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Picking morels takes a trained eye and a little knowhow to do well. Here's the secrets of the pros, haha.
Pick on last year's forest fire burns. Seriously. This is where the hardcore shrooms pickers are. They sprout like a motherfucker the year following a burn. it will be hot, it will be dirty, it may very well be dangerous (i had some near death experiences, heh) but you will almost definitely find a shitload of mushrooms, and they are a little easier to spot.
If it is raining, get ready, the second the sun comes out you want to be hiting that hillside fast. Fresh mushrooms are the best, and a fresh dump of rain will pop up a new flush in a matter of minutes.
Once you hit a patch of mushrooms, don't continue uphill, follow along the same elevation traversing the mountainside. They tend to grow at certain elevations.
When you find a thick flush, remember where. Come back after every rainstorm. if you found mushrooms once, you will find them again. Hitting the same spot daily can be rewarding. Pine mushroom pickers will guard flushes like buried treasure. Coming back year after year. Then again, one good flush of Pines can be worth thousand of dollars.
If you're in an area there's morels growing readily, odds are you're in an area where there's already professional mushroom pickers already. Areas with easy access are going to get hit hard. The further backcountry you go, the better your flushes. Top a mountainside and pick the backside. Top two or three and you may just find a goldmine. You may also find a good number of grow ops, Carry on and do not disturb, heh.
Drill holes in your picking pail to allow fresh air to the mushrooms, heat and weight will makes them mushy and they will crush. Don't bounce your pail around anymore than you have to.
Now go pick some mushrooms and enjoy the delicacy without dropping $5-10/lb or more...
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