Feature Story
Spring Morels T
ake a moment to think of a rewarding outdoor activity anyone can get involved in. Does that activity require any special equipment or expertise? Last year brought many newcomers into the great outdoors for many reasons, whether to escape from endless hours of screen time or to find new productive forms of entertainment. Deer and waterfowl seasons closed a little while ago and the opening of spring turkey season marks the short window of the year of my favorite season, morel mushrooms.
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CONSERVATION FEDERATION
Morels are a genus of fungi (Morchella) that come onto the scene for about a month in Missouri. Their season fluctuates with temperature, humidity, and rainfall, but there are general things to look for to know it's that time. Spring turkey season cuts off every day at 1pm. Every opening weekend (April 19 this year), my cousin and I will hunt turkeys in the morning and morels in the afternoon; that weekend is nearly a sure bet for finding morels. The old-timers say to look when the oak leaves are as big as a squirrel's ear and believe it or not, that timing works out pretty well too!
