ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

JUST LEASED PROPERTY AROUND ASTORIA. WHEN DO THE MUSHROOMS START POPPING IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS. THANKS FOR ANY INFO

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Same time they do anywhere else . ;)
The temps have to hit 50-60 and you have to have the right amount of soil moisture . Here they start popping up in early to mid March . I got a kit for growing morels this year , with the right prep and a little luck I won't have to tramp all over the county for a handful . :)

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Shemmy,

I'm not sure where Astoria is located. I have hunted 'shrooms in southeastern Illinois (straight east of St. Louis) and northwest Illinois (just outside the Quad-Cities). Insoutheastern Illinois, they start coming up as early as the last week of March if it is a really nice Spring. Otherwise, you are looking at early to mid April. The 'shrooms in northern Illinoistend to start poppingabout two weeks later.

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Lived in Western IL all of my life.

Plan on looking the 3rd week of April and into early May.

Good luck!

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Anybody been to the big mushroom festival that they have up north. I think that it is somewhere north of Peoria and takes place the first week of April.

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Im not trying to start any thing but what is the big fuss and about those mushrooms. When ever I am turkey hunting the people looking for them are all runing around like deer and scareing every thing. One year my dad was siting against a tree and had a picker come within 10 yeards of him.

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Go grab some, fry them up in butter, or flour them and fry them, and you will see what the big deal is, they are AWESOME!! And you can sell them for as much as 50 bucks per pound in the right places. I usually sell mine for 25 a pound unless they are old or drying out.

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

I don't like mushroom but do like money:D

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

Takedownfreak does make a good point. There is a dangerous overlap between mushroom and turkey season. In the past, it wasn't an issue in Richland County because there weren't turkeys, so the mushroom hunters had the woods to themselves. But it has become an issue over the last several years with the turkey stocking programs. I've got both coming on my land in April, so sometiimes I feel like getting out there in a referee outfit to moderate things.

RE: ILL MUSHROOM HUNTING
 

The last two years we've found out first's on April 16th and April 6th. We usually start looking around the first of April. Just depends on the temps and moisture. Also a good time to find some sheds.