm Said:

    For the novicve morel hunters, a rule of thumb that I go by is that when the leaves on the oak trees are about the size of a squirrel’s ear, the morels are up. In the Waterloo area, the oak trees are just beginning to bud. I would expect in the next 3, 4, or 5 days they will be up.

  5. Robert of Bettendorf, on April 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm Said:

    I found 10 small grays yesterday under a dead elm, on a hillside facing the south. in Illinois about 35 miles south east of Bettendorf, Iowa. I searched for four hours and that’s all I could come up with. Shouldn’t be too much longer and the yellows will pop.

    Good luck
    Bob

  6. admin, on April 27th, 2009 at 7:39 am Said:

    Mark Herbst,

    Thank you for your insight. I have heard of when oak leaves are 1 inch long, then the morels are up, but I haven’t heard of it being compared to the size of a squirrel’s ear. That is a very interesting, but correct way of stating when morels should be up.

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  7. admin, on April 27th, 2009 at 7:41 am Said:

    Robert,

    What has the weather been like around Bettendorf where you found your grays? We just had a big storm come through here yesterday and it will continue today and tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your success.

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  8. mushroomstalker, on April 27th, 2009 at 10:36 pm Said:

    It is 4-27-09 in iowa city went out today and under an elm tree i pulled up the bark and there laid lil baby morels. i think if theyre up they are few and far between right now. the heads were smaller than a pencil eraser. a few more days i think those ones will be ready

  9. Mushroomman, on April 28th, 2009 at 8:17 am Said:

    Found 11 greys in Dubuque County 4/27/09.
    Almost stepped on them, expeted them close to the tree but were out about 6′. Next to a dead elm that always produces them fisrt. South side hill.

  10. admin, on April 28th, 2009 at 9:09 am Said:

    Mushroomstalker,

    I think that you are right. After this rain that we have had this week, those little mushrooms are going to pop right up. It would really help if we would get a couple of warmer days.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  11. admin, on April 28th, 2009 at 9:11 am Said:

    Mushroomman,

    Was the dead elm still standing, or was it down on the ground? You are correct in saying that dead elm trees generally produce mushrooms first.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  12. creeper, on April 28th, 2009 at 11:04 am Said:

    Found twenty-one large cream and gray mushrooms yesterday, April 27, 2009 in Clinton County. There were on a south face at the bottom of a wooded hill along a deer trail.

  13. admin, on April 28th, 2009 at 12:23 pm Said:

    Creeper,

    Awesome!! Great Job! I think your success has been the best that I have heard of so far this year… Any of them have much size?

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  14. mushroomstalker, on April 28th, 2009 at 7:18 pm Said:

    found 27 greys in a 30 foot radius around dead elm tree. Best ive done this year so far. Good luck to all you hunters

  15. Rob, on April 28th, 2009 at 8:00 pm Said:

    Found 44 small grays near Runnells, IA. All about 2-3 inches. Yellows soon if we get a warm up.

  16. admin, on April 28th, 2009 at 8:44 pm Said:

    Mushroomstalker,

    Wow, that is VERY GOOD!! Any of them have decent size? This early in the game, your findings are awesome. Congratulations!!

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  17. admin, on April 28th, 2009 at 8:47 pm Said:

    Rob,

    Wow, 44 grays that are 2-3 inches long…wow…those are decent size grays for being the end of the mushroom hunting season, let alone being towards the beginning. You are definitely correct in saying that the yellows are not far behind.

    Congrats,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  18. Dustin, on April 29th, 2009 at 11:33 am Said:

    I cant wait to get out an hit all the spots this year. Its great that i now know people are finding grays! Thaks for letting me know that they are getting close to Story County….. Good luck my fellow hunter’s!

  19. Mushroomman, on April 29th, 2009 at 12:09 pm Said:

    Elm was standing, always find them on dead elms that have the bark thats cracked and just falling off, ususally elms that have no bark have no morels (anymore), …but I have heard of folks finding them around just stumps so it prob doesnt hurt to check all dead elms….

  20. Mushroomman, on April 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm Said:

    Found 2 doz more last nite, three which were yellow…..

  21. admin, on April 29th, 2009 at 1:40 pm Said:

    Dustin,

    No thanks is needed on your end for my blog post, but it is appreciated and your welcome. Good luck out at your favorite spots.

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  22. admin, on April 29th, 2009 at 1:45 pm Said:

    Mushroomman,

    Thank you for sharing the rest of your story about the elm tree. You are right, the best trees to find morels are Elms where the bark just fell off. People don’t always think to look under the bark, so a lot of times, people walk right past a “mushroom goldmine” and don’t even know it. Two dozen more last night huh…good deal!!! At least some of them were yellow. After all the moisture we just had, all we need is some warm weather and the conditions would be PERFECT.

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  23. Travis, on April 29th, 2009 at 4:07 pm Said:

    Found 43 today mostly greys, but they had some size to them! Found about 10 yellows. This is in the Iowa City area, so they are out! Once again this year on the 29th of April is when I start hunting. Good luck.

    Travis

  24. mushroomstalker, on April 29th, 2009 at 8:35 pm Said:

    found 14 more today under bark of elm tree need warm weather ill be out all day tommorow again good luck to all

  25. nick, on April 30th, 2009 at 2:47 am Said:

    I have been out a few times this week and found everything but the sweet morels. I think I need a new mushroom stick with a better sniffer on it. Good luck

  26. admin, on April 30th, 2009 at 7:20 am Said:

    Travis,

    Great job!! Finding grays that have some size to them is always fun and exciting. Did the yellows that you found have any size to them yet? Any over 3 inches?

    Thanks and Good Luck,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  27. admin, on April 30th, 2009 at 7:22 am Said:

    Mushroomstalker,

    Did you find these under the same tree that you had your previous findings? If so, the turn around rate is pretty high. That is a good sign!! All we need is some warmer weather and then it would be perfect!!

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  28. admin, on April 30th, 2009 at 7:24 am Said:

    Nick,

    You aren’t alone… There are a lot of people who haven’t found anything yet. Keep looking, I know you will find them. As for a new mushroom stick, that’s hard. I have been looking for one with a good sniffer for a long time, and still haven’t got it. :)

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  29. mushroomman, on April 30th, 2009 at 9:00 am Said:

    I tried teaching my dog to find them, then bark when he finds them. My old dog would find mushrooms and bark but would bark on every type of mushroom she would find.
    So thought i would try with this new dog…..I gave him a sniff, sat him down, went into the yard hid it in the grass, let him go and he found it in minutes….then ate it…..
    Now I am not concerned about neighbors coming next door picking morels around my yard (lot of dead elms) but the dog……

  30. admin, on April 30th, 2009 at 10:10 am Said:

    Mushroomman,

    This made my day!!! Teaching a dog to hunt for mushrooms…wow. You my friend must have a good dog. It would be funny to have him find a whole bunch of mushrooms at once…he would never stop barking :)

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  31. blamb, on April 30th, 2009 at 11:27 pm Said:

    hit hot spot today outside bondurant{thats right my brother who’s gonna be pissed but thats what you get for going fishing in canada and expects pros to wait}. anyway found around 100 nice,mostly yellows on south facing hillsides, undergrowth already a factor had found many by laying grass back to find. they are here.

  32. admin, on May 1st, 2009 at 12:17 pm Said:

    Blamb,

    Thanks for sharing. Did you find them around certain kinds of trees…elm maybe? Finding hot spots like you did is what every mushroom hunter loves!!! Great Job!!

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  33. mushroomstalker, on May 1st, 2009 at 1:36 pm Said:

    found 3 ponds this morning in some grass 4 inch tall yellows its time for the crop to come

  34. AJ, on May 1st, 2009 at 7:05 pm Said:

    Last weekend (04/25-26) in central Illinois around Danville found 15 – 20 blacks around ash trees in a flat woods then in a cow pasture with multifloral rose and some small dead elms found two batches of mixed gray and yellow totaling about 45. Grays and yellows because grays are immature yellows folks! There might be grays that stay gray, but every yellow was a gray to start with. Friend filled a 10 lb. potato sack with blacks he found mostly in one area 04/28.

  35. O.Rodriguez, on May 3rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm Said:

    So i just went morel hunting for the 1st time. been wanting to do it for years now. buddy of mine called me up and we checked out his spot, here in ames.
    found 3 little guys, about an inch tall. i actually found the 1st one, so i was pleased. gonna give it a try tomorrow. maybe go in the morning this time, we went around noon today.
    i was doing i a search on morel hunting tips and stumbled upon this blog. thanks for the info. im definitely more informed now than i was a few hours ago.

    thanks again!

  36. admin, on May 4th, 2009 at 7:41 am Said:

    Mushroomstalker,

    4 inch tall yellows…prime time is coming this week!!! Great Job!!

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  37. admin, on May 4th, 2009 at 7:43 am Said:

    AJ,

    Wow great job. We don’t have too many blacks mushrooms around here. Sounds like you had some pretty good luck in a couple of different places.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  38. admin, on May 4th, 2009 at 7:45 am Said:

    O Rodriguez,

    Morel hunting for the first time huh, well congrats on finding some. Morel hunting is a lot of fun. Sometimes it can be frustrating if you don’t find anything…but just like anything else, if you stick with it you will find them. I hope that you liked it enough to keep doing it every year. Pretty soon you will be addicted!!

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  39. danny lobster, on May 5th, 2009 at 11:53 am Said:

    iv looked and looked for these so called morell mushrooms but come up emptied handed,people tell me to stick with but im getting frustrated and very angry.i look by old rotten logs but still no mushrooms,do they come up after it rains?

  40. O.Rodriguez, on May 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pm Said:

    went out today again and managed to find 7 black morels. not too bad for a noob!
    also i almost got lost.

  41. admin, on May 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pm Said:

    Danny Lobster,

    Try looking around dead elms, or elms where the bark is starting to fall off. Generally look on either north facing or south facing hillsides. Areas where there are may flowers or green moss on the ground are generally good as well. Keep looking, you will find them!!

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  42. admin, on May 5th, 2009 at 1:12 pm Said:

    O Rodriguez,

    I would say that you are doing very well for someone who hasn’t hunted mushrooms for too long. It is a good thing you didn’t get lost. It sure is easy to get turned around when you are out in the timber, that it for sure.

    Good Luck,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  43. mushroomstalker, on May 5th, 2009 at 1:36 pm Said:

    found two pounds today in new areas iowa city area

  44. Brock, on May 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pm Said:

    i went out for my first time ever on may 4th and found three yellow ones in the first twenty minutes, then nothing for the next hour lol, i was hesitant to look in the grass that was about two feet tall becuz i didnt want to spend all my time there, am i making a mistake by doing this?

  45. Mike, on May 5th, 2009 at 3:31 pm Said:

    I have found about 5 pounds of yellow and about 2 of black so far and they were all in a low laying flat area around dead elm and moss there starting to come out thick!!

  46. admin, on May 5th, 2009 at 8:07 pm Said:

    Mushroomstalker,

    NICE!! Very nice my friend… Much size?

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  47. admin, on May 5th, 2009 at 8:12 pm Said:

    Brock,

    If you are looking in grass that is two feet tall, you probably are not looking in the correct places. I am not saying that there couldn’t be mushrooms there, but the probability of finding them are higher in other places.

    The places that you should definitely look are around dead elm trees or around elm trees that are losing their bark. Try looking on either north facing or south facing slopes. If you find any place that has may flowers or some green moss on the ground, I would check there too.

    Good Luck!!!
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  48. admin, on May 5th, 2009 at 8:14 pm Said:

    Mike,

    Wow 5 pounds…NICE JOB!! That is wonderful…actually that is the most that I have heard of anyone finding yet this year. Thanks for sharing the areas that you found them around!! Anything with size?

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  49. Andrew, on May 6th, 2009 at 12:47 pm Said:

    hello to all i was out sunday and found about 2 dozen yellows and wish i could find more out at red rock anyone have any spots for me out in Newton? well keep up the good shrooming to all

    Andrew

  50. admin, on May 6th, 2009 at 3:14 pm Said:

    Andrew,

    2 dozen yellows…nice. Any of them have impressive size? I will keep my ears open for hot spots around Newton for you.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  51. mike, on May 7th, 2009 at 11:14 am Said:

    I am going out in the morning going to try the timber around the Des Moins and Boon rives. I will liek to get an early start and get 1-2 bags.

  52. Andrew, on May 7th, 2009 at 11:16 am Said:

    admin,
    ya man i got about 3 good size ones and the rest where kinda small but for sure i would love to here some spots if you find any to go and at least look well thanks admin. also heading out to polk city this weekend so ill let you and everyone eless know what i find.

    good hunting to all the shroomers out there.

  53. admin, on May 7th, 2009 at 3:13 pm Said:

    Mike,

    Well make sure that you stop back and let the rest of us how your morning goes!!

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  54. outdoorsportsman, on May 7th, 2009 at 3:20 pm Said:

    Andrew,

    Well even though they all weren’t big in size, at least you found them. If I hear anything else outside of this blog as far as places to go, I will for sure let you all know. You better come back and share your findings with the rest of us.

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  55. outdoorsportsman, on May 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm Said:

    Just to let everyone know….I changed my comments to being from outdoorsportsman rather than admin… and if anyone would rather call me by my name, feel free to…it is Matt.

    Thanks All,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  56. Brock, on May 7th, 2009 at 6:13 pm Said:

    thank you for the advice on the tall grass, i went out again on may 5th and found 2 blacks and 9 yellows, i didnt get any big ones but i met up with a guy out there that had a yellow bigger than my fist, he said he was just pulling them off the river bank, do they really just grow out of the mud on the river bank, or was this fellow diverting my attention somewhere else? lol i found all of mine on either east and west facing slopes which i found strange and i found most of them growing out of the sand on slopes where there was a huge tree up on a hill. what does everyone thing about the hot weather and rain today? should be good right? happy shroomin!

  57. mjpete76, on May 7th, 2009 at 10:49 pm Said:

    I will let you all know how it goes.

  58. outdoorsportsman, on May 8th, 2009 at 7:52 am Said:

    Brock,

    No problem on the advice. As far as pulling them out of the river banks, I am not saying the it couldn’t have happened, but most of the time, that is not the ideal place to look for morels. The hot weather and rain yesterday really should help the morels grow. This would be the time that people will start finding the BIG ones… 8+ inches tall…

    Happy Hunting,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  59. outdoorsportsman, on May 8th, 2009 at 7:52 am Said:

    mjpete76,

    Thank you for coming to our conversation. Yes, please do let us know how you do.

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  60. Andrew, on May 8th, 2009 at 3:03 pm Said:

    well Brock i wish i could fine some that big out in newton but i dont know where to look so if you or anyone has any idvise for me that would be grate.

  61. mjpete76, on May 8th, 2009 at 9:46 pm Said:

    Today we started at 6 am we started in Hamilton county Briggs Woods and from there we went to Bells Mill right off the Boon river we found nothing. We got to Brushy Creek in Webster County Brushy was very busy we met up with quite a few people out mushrooming. We finally found 3 they were 1.5-3 inches but we had to go thru a lot of raspberry and goose berry patches to get to them. After a short break we made it to Dolliver park in Webster county our hopes we not to hi. We started off in the area called Sleepy Hollow very pretty area so I recommend you take a camera. To get on with it by the time we were finished we had 62 1 – 5 inch brown Morels I have some pic if you like to see.

    Mike

  62. mjpete76, on May 8th, 2009 at 9:47 pm Said:

    If you becide to give Dolliver a try let em know how it goes…

    Mike

  63. mjpete76, on May 8th, 2009 at 10:15 pm Said:

    sari my mistake ther were grays not brown

    Mike

  64. outdoorsportsman, on May 11th, 2009 at 7:48 am Said:

    mjpete76,

    I would love to see a picture. If you would like, you can send it to theoutdoorsportsman@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing your success.

    Thanks Again,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  65. IOwa Man 5000, on May 11th, 2009 at 6:51 pm Said:

    Found 12 pounds, 8 yellow, 4 grey. I found most of these where the sun warmed the soil most of the day. Never found 100 yellows under a single tree before! happy hunting!

  66. outdoorsportsman, on May 12th, 2009 at 7:50 am Said:

    Iowa Man 5000,

    Wow, that is great. Finding 100 morels under one tree is a feat that not too many people can say they have accomplished. 12 pounds of mushrooms will make for some good meals!!

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  67. Racingjoe66, on May 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm Said:

    hey guys and gals. i am from NE Iowa. Howard, CO to be exact. so far this year i haven’t found a single mushroom and everyone else i have talked to in this area hasn’t found any either. It still has been pretty cool up here and was wondering if anyone has had any luck? I have one spot i hit every year for the past 8 years and normally we get 1,000-2,000 from just one hill side of about 3 acres in size. And this is the first year there hasn’t been a single one on that hill side.

  68. outdoorsportsman, on May 13th, 2009 at 7:37 am Said:

    Racingjoe66,

    Howard county huh, are you up around Cresco? I haven’t heard much from people up in that area. As far as not finding mushrooms in places that you normally do, that only advice that I can give you is don’t give up. It might not be the right time for them up in that part of Iowa. But remember that it only takes a few days for mushrooms to pop up like crazy. They grow fast, so I would keep looking. It sounds like your lucky spot has been fairly established in the past, so unless something happened (area got sprayed or some kind of insect infestation) I wouldn’t get discouraged yet. Keep waiting and keep looking.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  69. Racingjoe66, on May 13th, 2009 at 9:58 am Said:

    Yup up around Cresco. All we do is keep getting rain and cold weather. Maybe 1 good day and thats it or a partial day. I looked on ebay last night and seen that people in SE MN and SW WI and NW WI are selling some on ebay. Almost tempted to just buy off there, lol. Yea my lucky spot has always been a good spot, and I know it hasn’t been sprayed and touched of anykind. But when i was up there it almost looked like there was a small fire that burnt some of the ground, but no trees were burnt just some grass. which i thought was wierd.

  70. jaydon Wag, on May 13th, 2009 at 1:44 pm Said:

    My family and i were in our front yard and we just burnt it of the year before and know we found about 30-50 big Yellow Mushrooms all over about 2.5 acres. I was wondering if anybody knows what we did to make them grow in our yard.

  71. j, on May 13th, 2009 at 4:53 pm Said:

    found lots in tama co last week but none in fayette co today

  72. outdoorsportsman, on May 15th, 2009 at 8:52 am Said:

    Racingjoe66,

    Well I would say that if your lucky area was burnt this year…it might not be so lucky. But by next year it should be back to where is was previously.

    Thanks,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  73. outdoorsportsman, on May 15th, 2009 at 8:53 am Said:

    Jaydon Wag,

    You know, sometimes mushrooms grow in weird places. It isn’t common, but sometimes it happens. I would consider yourself lucky my friend.

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  74. outdoorsportsman, on May 15th, 2009 at 8:53 am Said:

    J,

    Found lots in Tama county huh…where at in Tama county? What did you find them around?

    Thanks For Sharing,
    The Outdoor Sportsman

  75. r outdoor dude, on May 16th, 2009 at 6:37 pm Said:

    food 3-4 pounds around polk county its sunday the 16 th keep looking before they are all gone.

  76. DeAnn, on May 21st, 2009 at 2:50 pm Said:

    I am new at mushroom hunting and would like to know what I am looking for exactly, and also where I should be looking. I know what they look like. My dad usually gives them to me, I just need to know where to look. We walked through timber today in Crawford county Iowa for 2 hours and found one toadstool and that was it. Is it getting too late in the season to find them?

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