Just saw this on craigs list.

[fishindude644]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/grd/680749527.html

[motcityman]

is that legal?

[fishindude644]

they must have a few good spots

[axisgear]

It's legal and very lucrative to boot........If you're licensed by the USDA to sell produce[I'm sure no-one would say a thing unless a kid got sick]. If I have extras[which I did.;)] I give them away to family and friends. I did see some older gals spending $39.95 a pound for them in a local market today and I just shook my head. A short walk in the woods with a carefully trained eye would have been more cost effective because I found four dozen a half mile from that market less than a week ago.

Oh well,not everyone can be so fortunate.:lol:

[Linda G.]

But maybe it shouldn't be.
First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners who give them permission to be on their property who don't know the mushrooms can be valuable.
Second, a lot of people trespass freely for morels because of their dollar value.
Third, these people use rakes to find the mushrooms, which disturbs the natural habitat and may actually shorten the mushroom season...
Fourth, these people are opening themselves to liability issues should they accidentally include the wrong mushroom into a batch they sell, or sell to someone who doesn't know they're allergic, etc.
Fifth, last but not least, these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources that maybe should be licensed and regulated.

[kbkrause]

But maybe it shouldn't be.
First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners who give them permission to be on their property who don't know the mushrooms can be valuable.
Second, a lot of people trespass freely for morels because of their dollar value.
Third, these people use rakes to find the mushrooms, which disturbs the natural habitat and may actually shorten the mushroom season...
Fourth, these people are opening themselves to liability issues should they accidentally include the wrong mushroom into a batch they sell, or sell to someone who doesn't know they're allergic, etc.
Fifth, last but not least, these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources that maybe should be licensed and regulated.

Sounds pretty bad. Maybe there should be no morel harvesting allowed, if it's that bad for shrooms, imagine if they allowed deer hunting...

[puttputt]

But maybe it shouldn't be.
First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners who give them permission to be on their property who don't know the mushrooms can be valuable.
Second, a lot of people trespass freely for morels because of their dollar value.
Third, these people use rakes to find the mushrooms, which disturbs the natural habitat and may actually shorten the mushroom season...
Fourth, these people are opening themselves to liability issues should they accidentally include the wrong mushroom into a batch they sell, or sell to someone who doesn't know they're allergic, etc.
Fifth, last but not least, these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources that maybe should be licensed and regulated.

Wow! Perhaps you got a bad mushroom in your meal last night? God forbid someone disturb the natural habitat while mushrooming! unbelievable.

[Due51]

Linda,
I think you might be generalizing, juuuuuust a little:
-First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners
-a lot of people trespass freely for morels
-these people use rakes
-these people are opening themselves to liability issues
-these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources

[Boardman Brookies]

:yeahthat:

[uptracker]

They sell them at the Royal Oak farmers market...wild morels, fresh, 20 some dollars per paper plate full.

[StumpJumper]

But maybe it shouldn't be.
First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners who give them permission to be on their property who don't know the mushrooms can be valuable.
Second, a lot of people trespass freely for morels because of their dollar value.
Third, these people use rakes to find the mushrooms, which disturbs the natural habitat and may actually shorten the mushroom season...
Fourth, these people are opening themselves to liability issues should they accidentally include the wrong mushroom into a batch they sell, or sell to someone who doesn't know they're allergic, etc.
Fifth, last but not least, these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources that maybe should be licensed and regulated.


Licensed? Regulated? You just lost my respect, Thanks.

I do NOT tresspass to collect morels
I do NOT use a rake??? (thats just stooopid)
I do NOT take advantage of landowners, I hunt mostly PUBLIC land
and all the rest of the yadda yadda...

Licensed and Regulated... lol... Theres enough of those all ready. I'm a very law-abiding citizen. I don't poach or tresspass. But I will NEVER buy a lisence to pick mushrooms. I would become an outlaw. :D

OHH and I dont SELL my morels either!! I EAT THEM

[KI Jim]

Ah yes!-the morals of morels :lol:

Jim

[Michigan Mike]

Dang!
Another one of those "MOREL Huggers!"
:grouphug:
I guess she hasn't found too many yet!
:lol:

Mike

[jbing]

:yeahthat:


but i would like to find a spot that had so many shrooms i needed a rake:lol:

[Oldgrandman]

It may not be the popular opinion but I don't believe people should be able to pick and sell mushrooms or much of anything from public properties, not that it wuold be easy to enforce but thats just how I see it. Kinda like sportfish caught by anglers. Since it is NOT illegal I don't really worry about it much. But in a vote. Personal use or leave em...
As for any mushroom license, I feel my fishing or hunting license gives me public land use privileges.
Anybody remember a public land use stamp you had to buy many years ago with your hunting license? Remembering back it seems like they absorbed this into the licenses and got rid of it... Or do I have dementia on this? I am talking 30 years or so ago.

[StumpJumper]

It may not be the popular opinion but I don't believe people should be able to pick and sell mushrooms or much of anything from public properties, not that it wuold be easy to enforce but thats just how I see it. Kinda like sportfish caught by anglers. Since it is NOT illegal I don't really worry about it much. But in a vote. Personal use or leave em...
As for any mushroom license, I feel my fishing or hunting license gives me public land use privileges.
Anybody remember a public land use stamp you had to buy many years ago with your hunting license? Remembering back it seems like they absorbed this into the licenses and got rid of it... Or do I have dementia on this? I am talking 30 years or so ago.


I agree with that 100% I would vote personal use or leave em also.

I still wouldn't buy a license though! :evil:

[upperlimits]

A mushroom hunting license? now that`s funny! although it wouldn`t surprise me

[Linda G.]

I'm glad to hear that everyone here is SO legal and moral about their morel hunting. Believe me, a lot of the thousands of other people reading this board aren't. Just read the police blotters up here and the DNR law enforcement ledgers about all the people who are caught trespassing with bags of morels.

As for not licensing morel hunting....well, one of these days we're going to hear about another proposal to hike hunting and fishing licenses by, oh, maybe as much as $30 for residents...yup, you got it. That was just one of the numbers bandied around by the work group put together on this a year ago. It could be a lot more in a year or two.

Why? Well, shoot, somebody's got to pay for all that public land, even though everyone else who uses it, like the berry pickers, bird watchers, hikers, bikers, and wildflower admirers, can use it for free...and the morel pickers are even allowed TO MAKE MONEY FROM IT. But us hunters and anglers will be the only ones paying for it.

As for my morel hunting, well, I picked the motherlode of big fat adult blacks the other night, all in one spot, I was in there 20 minutes. Yes, it was public land. And tonight I'm eating five nice whites-the first of the season up here.

Raking DOES disturb the environment, and murders thousands of minuscule morels just starting to grow. After an area is raked, it dries out, and there won't be any morels there at all that year.

[tooldini]

I have never mushroom hunted before and I don't even care to eat them. I have just always been interested in them and the way they grow. I have just started reading about the different types it is very interesting. I see nothing wrong with hunting on someones property with permission and then selling some mushrooms if you wish. Most property owners aren't worried that someone could find something valuable on there land. If so they would charge a fee. There are plenty of mushrooms that can be grown in home and sold for profit if that is someones main goal. Seems most people on here are just in for the thrill of the hunt. Check ebay to see how easy it is to sell 1 pound of morels. Some are even selling them before they are picked LOL. Well I hope to learn a lot from you guys and gals on here.

jeff

[Greenbush future]

I guess I'm confused on what a Licence would do other than grow are (IMO) already grossly oversized state govt even bigger thus causing it cost even more than it does now. I would be interested in knowing what the govt can do with our $$ from some stupid (IMO) licence. We are already taxed and licenced to the point that it rediculusly costly to do and manage all the state regs and (IMO) wasted $$ we spend to use our natural resouces. I understand sound mgt of Natural Resouces, I have little faith in our state govt to successfully manage anything. They are a laughing stock of the USA currently and I see no light at the end of tunnel either.

[StumpJumper]

The difference between Hunting, Fishing and Hiking, Biking etc is we're paying (at least somewhat) for a renewable resource to be managed..

They can't make morels grow in the woods..

I don't think people from out of state should be coming up here, foraging the woods and then setting up on a corner selling their finds to us either.

I could see a permit to sell them, but that would lead to a license as in other states where if you collect more than so many lbs you would be considered commercial.. it would lead into a bunch of bs...

[Oldgrandman]

Why? Well, shoot, somebody's got to pay for all that public land, even though everyone else who uses it, like the berry pickers, bird watchers, hikers, bikers, and wildflower admirers, can use it for free...and the morel pickers are even allowed TO MAKE MONEY FROM IT. But us hunters and anglers will be the only ones paying for it.


Yup, this bothers me too. But as a license buying sportsman I am doing my part already...

Raking DOES disturb the environment, and murders thousands of minuscule morels just starting to grow. After an area is raked, it dries out, and there won't be any morels there at all that year.

I'd bet there is some ordinance or law being broken by this ridiculous activity now. If not there should be!!! Even taking leeks or ramps out I am careful not to disturbe the ground cover.
I sometimes pick in your area Linda but did not have the chance this season, and some logging took place in some woods near there making matters worse, along with the gas $$.
Good to see you did well!

[Linda G.]

Talk to a forester that also likes morels...oh, yes you CAN manage a forest for morels...and I know a couple that DO-maybe not on paper, but that's what they're doing.

LOL

[Sparky23]

Raking does damge huh??? Well i experimented with it on private property this year, and it hurt nothing. It helped a great deal more poped then normal even after picking them they still grew again in the raked areas. I tried this in 4 or 5 spots and it helped mor ethen it hurt. As far as selling them, well I dont see what the big deal is, you seem to have the "mother load" so whats the big deal. The economy is bad and if I can sell 4 or 5lbs for 40$ a lb to pay for gas on a trip I will and I did. I offer half of the shrooms I find on every place I hunt to the landowner, most say no thanks, but I guess I will still be labeled as hmm... lets think of it... A mushroom poacher, since I and many others sold them. O yea and its not like it just started they have been selling them for years and years, still seems to be plenty of mushrooms. Complaining and moaning like in this post will end up making more laws and license...I cant wait.

[basskiller46]

But maybe it shouldn't be.
First of all, a lot of these people are taking advantage of landowners who give them permission to be on their property who don't know the mushrooms can be valuable.
Second, a lot of people trespass freely for morels because of their dollar value.
Third, these people use rakes to find the mushrooms, which disturbs the natural habitat and may actually shorten the mushroom season...
Fourth, these people are opening themselves to liability issues should they accidentally include the wrong mushroom into a batch they sell, or sell to someone who doesn't know they're allergic, etc.
Fifth, last but not least, these people are marketing one of our valuable natural resources that maybe should be licensed and regulated.


It cant be made illegal thats like making hunting illegal which they dont because we need to harvest our resources or theres going to be too much
of it and whats the point of meat or mushrooms if your not going to eat it.:lol:

[Linda G.]

I can't even imagine too many morels...in our wildest dreams that would ever happen. Just with the changes to our environment with all the pollutants in our air, our earth and our water I can't imagine anyone would ever agree with that crazy statement.

And Sparky...you just keep raking all your spots. You'll find out...next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Pick up a book or talk to any expert about spores and how they grow.

"Even after picking them they still grew again in the raked areas..."-huh? What does that mean...LOL

[MAttt]

Any type of disturbed ground is a great place to find morels and is
well documented, forest fires, recently logged areas ect...
The rake is a little old fashioned though and has been replaced with
one of these many years ago.
http://www.re-nest.com/uimages/re-nest/4-17-2008leafblower.jpg
:)

Morel hunting is just plain old fun and another great reason to enjoy the outdoors.
Life is to short to over analyize everthing...get out there and get some
and enjoy!

[puttputt]

maybe you're onto something Linda, just found this article...


Associated Press--

Modern Day Gold Rush Spawns New Opportunities

(Indianapolis, IN) Just outside dozens of quaint rural towns in Northern Michigan, the Morel mushroom is drawing profiteers from throughout the Midwest. Now a delicacy, this member of the fungi family is worth its weight in gold and rivals the appeal and price of Russian caviar.

It's getting so valuable that some travel tour operators are setting up chartered bus trips to the wooded north. At Oasis Travel & Tours in downtown Indianapolis, owner Betsy Britanica has been fielding calls from dozens of people interested in cashing in on the elusive mushroom. On May 14, two charter buses loaded with 157 Indiana residents started their trek to Antrim County in Michigan's northwest lower penninsula. The baggage compartments were loaded with rakes, bags and buckets -- common tools of the modern-day mushroom hunter.

Fetching up to $20 per pound in retail stores, the morel mushroom provides a lucrative money-making opportunity for people from all walks of life. On average, a typical hunter will find as many as two pounds during a 6 hour hike in the woods. And with a picking season of nearly 3 weeks, many stand to make up to $600. Although it is sometimes less because some days you just don't have as much luck. Many of the mushroom seekers on the charter indicated that this trip would help bring them financial security. 76 year-old Lou Anderson and his wife entered the bus with big smiles and gleefully exclaimed, "Thank God for this incredible opportunity. We haven't been able save for our retirement yet. This trip will give us enough money to live out our lives comfortably." And with a little luck, they'll be pickin' and grinin' all the way to the bank.

[woodie slayer]

i know pickers up here that sell them to the markets for 20 bucks a pound.
they get them off state land.nothing wrong with that and it gives the locals a little extra cash..

[mitchdog_711]

i believe if one is experienced in the hunting/edibleness of wild mushrooms such as me its fine to sell. I myself am a lifelong morel mushroom hunter and easily distinct the goods from the bads. I sell Morel Mushrooms 25 a pound not 35!! unfort it hasnt been a very good year only harvest around 10 pounds.
But yes if once is experienced and knows what there doing let em sell the shroom for christ sakes!

Mitch

[Due51]

I can see it now.........a new sub-category in the Mushroom Forum:

QUALITY MUSHROOM MANAGEMENT!:lol:

[Linda G.]

Cause I would assume that everyone who has posted to this thread also hunts and fishes and contributes to the maintenance of our public lands by doing so...that's good, and I don't think that any of us who DO buy hunting and fishing licenses should have to buy any other type of license to take advantage of public ground-unless you're selling them commercially.

Then you should be under the same rules as the guys who fish our lakes and sell the fish are...or unless that's the only thing you do in the great outdoors every year, which is true of THOUSANDS of people. They don't have to pay a dime to go find all those morels that they can sell...us hunters and anglers will pay for it for them.

Or maybe we aren't...as the DNR is currently telling us.

In a poor year, morels will go for $40+ a pound up here to the restaurants.

Matt-by disturbed ground, I assume you mean areas that were selectively cut, particularly ash, with piles of old slash laying around and grown over tote roads-yes, I 100% agree. Areas where this was done 8,10, 20 years ago. That have sat since then and are slowly recovering. But NOT areas where the leaf cover has been completely removed year after year. The next year and the year after that you might find morels NEARBY a raked area, but not in that exact spot.


I'm glad those of you who rake the woods for morels find even more morels after the raking in those exact same spots. Frankly, I don't believe you, as I've seen what raking does up here. I just go some where else now.

[Sparky23]

well i dont care what you beleive but if unleifed ground is bad for mushrooms why are they prevalent the year after a fire in bare ashes. I only started tryin it because an older lady told me to she has for years around good elms that are suffictaed in by bark spread it out and you spread the spores, your not tearing into the ground. As far as over harvesting areas if that were true there would be no morels in the Mesik (or Boyne)areas, but there seems to be enough to continue the national festival. To everyone there own opinion though, I will continue to pick as many as I can find in my spots and on public try to save enough for the hole year,as well as I will continue to buy my licenses and atain permision to hunt ANYthing on the lands I do.

[Firecracker]

We just bought 9 lbs .... Helps him out and us also. We went out and tried to find them but had no luck. We are not giving up just making sure we have SOME lol.
Sorry I see nothing wrong with this....... go on ebay they sell them there also.

[Linda G.]

Was at the Boyne Morel Festival late this afternoon, and everybody and their brother was selling big bags of morels. No one was buying that I could see, that's cause it's a good morel season so far and everyone's finding their own.

They all wanted $50 a pound.

Fire helps to dispurse the spores-the ashes are almost pure nitrogen and that nourishes the spores. It's natural fertilizer. Quite different from raking areas clean.

And no one I know picks ALL the mushrooms we find. Most, including myself, will deliberately leave a few behind, covering them up with leaf cover so they are allowed to fully mature and send out spores.

It maybe the dreaded global warming, it may be the number of people now out there as opposed to 25 years ago, it could just be my eyes, but in places where I used to find hundreds in one small spot I'm now doing real good to find a dozen...and that worries me. People tell me it's cause when I was first looking for morels there was still lots of elm up here and that's all for the most part long gone, maybe that's why, too. I don't know. I just don't think raking the habitat clean helps.

[Firecracker]

Well everyones been finding...... :)
And we didnt pay no 50 a lb either,,,,,not even close to that !!! holy Moly ! THAT might be the reason they didnt sell !
But we might go out today and look for some ......

[ctsdaxx]

Not sure if this is true or not as I couldn't find it in the DNR website but I was picking some asparagus last year on state land and was stopped by a conservation officer. Not sure if he was just being an ***** or not but he told me that it was illegal to pick any wild plant from state land. Now saying that it would consist of morels, apples, asparagus, nuts, berries and so on. I still to this day cannot find it in any book of rules but it would be interesting if that was actually enforced. But having it told to me first hand made me think and do alot of research. Oh yeah and also he did let me take what I had already cut but told me that I was finished.

[Big Frank 25]

Not sure if this is true or not as I couldn't find it in the DNR website but I was picking some asparagus last year on state land and was stopped by a conservation officer. Not sure if he was just being an ***** or not but he told me that it was illegal to pick any wild plant from state land. Now saying that it would consist of morels, apples, asparagus, nuts, berries and so on. I still to this day cannot find it in any book of rules but it would be interesting if that was actually enforced. But having it told to me first hand made me think and do alot of research. Oh yeah and also he did let me take what I had already cut but told me that I was finished.


R 299.922 (http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/admincode.asp?AdminCode=Single&Admin_Num=29900921&Dpt=NR&RngHigh=) Unlawful acts generally.
Rule 22. On lands owned or under the control of the department, it is
unlawful for a person or persons to do any of the following:


(h) To destroy, damage, or remove trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, or
other vegetation. Except in wildlife food plots, this subdivision does not
apply to picking and removing mushrooms, berries, and edible fruits or nuts
for personal use.

[ctsdaxx]

THANKS! Just proves there are some CO's out there with a bad attitude.

[Big Frank 25]

Oh? I don't know. Asparagus is not listed and it does get sort of bushy like a shrub. Sounds like the CO followed the letter of the law to me.

The way I read it, selling mushrooms picked from State land is illegal.

[Oldgrandman]

R 299.922 (http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/admincode.asp?AdminCode=Single&Admin_Num=29900921&Dpt=NR&RngHigh=) Unlawful acts generally.
Rule 22. On lands owned or under the control of the department, it is
unlawful for a person or persons to do any of the following:


(h) To destroy, damage, or remove trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, or
other vegetation. Except in wildlife food plots, this subdivision does not
apply to picking and removing mushrooms, berries, and edible fruits or nuts
for personal use.

Huh, pretty interesting...
But I don't need no stinking rake, I rake with my eyes! This one was trying to remain hidden. As were some others.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/533/medium/hiding_under_cover.jpg

[srconnell22]

Im personally okay with buying morels...not everyone has the time to get out and enjoy a nice afternoon picking morels like we used to.

Also, it's opportunity cost...if I pay $25 for a pound of mushrooms that would have taken me an hour to pick myself, what else could I have been doing for that hour? Chances are whatever that was, it's worth more than $25 to me.

Here is my question...why have I not heard of "farmed morels." We have farmed salmon, farmed deer, farmed pretty much everything. Seems like one could make a killing marketing this to the country.

[Boardman Brookies]

Im personally okay with buying morels...not everyone has the time to get out and enjoy a nice afternoon picking morels like we used to.

Also, it's opportunity cost...if I pay $25 for a pound of mushrooms that would have taken me an hour to pick myself, what else could I have been doing for that hour? Chances are whatever that was, it's worth more than $25 to me.

Here is my question...why have I not heard of "farmed morels." We have farmed salmon, farmed deer, farmed pretty much everything. Seems like one could make a killing marketing this to the country.

I have read the Morels do not really grow in lab condition. It has been done though. I found a web site awhile ago that was selling small elm trees that were injected with morel mycellium. They claimed that in a few years these trees would produce. Interesting, but I do not know if it works as morels"gorw" where they want to.

[OO7]

It cant be made illegal thats like making hunting illegal which they dont because we need to harvest our resources or theres going to be too much
of it and whats the point of meat or mushrooms if your not going to eat it.:lol:

HHmmm seems like that last line totally conterdicts your user name.....
"basskiller" Ive never know a bass fishermen to eat bass.